SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS September 2007 If you haven't been to the Caribbean in a while, you will be amazed at the luxury offerings that casually await you. Nearly every hospitality trend-from condotels to branded restaurants to boutique properties-is represented in abundance, and each island has something lavish to offer-jungle cottages, plunge pools, butler service, and more.
ESSENTIAL TOOLBOX
Convention Centers: Puerto Rico Convention Center, 152,700 sf of exhibit space, a 39,500-sf ballroom, and 36,200 sf of meeting space, largest accommodating 16,965 theater style.
Cancun Center, 77,900 sf of dedicated exhibit space, 37 meeting rooms, largest accommodates 3,000 theater-style.
Passports: Implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has proved more complicated that initially expected. In June, the U.S. government announced that American citizens who had applied for, but not yet received, a passport, could re-enter the United States by air using proof of application along with other forms of identification. That temporary reprieve is scheduled to stop at the end of this month. And beginning as early as January 31, 2008, American citizens traveling by sea will also have to use a passport to re-enter the U.S. Visit http://travel.state.gov for the latest updates and
information.
Daily Business Costs:* Nassau, Bahamas Hotel $178 F&B $87
Kingston, Jamaica Hotel $165 F&B $46
San Juan, Puerto Rico Hotel $183 F&B $84
For complete list of CVBs and hotels, visit Quick Facility Search at www.mimegasite.com
*Source: Business Travel News 2007 Corporate Travel Index
The Big News
Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica will be the site of the new $51.67-million Montego Bay Convention Center, scheduled to open Dec 2008. The center, which will be built on 23 acres of land-with approximately 215,278 sf of rooms for meetings, exhibitions, and other events-is a joint venture between the government of Jamaica and Ex-Im Bank of China, which is putting up 87 percent, or $45.4 million, of the financing. According to Marcia Bullock, U.S. director of groups and conventions for the Jamaica Tourist Board, "What it will do is open up to us those association and large corporate groups that specifically require exhibit space and numerous breakout rooms simultaneously. Up until now, we have been confined to the meeting space that's attached to the resorts." Now, she says, "We will definitely be able to attract programs that need exhibit space."
In addition to the center, which is expected to break ground this year, the Rose Hall area is also opening the first condo development in Jamaica, the Palmyra Resort & Spa at Rose Hall. Phase I of the development, comprising two 100-unit condo buildings, The Palmyra ESPA, with an infinity pool, is expected to debut in late 2007. "The Caribbean has always had a mass-market appeal," notes Bullock. "But in Jamaica, it was the opening of the Ritz-Carlton that forced everybody to raise standards a bit. I think it's a smart move on the part of the properties to go after the upscale traveler." Along with the Ritz-Carlton, the Palmyra, when complete, will bring the room count to 1,500 in the Rose Hall area.
Facilities Update
JAMAICA
Both the 223-room Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa and Montego Bay's 187-room Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island boast new swim-up river suites, set upon a relaxing lazy river and pool, with private patios and signature butler service.
g Phase II of a $15 renovation project at 427-room Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, which will upgrade all guest rooms, began in Aug and is expected to be complete for the 2007 holiday season. Phase I, completed last Jan, featured a revamp of all meeting rooms, the lobby reception area, guest areas, and Cohoba Lounge.
PUERTO RICO
The 184-room Hotel Pierre in San Juan's Condado district will begin a year-long,
multiphase renovation that will transform it into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel San Juan by mid-2008.
* In July, the Robert Trent Jones Jr. course opened at the new residential Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club (near the El Yunque rainforest). Joining it in 2009 will be a St. Regis hotel.
* The 570-room Condado Plaza recently remodeled its event/meeting space, adding 8,000 sf for a total of 33,000. It will be opening a Strip House restaurant this fall. The Condado is also undergoing a multimillion-dollar lobby renovation with designer David Rockwell, to be complete later this year.
