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32 33 THE CAYUGA COLLECTION Conference.’” “They invited people from all over the world that they thought could help them and came out with two conclusions at the end of the week,” Pfister continues.“One was to make sure that their 1,000-acre rain forest preserve be protected in perpetuity, and they did that with an easement with the Nature Conservatory and a local organi- zation; and two was that they needed professional management.Out of this, the concept for our company was born and we’ve been involved in management ever since.” The Cayuga Collection is a partnership between Pfister and Andrea Bonilla.“We met at Cornell University’s Hotel School in the ‘90s, and we had different jobs all over, but then came together to do Cayuga,”Pfister recounts.“If there is somebody who owns a small hotel or lodge in a remote place, but it’s a high level operation, and they don’t want to run it themselves, they will be looking for somebody to run it.Our business model is to pro- vide our services to these people and that’s some- thing that the bigger chains are not interested in because it’s not attractive financially. So, the Cayu- ga Collection was basically born out of necessity of those owners.We run the company for them; we hire the staff,we do the purchasing,we pay the bills,we do human resources,we do marketing,we do accounting,we take care of everything. “What ties all of these projects together is the philosophy of sustainability and luxury.We have a corporate team of 11 people that ensure qual- ity, financial performance, continuity, etc., for the owners. It’s long-term relationships that we have with our owners to ensure that the operation goes smoothly.They don’t have to worry about it; they can either take care of their other businesses or they can just go surfing.” Today, the Lapa Rios Ecolodge is still the Collec- tion’s flagship operation, consistently voted as one of Latin America’s top resorts by Conde Nast Trav- eler,Travel & Leisure Magazine, and the Andrew Harper Hideaway Report. It has just 17 freestand- ing bungalows, all with stylish decor, comfy beds, private patios, hammocks, outdoor showers, and good plumbing inside, but no AC and minimal lights.The Osa Peninsula is home to 2.5 percent of the world’s biodiversity and many endangered