About us

Businessman and politician, lover of art and culture, visionary, self-taught, specialist in real estate by experience and entrepreneur by inheritance

San José, Costa Rica, February 23, 1979

“You work hard you make your own luck” is the phrase that not only identifies Christian Salazar, a prominent Costa Rican businessman who carved out his career based on effort, hard work, self-learning and a lot of dedication; It also frames your objectives, goals, and challenges.

He inherited from his father, Luis Gerardo Salazar, a “door-to-door” salesman, the skill and passion for business. Although he did not complete his university studies, today he is one of the most prominent businessmen in his county.

Born in San José, Costa Rica, on February 23, 1979, he studied elementary school at the Elías Jiménez Castro School and high school at the Liceo de Costa Rica. He did audiovisual studies at the University of Veritas. He also studied art at La Casa del Artista, since since he was a child he had skills for painting.

From a very young age and due to the motivation of his father and mother, Rosibel Guerrero, he studied English, so he always looked for jobs that would help him put the foreign language into practice. He worked for more than five years in call centers; however, this did not quench his thirst for an entrepreneur that he carried with him since the day he was born by inheritance from his father.

Being tired of working for so many years in call centers, which he considers very exhausting and his passion for surfing and the beach, motivated him to travel more frequently to Jaco, where he met many people, found a job and an opportunity to learn .

Changing jobs, cities, and a bit of his lifestyle led him to be more visionary, so although the job he landed as a messenger at a Development company was somewhat easier than what he was used to doing, and he had less economic remuneration, he explored the opportunities that it could offer him.

In this company he learned about real estate, vacation rentals, tourism, and over the years it became the place that gave him the impetus for his development as an entrepreneur.

After five years working in this company, the project ended, he saw the opportunity to continue operating the condominiums that is how in 2008 he created his own company: Costa Rica Holiday Rentals.

In the beginning, Costa Rica Holiday Rentals were only Christian and his brother Daniel Salazar, who, with two minibuses and eager to get ahead, started in the tourism business, offering tours and transportation to tourists from the airport to different destinations of the country.

With the passage of time the business grew to the point that they had to hire drivers to dedicate themselves together with their brother to the marketing and administrative matters of the company. They came at one point to employ five more people, however, the landscape changed with the arrival of digital platforms that offered a similar service, something that did not take Christian by surprise, who, as a visionary entrepreneur, foresaw this scenario. , which allowed him to reduce his operating costs.

This decision included selling the minibuses that had the same employees and continuing to work with them through outsourcing.

Then the vacation rental and property management business grew, allowing Christian and those who work with him to have more staff.

Over the years, he built a portfolio of properties and met more investors, which has led to potentiate his brand today.

In addition to being a businessman, he is a founding member of the Rotary Club of Garabito, founder of the Pueblo Garabito Party, for which he was municipal councilor for four years (2016-2020). He is also the founder of the Chamber of Vacation Rentals, a body of which he is currently president.

He considers himself a very family person, in a stable de facto union since 2008 with Hellen Morales. He is the father of a 10-year-old girl: Alana Valeria, who, since his arrival on August 29, 2010, changed his life and turned him into a different person.

Her favorite hobby is working and in her few free time she dedicates herself to nurturing her knowledge, studying on her own.

A music lover, your work day can’t start without first tuning in to a station or just putting on a song. Coastal food, seafood and coffee are one of its weaknesses.

He is proud to carry the Costa Rican “pura vida” in his blood; In the not too distant future, he does not rule out taking a more incidental role in Costa Rican politics, although for now he prefers to focus on his role as a businessman.

In addition to his vacation rental and real estate businesses, he is a partner in a business management company and the owner of a fast food restaurant.

For Christian, the success of an entrepreneur is perseverance, having conviction, being reasonable, not being afraid, being humble and knowing how to take advice.

He works together with his partner, which he considers an advantage, since most of the time they spend together and share the same goal, not only as a family, but as entrepreneurs.

His greatest strength as an entrepreneur has been the vision of always having something more to achieve and his desire to continue to improve himself. He knows no limits or comfort zone, he is always generating new ideas, always seeking to be in the right place, at the right time, because for Christian Salazar “punctuality is courtesy of kings”.

Entrepreneur, self-taught, persevering, businessman and family.

“Who perseveres reaches”, this is perhaps a very trite saying, but it became a reality for Daniel Salazar, who, with countless stumbles, falls and mistakes, managed to sculpt the pillars that led him to become the successful entrepreneur today.

He was born in San José, Costa Rica, on April 10, 1984; he studied elementary school at the Elías Jiménez Castro School of Excellence; high school at the Liceo de Costa Rica; Monsenor Rubén Odio Herrera and he did an exchange at the Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, when he was 15 years old.

From a very young age, he speaks English, he did several courses in computing and customer service, he also studied Systems Engineering at the Latin University of Costa Rica, but he did not finish this degree because he realized that it was not what he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to. Life, however, opened the doors of many companies that led him to acquire the experience that he now puts into practice in a family business.

From a very young age, he thought about dedicating himself to tourism and wanted to study it as a university degree, however, social pressure led him to other horizons. His first job was as a reservation agent for a tourism company, but when he achieved a better level of English, he started working in an American company in customer service, then he collaborated and acquired a lot of administrative experience as a customer service agent for Call Centers, where he became the leader and supervisor of a team with more than 40 workers in charge.