* The 983-room El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa unveiled the brand new $32-million Atlantic Conference Center, which includes the new 21,090-sf Grand Atlantic ballroom, Puerto Rico's largest resort ballroom. With this addition to its existing 70,000 sf of meeting space, the resort now houses two adjacent conference areas with a total of four ballrooms, providing planners with more square feet of indoor meeting space per available guest room than any other resort in the Caribbean.
* The now 812-room Caribe Hilton debuted plans for a makeover in 2007 that will include rooms, dining, public areas, and ballrooms. A recent expansion included a new executive floor lounge, dining outlets, and 168 Condado Lagoon Villas.
* Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort's expansion program includes a 6,000-sf exhibition center and is set to debut by the end of 2007. The resort recently unveiled a newly-expanded casino-now the largest in Puerto Rico's southern region.
* The 600-room Rio Mar Resort & Spa (formerly Westin) has begun its $40-million capital improvement project as part of its recent induction into the Wyndham Grand Collection. The $15-million Phase I will include an upgrade of the casino, new soft goods, and improvements to public areas, restaurants, and the clubhouse. In the fall, more than $1 million will be spent on the meeting space with improvements to wall coverings, curtain walls, millwork, and the purchase of new banquet chairs and tables.
* The 402-room San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino recently completed $35-million worth of renovations to the property, followed by a makeover to the ballroom and meeting rooms and main tower guest rooms.
* In Aug, the 240-room Sheraton Old San Juan opened a Tuscan-themed restaurant Palio, directly on San Juan Bay.
* The iconic 248-room Renaissance La Concha Resort will debut in the Condado area this year, with 15,000 sf of meeting space, a 15,000-sf casino, three restaurants, and a signature pool.
* The 156-room Martineau Bay Resort in Vieques will close in Aug to reopen in 2009 as a W, after a $200-million renovation.
* Across from the Puerto Rico Convention Center, the ground has been cleared for a $209-million, 500-room Sheraton convention hotel, expected to debut in fall 2009.
BAHAMAS
The 600-suite Cove Atlantis opened within the Atlantis, Paradise Island complex, featuring a beach club, an adults-only pool with beach concierge and daybeds, an open-air lobby, and the first Bobby Flay signature restaurant outside the U.S. Beach and poolside cabanas are equipped with flat screen TVs, wireless Internet, Bose 3-2-1 systems, private bathrooms, and custom-stocked service bars.
* The 288-room British Colonial Hilton Nassau has announced plans for a makeover that will include the lobby, meeting rooms, and a new executive lounge by the end of 2007. By late 2008, the hotel will completely renovate all guest rooms including suites and executive floor rooms and will refurbish its famous 00-suite, inspired by James Bond.
* In Jun, the 694-room Sheraton Cable Beach Resort opened in Nassau, featuring three freshwater pools with flowing waterfalls, and a swim-up bar.
* The par-7, 18-hole Greg Norman-designed Blue Shark Golf Club course opens in Nassau in Jan.
* The 250-room Conrad Bimini Bay Resort & Casino, Conrad's first in the Caribbean, will debut on Bimini (just 48 miles east of Miami) in 2009. The Conrad will feature a spa, casino, a variety of fine dining restaurants, and a marina.
* Plans are under way for the mixed-use, 3,000-room Baha Mar Resort project, which will feature a W, a St. Regis, a Westin, and a Radisson, and a Caesars branded property, as well as 200,000 sf of meeting space on a 1,000-acre plot in Nassau, with a completion date of 2011.
USVI
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, recently reopened following a $40-million renovation that included 180 guest rooms and added 55 club rooms, 15 executive suites, and four lavishly designed presidential suites; the first Prada spa in the Caribbean; and nine moorings for guests who arrive by boat. A new club lounge, featuring daily culinary presentations and a dedicated concierge, is expected in Nov.
* The 479-room Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort completed this summer a two-year, $25-million renovation project to its guest rooms, suites, and public areas. The resort offers 60,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting, banquet, and function space.
