Caribbean Meetings Offer Unique Charms

Extending from the Yucatan Peninsula to the coast of Venezuela, the Caribbean Islands separate the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. But one thing to keep in mind when planning a Caribbean program is that each island has its own unique personality.

Kara Katen, director of operations for Denver, CO-based Event Travel Management, a third-party meeting planning company, planned a sales incentive for a group of 56 from a software development company at Half Moon, a RockResort, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in April. "It's a global organization and we bring in people from all over the world," says Katen. "We look for accessibility and for average flying times for everyone." Jamaica fit the bill. "Half Moon was absolutely stunning," she adds. "It was by far the best program we have ever done. The different variations of accommodations worked well as those with higher sales got the better rooms, although they were all amazing."

Club MoBay, Jamaica's premier airport departure lounge and fast-track service through immigration and security also impressed Katen. "It was recommended through Half Moon and it was the nicest arrival and departure any of my incentive groups have ever had," she says. Katen has also found the Caribbean to be affordable.

With so much to offer, it's easy to understand why meetings business is booming there.

"The meetings market, especially international incentive programs, have come back strong," says James M. Bullock, vice president of group sales for Sandals Resorts, based in Miami, FL. "[There is] an improved corporate climate -- both publicly traded and privately held organizations are actively holding programs in the Caribbean. In addition, a noticeable shift by many companies from Mexico and the Dominican Republic to the English Caribbean is fueling our growth as well."

A family-owned, Caribbean-based company, Sandals offers 18 all-inclusive luxury resorts in seven countries including the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, Turks and Caicos, Grenada, and Barbados. Recognizing that organizations have special needs, Sandals has developed purpose-built spaces, including meeting rooms, break-out spaces, and boardrooms equipped with technology as well as outdoor pavilions and special-event spaces allowing groups to take advantage of the beach, ocean, and lush tropical surroundings.

Sandals isn't the only all-inclusive property that caters to meetings and incentives. Riu Hotels & Resorts features 24-hour all-inclusive food and beverage in its properties in Aruba, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Panama. The Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, with 65,000 square feet of meeting space and an outdoor venue that can host up to 3,600, has an all-inclusive package that includes Wi-Fi and unlimited phone calls to the continental U.S. and Canada, as well as 24-hour room service.

Bahamas
One of the most popular locales for meetings and incentives is Nassau/Paradise Island, in part due to its close proximity to the United States. Just 50 miles off the coast of South Florida, you'll find powder-white beaches and colorful straw markets, historic sites and a vibrant nightlife.

The $3.5 billion Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, originally scheduled to open in December, has pushed back its opening to spring 2015. Baha Mar has been billed as the largest private investment in Bahamas history, backed by China's state-run Export-Import Bank of China and constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corp.

Ground was broken in February 2011 on Nassau's Cable Beach. Plans call for four new hotels plus an existing one operated by Melia, as well as a casino, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, and a convention center.

The new hotels are to include the 1,000-room Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, a 707-room Grand Hyatt, a 200-room Rosewood, and a 300-room SLS hotel. Grand Hyatt will manage The Baha Mar Convention Center, Arts and Entertainment Center, one of the largest facilities in the Caribbean, with close to 200,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space. The design was inspired by the undulating waves of the 3,000-foot uninterrupted white-sand beach and crystal-clear turquoise waters at Baha Mar.

Grand Lucayan on Grand Bahama Island is home to an 18-hole championship golf course, a Vegas-style casino, a variety of restaurants and bars, an expansive spa and fitness center, and three swimming pools. Grand Lucayan features 542 guest rooms including 23 oceanfront lanai suites, and 90,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

Located on North Bimini Island in the Bahamas, Resorts World Bimini is only 50 miles from the coast of Miami, and can be reached by boat within two hours, or by plane within 30 minutes. The 750-acre property offers studios and one- to four-bedroom villas, restaurants, two pools, and tennis courts -- all with breathtaking water views.

Meetings-Friendly Properties
Among the additional meetings-friendly properties in the Caribbean is Scrub Island, an Autograph Collection hotel, and the British Virgin Islands' newest luxury private-island resort, with approximately 2,100 square feet of meeting space, divisible into three rooms -- the largest meeting space in the British Virgin Islands. The resort has 52 ocean-view guest rooms and suites. For large groups, the property offers two- to four-bedroom villas with expansive outdoor terraces.

Regent Palms Turks and Caicos, a 72-suite resort located on the award-winning Grace Bay Beach, features the largest meeting space on the island of Turks, and the largest spa in the Caribbean (at 26,000 square feet), which can also be used for functions.

Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina, Saint Lucia will reopen Sept. 1, after a multimillion-dollar renovation. Embassy Suites by Hilton Santo Domingo, a 150 all-suite, new-build, full-service hotel in the Dominican Republic has opened, forming part of the Silver Sun Gallery complex. Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, is set to complete a multimillion-dollar renovation enhancing the group experience resortwide by year's end. Meeting and incentive groups will encounter improved indoor and outdoor meeting space, refreshed guest rooms, and updated public spaces.

Areas enhanced during the project include: 48,000 square feet of flexible meeting spaces, much of which features stunning ocean views and patio access; 400 guest rooms and suites; 10 refreshed dining facilities; and improvements to all public and recreational areas.

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This article appears in the September 2014 issue of Successful Meetings.