Great Global Destinations

The time is right for groups ready to experience the horizon-broadening excitement of meeting overseas. The great international cities featured on these pages have seen recent wide-scale developments in infrastructure, including new or renovated hotels, meeting venues and transportation options. In addition, planners will find myriad deals and affordable attractions to help keep budgets under control. Dust off your passport and consider the possibilities of meeting at the following five destinations.


Cape Town, South Africa
www.southafrica.net Cape Town sits on South Africa's southwestern coast with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and 3,562-foot-high Table Mountain on the other. South Africa's second most populous city is an international business hub with rugged wilderness around the corner.

> Why Now?
Fresh off its successful stint as host of the 2010 World Cup, Cape Town is bristling with new hotels (16 have opened since 2008, with four more set to debut in the next few months) and a citywide room count of around 32,000. A strong infrastructure for meetings includes the currently expanding Cape Town International Convention Center.

The city has held the International Conference and Convention Association's top ranking spot for global gatherings in Africa and the Middle East for the past two years (49 international meetings took place here last year), and next month, Site will hold its annual conference here.

> Recent Developments
In 2009, Cape Town International Airport completed a US$230 million terminal in preparation for the World Cup. The new facility includes a retail mall and a CCTV system for improved security and safety. In addition, the airport features a new US$14 million baggage sorting system. In other news:

• The One&Only Cape Town opened in April 2009 on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town's working harbor. Overlooking the marina and featuring panoramic views of Table Mountain, the 131-room property includes 12 spa treatment villas, a 3,767-square-foot infinity-edge swimming pool and the first Nobu restaurant in Africa. Conference facilities include a 2,798-square-foot meeting and banquet room for up to 200 guests, an adjacent boardroom for 20 and a second boardroom for 12.

• In Century City, just a 20-minute drive from Cape Town's City Center, the 184-room Protea Crystal Towers Hotel opened last December with a meeting room that seats up to 300.

• The 137-room Coral International Hotel opened last December with 9,396 square feet of meeting space across 11 meeting rooms and four boardrooms.

• The 177-room Taj Hotel opened in January with two restaurants, two bars and meeting space that accommodates up to 150 people.

> Tips for Groups
Table Mountain is Cape Town's larger-than-life showpiece attraction that offers not only an impressive backdrop to the city's business district, but also its own array of group venues. While accessible on foot via a rugged hike, groups can make a speedy ascent via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, which fits up to 65 people at a time and takes only five minutes to reach the summit.

Once groups have made it to the top, they can settle into any of four outdoor venues (the largest fits 400 guests) or the indoor Summit Lounge, which accommodates up to 120 people and includes a bar area and three private balconies.

Sitting at the foot of the mountain and in the heart of Cape Town's harbor, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is where shopping, entertainment and business merge. The neighborhood features more than 80 restaurants and some 450 retail stores, in addition to the handful of waterfront venues available for groups.

• The Two Oceans Aquarium is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month and showcases some 3,000 sea animals. Up to 250 guests can sip cocktails while ragged-tooth sharks swim around the room in the I&J Predator Exhibit. On request, aquarium divers will swim by viewing areas holding a company banner.

• For an offshore excursion, the Sea Princess charter boat can accommodate up to 145 guests for tours around Table Bay. The 77-foot-long catamaran includes two onboard barbecues and an air-conditioned saloon with couches and a buffet area.

• The value added tax, or VAT, is 14 percent; all visitors can claim a refund at the airport before departure.

London
visitlondon.com England's capital city is bursting with attractions ranging from the venerable (the early-18th-century Buckingham Palace, for example) to the vertiginous (the 443-foot-high London Eye Ferris wheel). There's also an ever-increasing supply of excellent hotels with state-of-the-art meeting facilities.  

> Why Now?
In 2012, London will host the Olympic Games for a record third time. Not coincidentally, more than US$17 billion worth of development is taking place in the city between now and day one of the Games, including 16 new hotels, major airport improvements and upgrades to some of the city's major draws.

Year-over-year figures for the second quarter of 2010 showed average hotel rates increasing by 9 percent, from US$158 to a still-reasonable US$173, according to the UK-based Hotels.com Hotel Price Index. At press time, one British pound equaled US$1.59, compared to 2007's peak rate, when one British pound equaled US$2.

