Grand Entrance

Santiago takes center stage as a premier business destination. 

- Joe Baur

SANTIAGO, CHILE: This part of the world simply has an air of remoteness. The next closest capital, Buenos Aires, lies more than 900 miles away. Santiago itself is merely 70 miles from the Pacific Ocean, before the Continent ends and you’re heading to New Zealand.

The point is, not to belabor it, but Santiago is most likely far from wherever you’re coming from. But if you’ve traveled to Western Europe, there’s an air of familiarity to the Chilean capital: You’ll find a city easy to navigate by foot, and you’ll often be surrounded by impressive architecture, markets and the occasional pedestrian-only thoroughfare.

Best of all for the business traveler, Santiago upped the ante over the past decade with substantial investments in transportation and hotel infrastructure to make the trip more than worthwhile. The Santiago Convention Bureau chalks up 11,500 rooms spread out among 3- to 5-star hotels. By 2018 it estimates 13,800 rooms will be available in the city to complement 355,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition areas.