* The 156-room Carambola Beach Resort will be reflagged as a Renaissance following an extensive renovation of its guest rooms, public space, landscaping, and restaurants. For meetings and social events, the resort will have 2,742 sf of space comprised of a 2,242-sf conference room and a 500-sf board room. The first stage of the renovation is expected to be completed in this year while the second stage, which will add 100 rooms to the facility, is scheduled to be completed in 2009. A full-service spa is planned and is under development.
ARUBA
The 413-room Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino will complete a $40-million enhancement program by Dec 2007 that will include a complete guest room makeover, an expansion to the La Vista dining facility, a debut of a Ruth's Chris Steak House, and an overhaul of the lobby (to become a Marriott Great Room in Oct) and reception area. Upon completion of the project, the entire resort, with the exception of the Stellaris Casino, will be smoke free.
* The 481-room Westin Aruba Resort (formerly Wyndham) relaunched following a $16-million renovation that revamped its six meeting rooms (largest is 10,075 sf) and refreshed guest room soft goods.
* The Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino is undergoing a $20-million renovation. The lobby and adjacent Alfresco bar, public spaces, and many guest rooms are complete, soon to be followed by the suites and the Palms Restaurant and bar.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The 337-pillow Westin Roco Ki Beach and Golf Resort begins taking reservations in Nov for its May 2008 debut. The 2,700-acre resort (along a four-mile beach) features 157 spacious hotel rooms and suites, 32 "Jungle Luxe" Bungalows with views of the sea and resort gardens, 20 3,400-sf cliffside villas, and two- and three-bedroom resort condos. Amenities include 24-hour service, high-speed Internet, a Nick Faldo-designed championship golf course, a 20,000-sf conference center, a world-class spa, seven restaurants, and a kids program.
* The 176-suite Hotel Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa opened in Mar with nine state-of-the-art meeting rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 550 people, a Jack Nicklaus golf course, the 21,500-sf La Fortaleza spa, eight restaurants, and a marina with space for up to 500 yachts.
* The 795-room Barcelo Punta Cana Resort has recently refreshed and redesigned its guest rooms and public areas.
CANCUN
Playa Mujeres, Cancun's newest upscale beachfront development a few miles north of downtown, is expected to open this year with 600 guest rooms. Duffers can putt and play on the first 18 holes of a Greg Norman-designed course while 18 additional holes are under construction.
* Oasis Hotels & Resorts is debuting three new properties this year: The Grand Oasis Caribbean Beach Resort, the Sens Cancun, and the Sens Del Mar.
* Major renovations to the former Melia Turquesa resulted in the first resort property of Madrid-based Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts' new brand, ME by Melia brand, and features the first-ever Maxim Beach bar in Cancun (operated by Rande and Scott Gerber).
* The Cancun Palace reopened in Feb with a new 17,000-sf convention center, featuring 10 meeting rooms and a
business center.
* The all-inclusive Elan Resort & Spa - Cancun reopened in Mar after a $15-million refurbishment. It features almost 24,000 sf of indoor function space and 30,000 sf of outdoor space.
* Another all-inclusive, Dreams Cancun, built a dolphin aquarium with interactive shows. Guests who book dolphin-view rooms will be able to enjoy the aquatic action from the comfort of their own, front-row-center, private balconies.
* The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun added a $250,000 culinary center with its own herb garden and classes in ethnic cuisines. The classes can accommodate groups of up to 14 attendees at a time and include a three-course tasting menu. A Cliff Drysdale-inspired tennis center has also opened, featuring private lessons, morning clinics, group tournaments, and corporate socials.
* The JW Marriott reopened with a new lobby for group check-in, and added 32-inch flat-panel LCD televisions plus CD players in all rooms.
* The Hilton Cancun invested $2.9
million renovating its golf course with salt-resistant turf, new landscaping, a driving range, and additional bunkers.
* The National Institute of Anthropology and History has reconstructed a market place with numerous pillars at the El Rey archaeological site, which was a small trading center for the ancient Maya. Forty-one structures have been uncovered so far, and the site can be toured in an hour.