> Recent Developments
The US$260 million International Convention Center was completed in June as an expansion of the conference and exhibition facilities of ExCeL London. The ICC is home to the U.K.'s largest fully flexible auditorium, which seats up to 5,000 people, and London's largest banquet hall, with seating for up to 3,000. Meeting space includes 17 rooms holding a total of up to 2,500 attendees, with a main room that can seat up to 1,200 theater-style. In other news:

• The Savoy reopened last month following a US$316 million renovation. Managed by Fairmont, the 268-room, vintage 1889 property features English Edwardian and art deco interiors in addition to discreet modern amenities such as in-room iPod docks, wireless Internet and LCD televisions. Meeting space includes three banquet halls for a total of up to 800 guests and six other rooms for gatherings.

• The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel opened in February with a total of 1,021 rooms, 545 of them studios and 534 suites and penthouses. The property, within walking distance of the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, includes five dining and entertainment areas; a 12,916-square-foot, pillar-free ballroom; and an additional 31 meeting rooms.

• In May 2011, Marriott is set to open its new Renaissance Hotel at St. Pancras Station in a restored 150-year-old Victorian building. Features include 245 guest rooms, two restaurants, two bars, a ballroom that can hold 350, a 4,833-square-foot function space and seven additional meeting rooms for a grand total of 11,237 square feet of event space.

• Now accepting reservations for February 2011 is the W Hotel, West End, a 192-room new-build property in the heart of London's "Theatreland." The Leicester Square property includes two boardrooms for up to 18 delegates each and a 45-seat screening room.

• St. Martin's Courtyard in Covent Garden is a new shopping and dining mecca with some 25 stores, including Massimo Dutti and Jack Willis, and a bevy of restaurants such as entries from Jamie Oliver (aka The Naked Chef) and a high-end Mexican concept called Cantina Loredo. The Royal Opera House is just north of Covent Garden's Piazza and offers a variety of venues, from the intimate Conservatory for 80 guests to Paul Hamlyn Hall for up to 1,000.

• Currently under construction for completion in 2012 is the King's Cross Redevelopment, a US$3.1 billion project that will span 8 million square feet of mixed-use space. In addition to 500,000 square feet for retail, 40 percent of the area will be saved for public use, including 10 new parks and squares, many of which will have space for events.

• Additional properties in construction include the 583-room City Inn, Tower of London; 495-room Trocadero, Westminster; 350-room Hilton Heathrow T5, Poyle; 267-room Premier Inn Stratford; 254-room InterContinental London Westminster; 195-room Shangri-La Hotel at London Bridge Tower; 192-room Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane; 151-room Hilton Syon Park Hotel, Hounslow; 70-room Hotel Verta, Battersea; and 46-room 45 Park Lane, Mayfair.

> Tips for Groups
Two of London's international airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, now offer free fast-track entry services for conference groups. Delegates traveling together can bypass the airport's immigration lines and head for the dedicated "group travel" area, where they are processed separately from individual travelers. In addition:

• Visit London's Event Solutions is a free event-inquiry service helping meeting planners and event organizers coordinate venues, accommodations and site visits. For more information, go to business.visitlondon.com.

• The London Pass gives delegates free entry to more than 55 local attractions, including the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and the London Zoo. Passholders also receive an extensive guidebook available in seven languages, discounted tickets to theaters and restaurants, and the ability to go straight to the front of the line at top attractions. Pricing for a one-day pass begins at around US$30.

• As of January 2011, the VAT will rise from 17.5 percent to 20 percent, although meeting planners might be eligible for refunds on conference and exhibition expenses, including space-hire and contractors fees, hotel rooms, food and beverage, and car rental.

Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
rivieranayarit.com About midway down Mexico's western coast lies the Riviera Nayarit, a scenic region that begins at the large, modern city of Nuevo Vallarta (about a 10-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta International Airport) in the south and snakes up some 190 miles along the Pacific Ocean to the old city of San Blas in the north. Pristine beaches, quaint fishing villages, eco-tourism excursions and more lie in between.

> Why Now?
This booming stretch of beautiful coastline was dubbed the Riviera Nayarit just four years ago and is coming into its own as a tourism destination. This year, the area is expecting to add 756 new hotel rooms to its portfolio, with more than 10,000 additional rooms set to come online before 2015.

