DOWN SOUTH AMERICA WAY: Just two and a half hours from Miami and four hours from New York, Aruba sits 15 miles off the coast of South America, amidst the stunning turquoise waters of the southern Caribbean Sea. The island boasts some of the world's most beautiful white-sand beaches, average year-round temperatures that stay mainly in the 80s, and a roster of meetings-friendly properties, many of which have recently been refreshed and redone.
ENGLISH SPOKEN: The U.S. dollar is widely accepted and English widely spoken, making Aruba an easy, breezy option for meetings and incentives.
ESSENTIAL TOOL BOXConvention Centers/Facilities: Renaissance Convention Center, 22,000 sf of meeting space; 12 meeting rooms, largest seats 1,600.
TIEA: Aruba operates under the Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA), which means that meetings held here can be considered tax-deductible.
Passports: Passports are required for U.S. citizens
For More Information: Meet Aruba www.meetaruba.com
HOME TEAM RECOMMENDS Leslie Blair, of Traverse City, MI-based Viktor Incentives & Meetings; Terry D. Frank, managing director of St. Louis, MO-based Century Securities Associates, Inc.; and Sherrie Chelini, of LA-based Par Avion Travel, all recommend the 358-room Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino; Chelini was also impressed with the 360-room Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino and the new 450-room Hotel RIU Palace Aruba. Michelle DeClerck, CMP, of
IA-based Conference Event Management, favors the Hyatt Regency, but likes the 413-room Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, and the new 481-room Westin Aruba Resort, too. At the mid to high end, she suggests the 556-room Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, with which Tom Hogan of NJ-based Hogan Events agrees.
Magall Meza-Guzman, general manager of Eco Destination Management Services (PRA), suggests that groups will enjoy meeting at Aruba's various restaurants, the range and quality of which, she says, "will delight even the savviest traveler." Hogan's favorite restaurants include Papiamiento, Ventanas del Mar (which, says Meza-Guzman, can hold up to 500), and LeDome. Meza-Guzman suggests that island tours by bus, Jeep, or catamaran make great activities, to which Hogan adds a vote for the Balashi Brewery tour.
A Less Than Three-Hour TourAruba is deservedly known for its beaches, but the island also hosts several other natural attractions for those susceptible to Mother Nature's charms. Eighteen percent of the island, for example, is taken up by Arikok National Park, a protected area with trails for biking, hiking, and walking amidst the island's flora that afford sweeping views of the coastlines. The park is also home to the Guadirikiri, Fontein, and Huliba caves, famous for their stalagmites, stalactites, Arawak Indian cave drawings, and numerous resident bats.
North of the Park, geology enthusiasts will delight at the Casibari and Ayo rock formations, both of which are wound round by accessible hiking trails. Nearby, tourists pile small stones at the Wish Rock Garden, where local lore promises wishes are granted when rock towers are built.
Those looking for a faster pace can sign up for a Jeep safari tour and enjoy a quickand bouncyoverview tour that careens past the island's worthiest sights, including the famous divi-divi trees (driven by the trade winds into their trademark southwest-leaning pose), old churches, dramatic coastlines, and the rock formations and garden.
FACILITIES UPDATE*This summer, the luxury, all-inclusive Hotel RIU Palace Aruba opened in Palm Beach. The new, 450-room resort features two swimming pools (one of them Olympic-sized), tennis courts, five restaurants, five bars (one swim-up), a casino, onsite dive and watersports center, a spa and fitness center, and two conference rooms (for 50 and 90, classroom-style).
*The 413-room Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino began a $40 million enhancement program in Jul that, upon completion this summer, will update guestrooms, upgrade the lobby, transform the Tuscany restaurant into a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and make all but the casino smoke-free. Phase II of the renovation, beginning Apr, will renovate the North Tower. The resort is among several Caribbean properties that are part of Marriott's new Virtual Tour website, ParadisebyMarriott.com.
*The 600-room Holiday Inn Sun-Spree Resort Aruba is nearing completion of its three-year, $15 million renovation of guest rooms, restaurants, and meeting space. In Apr, the 147-room Casa del Mar Beach Resort became a "Pure Allergy Friendly Resort," which means that all surfaces and fabrics in its rooms, stores, gym, and member's lounge have been treated to minimize the presence of allergens and other contaminants.
*The 360-room Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino completed a $20 million renovation of its guest rooms, Palms Restaurant and Bar, and open-air lobby, and had its soft opening in Oct.
*The 72-room Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort Arubais nearing completion of its $3.5 million renovation, which has outfitted guestrooms with new furniture, tiling, appliances, flat-screen TVs, and modern kitchens with granite countertops.
*The 481-room Westin Aruba Resort completed Phase II of its $16 million renovation, which refreshed the lobby and public spaces.
*Spirit Airlines began nonstop weekly service to Aruba from Fort Lauderdale in Nov.
Getting to Know: ArubaLast November, Successful Meetings' Caribbean Marketplace brought 20 meeting planners to the 358-room Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino for three days of education, networking, and site inspections. The Marketplace, part of the Successful Meetings University program, commenced with an educational session on preparing for international meetings, led by Jacqueline Russo, vice president, KN Exposervices North America. Another session, "Hotel Think: Understanding How Hotels Consider your Business," was presented by Rob Smith, president and CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association.
Overall, planners were pleased by Aruba's atmosphere of security, and surprised by the island's aridity. Says Sherrie Chelini of Los Angeles-based Par Avion Travel: "I was surprised to see how desert-like it is." A Jeep tour, provided by DePalm Tours, and a sunset sail, hosted by Red Sail Aruba Sports, were popular activities.
Terry D. Frank, managing director of St. Louis, MO-based Century Securities Associates, Inc , considers Aruba "a unique destination" but thinks three days is too short for the travel involved. For West Coast-based Chelini, it was a 12-hour trip, but she adds, "For meetings and incentives where people want to relax by the beach, holding a meeting in Aruba would work great!" Emily Lewis, SM's operations manager and organizer of the event, agrees:
"When going to a Caribbean destination, be sure to give at least two hours of free time each day so attendees can enjoy where they are and do their own thing. You don't want them to walk away and say, 'Geez ... I was in this beautiful place, but I didn't get a chance to enjoy it on my own.' "
Terri Hardin
Interested in participating in an SM University Marketplace program? Go to www.mimegasite.com, click on "Special Opportunities," and select the program of your choice.
Originally published February 01, 2008For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events,
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