Why here?
The islands of the Caribbean, known for their gorgeous beaches and pampering properties, keep unveiling new and enticing resorts and other venues that are perfect for meetings and incentives. Among the most anticipated is Baha Mar (above), which debuts this month in Nassau, Bahamas.
Jamaica Siblings
The 496-suite, all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall has opened in Montego Bay; its sister property, the adults-only Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, with 125 suites, debuted in January. The two resorts share the same beach and resort amenities, and are located on the site of the former Ritz-Carlton, Rose Hall. Together, the properties have a grand total of 48,286 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
Hot Spot
The Caribbean welcomed 26.3 million tourists (with 13 million from the U.S. alone) in 2014, a 5.3 percent rise over 2013, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Visitors spent a record $29.2 billion.
Vintage Venues
The Puerto Rico Tourism Co. recently launched the Puerto Rico Posadas Program to certify small hotels (up to 75 rooms) in restored historic buildings. seepuertorico.com
PUERTO RICO
Local Update
• In San Juan, the 319-room Condado Vanderbilt Hotel has reopened following a $200 million facelift. Among the enhancements are updated guest rooms and a new 10,000-square-foot luxury spa. The hotel has 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the Patio del Fauno Ballroom, which can accommodate groups of up to 600 people.
• The 126-room Hyatt House San Juan debuted last fall. The hotel has 1,000 square feet of meeting space and free Wi-Fi throughout.
• Plans to link the Puerto Rico Convention Center district to Old San Juan are under way. The project calls for a park-like promenade along San Juan's harbor with seating areas, sculptures and an open-air restaurant.
• The 400-room Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa has completed a renovation of all guest rooms and 48,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort also has two golf courses.
Meeting Hotels: Properties in the landmark city of Old San Juan include the 240-room Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and 68-room Hotel El Convento.
The convention center district has the 503-room Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino. On the beach between Old San Juan and Condado is the 910-room Caribe Hilton.
Condado offers the 570-room Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza, 525-room San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino and 248-room La Concha, a Renaissance Hotel.
To find and compare properties, and to send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Puerto Rico Convention Center; exhibit space, 152,700 square feet; ballroom, 39,500 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 15; (800) 875-4765
Airport Transit: Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, seven miles from downtown San Juan. Transfer cost by taxi, $15-$20
Taxes: Room tax, 11% at casino hotels, 9% at noncasino hotels; sales tax, 7%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11% or 9%
Contact: Meet Puerto Rico, (787) 725-2110 or (800) 875-4765
Urban Openings
In Haiti's capital, the 175-room Marriott Port-au-Prince debuts this month with six meeting rooms, a fitness center and a lobby lounge. Also new is the 245-room Sheraton Santo Domingo in the capital of the Dominican Republic, with 13 meeting rooms, a business center and a fitness center.
BAHAMAS: Baha Mar and More
• Three of the properties at Nassau's Baha Mar resort in Cable Beach -- the 1,000-room Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, 200-room Rosewood at Baha Mar and 300-room SLS Lux at Baha Mar -- will open this month. A fourth property, the 700-room Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar, is expected to debut May 1.
• Last fall, Atlantis, Paradise Island, joined Marriott International's Autograph Collection, a portfolio of more than 60 independent hotels. The 3,400-room resort will operate under a franchise agreement with Marriott and will benefit from the company's global sales and reservations organization. Atlantis, which has 500,000 square feet of meeting and event space, is the collection's first member resort in the Bahamas and the largest hotel in the portfolio.
• On Jan. 1, the Bahamas government repealed the 10 percent hotel tax and replaced it with a 7.5 percent value added tax. The VAT is charged on hotels and home rentals, as well as services purchased by guests.
• The 305-room Hilton at Resorts World Bimini has opened on the island of North Bimini. Facilities include a casino, seven meeting and event spaces, a rooftop infinity pool, a marina pool, Hemingway's restaurant and bar, and a spa. The property, which opened in summer 2013, is at the site of the former Bimini Bay Resort & Marina.
The British Colonial
Hilton on Nassau • The 288-room British Colonial Hilton in Nassau, featured in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball, has been sold to the China State Construction Engineering Firm, which plans to renovate the property and build condos on adjacent land. The CSCEF also is a major investor in the Baha Mar resort complex.