ANTIGUA
Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa unveiled its highly anticipated five-star, 180-suite Mediterranean Village last month, a $70-million expansion to the resort's existing 193-room Caribbean Village. The Mediterranean Village adds 9,000 sf of meeting and banquet space to the resort's existing 1,425-sf conference room, including a 3,200-sf meeting room that can seat up to 300 persons, a boardroom, a pre-function area, kitchen facilities, a Signature Sandals pool tower and swim-up bar, the eastern Caribbean's largest whirlpool, four new restaurants, and an expanded Red Lane Spa.
CURACAO
A 240-room Renaissance resort, under construction, is scheduled to open in 2008.
ST. LUCIA
Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort debuted eight new Rondoval Suites this summer (bringing the total number of suites within this category at the resort to 18), while Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa will debut seven Bluff suites this fall.
* Phase I of the beachfront Landings St. Lucia opens this Dec with 62 suites, a 7,000-sf spa, 80 yacht moorings. and in-room personal chef service.
TURKS & CAICOS
In fall 2008, Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa will unveil its Italian Village, a $100-million resort expansion, comprising 180 family suites with gourmet dining options, a shopping village, a black-light themed teen lounge, expanded pirate-themed Kids Camp facilities, and more. The brand-new Pirates Island Waterpark will debut as the largest comprehensive aqua playground in the Caribbean, featuring a surf simulator and a lazy river.
ST. MAARTEN
The 317-room Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa opened in Jan with nearly 20,000 sf of meeting space, 99 luxury condos, a full-service spa, fitness room, on-site casino, and the island's largest infinity pool.
Groups Should Consider
Groups should consider these recommendations from Successful Meetings Home Team* experts. In Puerto Rico, top choices include the 382-room El San Juan Resort & Casino and the 600-room Rio Mar Resort (now Wyndham). In Cancun, top choices include the 384-room Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach, the 210-room Playacar Palace, the 260-room Le Blanc, and the 769-room Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret. In St. Lucia, the 27-room Ladera.
*Home Team contributors who informed this section include Sandy Biback, CMP, CMM; Leslie J. Blair, CMP; Michelle DeClerck, CMP; Hannah Greenberg; Neela Johnson; Nancy Matos-Tanal; Marilyn Rocks; Jennifer Stewart; Inga Vukovic (GEP); and William L. Youngs, CMP. Contact them at
[email protected]Jamaica: What to Do
Jennifer Stewart of Glamour Tours Ltd, a Global Event Partner, is excited about the new conference center, which will ably accommodate up to 5,000. This space will be centrally located in the Rose Hall area, the home of most of Montego Bay's upscale resorts. "The major tourist areas in Jamaica are Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril, [and these] are quite safe," she says. She thinks Jamaica is great for product launches, small conventions, and religious conferences, and she .suggests the following off-site venues: For less than 100 attendees, The Sugar Mill Restaurant at the Half Moon Resort at Rose Hall offers groups the opportunity to dine at a 200-year-old water wheel served by a distinguished Maitre d'. The ambiance and award-winning cuisine together make this venue an excellent choice. For larger groups, the 250-year-old Rose Hall Great House overlooks the Caribbean Sea and is in close proximity to all the hotels in the Rose Hall area. "This is a great house with some original artifacts still in place," says Stewart. "The story of the White Witch of Rose Hall will unfold at each participant's visit." For groups of up to 500, the 18th-century Bellefield Great House, while in the countryside, is within city limits. "The service is supreme. It's completely private and secure with no venue restrictions even beyond hours." Stewart adds, "All off-site activities are accompanied by company representatives and off-site venues are usually well secured."-TH
Puerto Rico: What to Do
"This is not your typical island," boasts Nancy Matos-Tanal of Group Services Inc., a Global Events Partner. "It is a great small city with great flavor and charm that just happens to be on one of the most beautiful locations in the world-the beautiful Caribbean!" Tourist areas, she adds, are patrolled by police, and "crime directed against tourists is very rare." For fewer than 100 attendees, consider the Casa Blanca Museum in Old San Juan. "This venue was originally built as the home for the first governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon, and now serves as a museum depicting 16th and 17th century life," says Matos-Tanal. "Its beautiful gardens serve as a backdrop for outdoor mingling, and it can seat 100 indoors comfortably." For larger groups, Rio Grande's Hacienda Siesta Alegre, near the entrance of sector El Verde, the surrounding area of the El Yunque National Rainforest, "is one of our most unique venues in Puerto Rico. The main structure of the house is built as a Mediterranean gazebo, with no walls to restrict the uninterrupted views of the mountain range up to the ocean. The rustic elegance of the house makes for an enchanting evening event."