For other people, Daniel Salazar had a determined life: a young single man, with a good job, well-paid salary and many comforts, however, he did not feel satisfied. Making the decision to leave a stable job was difficult, but an internal voice always repeated that he was capable and that he could achieve it, no matter how many barriers he encountered along the way.

That was how in 2009 he decided to take on the challenge, took his life savings, his liquidation and a suitcase full of dreams to move from San José to Jacó and join his brother Christian Salazar, who a year earlier had decided to start his own business: Holiday Rentals, which he did not hesitate to bet on because in addition to the blood ties that unite them, he had full confidence that they could achieve his aspirations.

In its beginnings, Holiday Rentals, the company that two brothers were sculpting slowly but surely, was only dedicated to carrying out tourist transport. It took more than 8 months to dust off boxes and papers to find the north and begin to flesh out this project. After seven years of hard work by both brothers, the company finally saw the light of the sun, managing to access loans, hire staff and continue taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the market.

In 2016 he married Vanesa Angulo and is the father of an 18-month-old girl. From a very young age he exercises, likes music, running, cycling, playing soccer, keeping fit and leading a healthy lifestyle.

According to Daniel Salazar, an entrepreneur cannot afford to fail several times because it is very hard to recover and get back on track. Insistence, consistency, and persistence are his greatest strengths. In the near future he sees himself opening doors to other entrepreneurs so that they can grow hand by hand. He wants to buy properties to rent and sell, expand the family business further, and have other investments.

For this young businessman, life is not a stroke of luck, opportunities are found and you have to know how to take advantage of them, although the gray days were countless, he still remembers them as a bitter drink from a past that is not far from everyone’s reality. Those who one day decide to take charge of their own path and take on the challenge of being an entrepreneur. Those days now he sees it as a life lesson, but he does not trust himself and continues to set new goals, which, although he knows it will not be easy to achieve, he is willing to try because in his DNA there is no room for failure. . He never gives up.

Entrepreneur, lover of literature, self-taught, determined and with a passion for what she does

Since she was a child, she had a lot of determination, she knew what she wanted and how to achieve it. Each step taken throughout her life has been strategic, Thanks to the experience, she understood that the effort is worth it, but don’t put work before your own well-being.

Born in Heredia, Costa Rica, on September 27, 1988, Hellen Morales is a woman of virtue and conviction. He studied elementary school at the Escuela Central de Jacó and high school at the Colegio Tecnico Turistico de Jaco.

From a very young age she knew that her future was in tourism, so she studied a Medium Technician in Hospitality and Special Events, in addition to several courses related to it.

She started working at the age of 18, making reservations for a tourism company, and then collaborated in the operation of a catamaran for two years and later as reservations supervisor at a hotel.

Since 2008 she joined in a formal relationship with Christian Salazar, who, tired of working for others, made the decision to create his own company: Costa Rica Holiday Rentals. Hellen Morales was very strategic and decided to work for other companies, to later apply the experience and knowledge that she could bring to the family business.

This is how in 2019, already with several years of knowledge in the tourism business, mainly in the area of ​​reservations, tours and reception, Hellen felt that it was time to work with her partner and put into practice all the learning she had acquired in other companies.

When she started working at Costa Rica Holiday Rentals she was in charge of making reservations, tour sales and transportation services, now in addition to her daily tasks, she has administrative responsibilities of the company.

Various situations and experiences helped her to value every moment and the importance of taking care of herself, physically and emotionally. Now she has a golden rule: no matter how much work there is and how tired the day is, dinner time is sacred and should always be done in the family. This has allowed the Salazar-Morales to have control between their relationship and the company.

For Hellen, who is the mother of a 10-year-old girl: Alana Valeria; As for any parent, doing business and carrying a family is complicated, but she ensures that she always takes time out; Although there are days when she works late into the night, she always tries to take an hour off to exercise, spend time with her family, and recharge her batteries.

She is a determined woman and when she proposes a goal she can stand all day until she achieves it, she daily takes a class of functional routines. Since she was a child she has lived on the beach, so she has a great connection with water and waves. She likes to walk, ride a bike and read, especially literature and novels: Paulo Coelho’s books can’t be missing from her table. Sunsets are the antidote to all its ills, especially when it has had a difficult day.

In the future she would like the company to be more successful and prosperous, having more staff for the various tasks involved in the operation.

For Hellen, the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur is being aware that when working independently you don’t get a monthly salary; you have to look for it.

The uncertainty and the sharp voice that resonates in the head, questioning whether it will work or not, are for Hellen the greatest enemies of every entrepreneur, coupled with the locks of governments through taxes that increasingly drown those who decide to open their own path to business.

According to Morales, responsibility, organization, motivation, desires to overcome, the desire to work hard and the approach of goals are key for every entrepreneur.

Her father, Edgar Morales, who is Carpenter (artist of furniture creation) and former Red Cross member, and her mother, Hilda González, always instilled in her, as did her sisters, a passion for work, family and helping others.

On her work board it is always written: “I love what I do”, a phrase that has become the engine that drives her to face the greatest adversity and move on when she stumbles, because if she is sure of anything it is that dreams are only achieved when you work hard.