For years, one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful vestibules remained closed to the public due to high-traffic limitations presented by its old green rug. The National Theatre’s current director, Jody Steiger , has adamantly worked around obstacles and issues to assure that the theatre is accessible to everyone.

The theatre’s administration has fixed the flooring which limited visitors to enjoy the foyer’s French style decoration which consists of ceiling paintings, statues and large crystal mirrors which were imported from France.

The foyer can fit approximately 120 people and can be rented for $5,000 a night. There are two additional vestibules on each side which were originally used as smoking areas. The theatre’s original 100 year old harpsichord still adorns the reception area giving it an 1800 feel. However, the harpsichord will eventually be replaced by the theatre’s current grand piano in order to hold concerts in the area.

The flooring was carefully repaired by removing the rug and restoring the century old hardwood floor by means of bee wax, polyurethane and sandpaper. Over 30 species of Costa Rican wood make up the flooring giving the salon an elegant and cozy appeal.

Visitors to the National Theatre will also be able to enjoy the foyer’s antiques and artwork as well. One of its pieces that stand out the most is the statue called La Fama. For many years, this statue adorned the theatre’s exterior while receiving punishment from the weather and bird droppings. The statue was restored and placed in the foyer.

The story of La Fama, or “The Fame” is that its creator has forever remained unknown. When the theatre received the statue in the early 1900’s, they sent the artist an envelope with a picture of the statue’s new home along with the payment for his work. Months later, the envelope and everything in it was returned with a note saying that he had carved a woman and not a man.

When visiting the National Theatre and its foyer, keep a keen eye for several Masonry symbols distributed around the area. This was a very popular movement during the construction of the theatre.

The Costa Rica National Theatre is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.

Oriens Completes Online Credit Card Processing Integration for Hotel PURE

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 12, 2008 — Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corp. (Other OTC:OTHM.PK - News ) (http://www.orienscorp.com), an emerging Travel and Hotel Management Company, operating online travel booking site 128 Trip and hotel management subsidiary Hotel PURE, is pleased to report it has completed Online Credit Card processing integration for its Hotel PURE booking engine.

After months of due diligence by the bank, Oriens has received approval from Banco Nacional of Costa Rica to process online Credit Card transactions for all hotels represented under the Hotel PURE brand. This is a huge step for Oriens with respect to building a solid foundation with the hotels it represents, since most of the small and medium size hotels in the Central America and the Caribbean region virtually have no access to online Credit Card processing capabilities. As a result, as much as 30% of the reservations booked online turned up to be “No-Shows” when credit cards were not processed at the time of booking, resulting in loss revenue, according to feedback received from some of Costa Rica Hotel PURE locations. This initiative will allow Hotel PURE to instantly process all Credit Cards at the time of bookings and settle funds with hotels less processing fees, thus guaranteeing the rooms to the customers as well as eliminating “No-Shows” to the hotels. The integration itself, which took nearly 3 months to complete, involves a huge list of compliances such as linking database to the bank, secure communications protocols, obtaining certificates for VISA and MasterCard, a whole new API software platform integration with the bank among other critical components.

As much as 66% of the 2700 hotels in Costa Rica currently have no access to online Credit Card processing capabilities, as a result, Hotel PURE looks to establish relationships with more hotels utilizing this proprietary service.

Ken Chua, President/CEO of the company comments, “This is a huge milestone for Oriens as we advance to a new level with Hotel PURE, with the beginning of a series of additional services offer to the hotels we represent. As we develop and integrate more software based services to the hotels we represent, we are showing our commitments to the hotels, we are their ideal partner for the long term, to help them building a better business utilizing more advance technologies and be more competitive with the branded hotels, such as the Marriott, Best Western, Holiday Inn and others .”