Matos-Tanal says Puerto Rican cuisine is a plus. "Our native 'cocina criolla' is a flavorful blend of Taino Indian, Spanish, and African traditions. Add this to the international influences brought into our island and we've ended up with a large repertoire of exquisite culinary experiences to delight any palate." She recommends Puerto Rico for pure incentives, as well as corporate, educational, and association groups.-TH
Cancun: What to Do
Cancun, says Inga Vukovic, Destination Mexico, a Global Events Partner, "can offer you all of the conveniences for business meetings and yet can offer a relaxing atmosphere. There's a variety of hotels with a great number of meeting rooms that will definitely fit your meeting needs, and there are direct flights from major cities all over the world." For less than 100 attendees, Vukovic recommends El Mortero, a Mexican restaurant along Cancun's main corridor as "a great place where you can find all the rich flavors of Mexico under one roof. If you want to have a noche Mexicana with a tequila tasting, a this is the place to go." For larger groups, Xcaret Park and Night Mexican Show, where Mexican history and culture integrate with the mysterious sounds of the jungle, is a natural: "This is an eco-archeological site where the naturally rocky coastline forms a series of coves, inlets, and lagoons." And, for groups of 500 or more, there's the breath-taking Hacienda Esperanza just outside Cancun: "This is a mansion with exuberant gardens filled with peacocks, roosters, and other exotic animals that decorate the equestrian trail. You will be delighted by the horseback show, which is a demonstration of the Classic Mexican charreria. For big events there is no better place to have a gala dinner than at the back of the hacienda where the garden hides a Mayan Ruin and an elegant Mexican gazebo."-TH
On Site: Trinidad & Tobago
Paradise, Soon to be Regained
Unlike many a Caribbean isle, Trinidad's economy is not based on tourism, but on the petro-chemical industry. Oil and gas refineries dot the western coastline, and the Port of Spain is crammed with industrial shipping vessels ready to move these valuable resources to energy-hungry nations.
But if tourism isn't Trinidad's primary market, I must say it is coming up fast. On a recent trip to check out the new 428-room Hyatt Regency Trinidad (which will debut in January 2008) I got a brief glimpse of overall $285 million mixed-use waterfront revitalization project that's currently underway in Port of Spain, and which is developing public plazas, shopping, hotels, and office space with expansive views.
Right now, however, groups coming here will witness the evolution of Trinidad first-hand. For example, the tiny Wild Fowl Trust, a small bird sanctuary nestled into the middle of an oil refinery (just 45 minutes from Port of Spain), is surrounded by fiery stacks and gleaming storage tanks. And yet, it is a patch of paradise, teeming with pink lotus flowers just opening in the dappled sunlight, strutting peacocks shaking off a morning nap, ducklings paddling through a glassy pond, and iridescent hummingbirds darting from blossom to blossom.
And that's just the beginning. There's the 1,500-acre Asa Wright Nature Center (once a private estate), and the Caroni Bird Sanctuary where visitors can get up close to see flocks of Trinidad's national bird, the Scarlet Ibis, as well as 185 other species. Then there's Gasparee Caves, a popular guided hike with sinkholes, sculptured caverns, fascinating limestone formations-not to mention the bats. And if you hit the right season (predominantly May and June), giant leatherback turtles may join you on Trinidad's dramatic beaches.
Look for more information as Trinidad's Tourism Development Corporation forms a dedicated Convention Bureau to serve planners and groups.-Elizabeth West