> Recent Developments
The 400-suite Taheima Wellness Resort & Spa opened in May in Nuevo Vallarta. Accommodations range from a 520-square-foot deluxe suite to a 2,800-square-foot, two-story, three-bedroom suite. Of Taheima's 10 event spaces, the largest is a 6,641-square-foot Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 400 people for a banquet. The hotel's function space totals a combined 15,732 square feet. In other news:

• In April, the Grand Luxxe opened in Nuevo Vallarta with 108 villas and suites that range from 2,700 to 3,000 square feet, and each with a large terrace and private plunge pool.

• The Marival Residences & World Spa in Nuevo Vallarta opened its 171 luxury suites available for nightly rental in April, ranging in size from one bedroom (1,615 square feet) to four (3,229 square feet). Features include a lobby wine bar; a two-level private club on the beach sporting an open-air rooftop area and air-conditioned terrace; and the World Spa, offering hydrotherapy and Swedish massage treatments. The rooftop Sky Bar is available for private functions and offers lounge beds, lots of cushioned seats and a reflection pool.

• Additional properties expected to be completed by 2012 include the 400-unit Grand Hyatt in Punta Raza, 192-unit Grand Bliss in Nuevo Vallarta and 32-suite Tortugas in Punta Raza.

> Tips for Groups
Though the Riviera Nayarit region does not have a dedicated convention center, many area hotels have substantial meeting facilities.

• In Nuevo Vallarta, the Paradise Village Resort's 700 suites are accompanied by a 15,439-square-foot conference center; the 348-room, all-inclusive Vallarta Palace comes equipped with the 6,300-square-foot Nayarit Ballroom; the 267-room Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort has 25,231 square feet of meeting space, and the 229-room Dreams Villamagna offers nearly 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space.

• Properties with meeting space outside of Riviera Nayarit's main city include the 173-room Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, with 6,822 square feet of function space; the 120-room and 65-villa St. Regis in Punta Mita, with 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space; the 275-suite Villa Del Palmar in Flamingos, with more than 2,000 square feet of meeting facilities; and the Villa la Estancia in Flamingos, with 245 suites and 2,000 square feet of event space.

• Since the beginning of 2004, there has been no VAT on lodging, transportation to and from the airport, and food and drink for foreign guests attending meetings and conventions in Mexico. To qualify for this exemption, planners and clients must have their participants pay for services with a non-Mexican credit card and make their hotel arrangements through the event organizers.

Dublin, Ireland
meetinireland
.com/us Medieval, Georgian and modern architecture coexist in beautiful contradiction in Ireland's capital. This bustling port city on the river Liffey is studded with landmarks, museums, art galleries and pubs (this is, after all, the birthplace of Guinness), while just minutes away are seaside villages and rolling hillsides.

In addition, a confluence of circumstances has rendered Dublin, and all of the Emerald Isle, surprisingly affordable for groups.

> Why Now?
With Ireland's three-year-long (and counting) economic struggle unfolding at the same time some 3,000 new hotel rooms came online in the capital city, one result has been that nightly hotel rates in Dublin fell by 7 percent in the first six months of 2010. Indeed, Dublin remains one of the most affordable major cities in Western Europe with an average room rate of just over US$97, compared with Paris (US$160), Rome (US$152) and Copenhagen (US$151), according to the Hotel Price Index.

> Recent Developments
The Convention Centre Dublin, Ireland's first purpose-built conference facility, opened for business in September with space for up to 8,000 attendees. The CCD features 22 meeting rooms, 48,437 square feet of exhibition space and Wi-Fi throughout. Event areas include a 2,000-seat auditorium and banqueting areas seating up to 2,000 total. The center, which follows a number of carbon-neutral and sustainable practices, is accessible by Dublin's light-rail system and is 20 minutes from Dublin Airport. In other news:

• In May, the US$552 million Aviva Stadium opened on the site of the old Lansdowne Road Stadium. Along with seating for 50,000 spectators, the venue offers some 50 individual spaces over five levels for meetings and events. For example, the Presidents Terrace and Suite combined can accommodate up to 1,100 for a reception, while the Henry Dunlop East room provides sit-down dinner space for 150.

• The new 75,000-square-foot Terminal 2 at Dublin International Airport is expected to open this month. The facility will welcome new direct service from Charlotte, N.C., beginning in May 2011, bringing the total number of U.S. airports directly served by DIA to eight.

• The Gibson Hotel opened in June in the heart of the city with a chic, modern design. The property's largest meeting room is the Stratocaster Suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows, 180-degree views of Dublin and room to accommodate up to 300 people. The hotel also offers three outdoor terraces and courtyards for events.

• The US$10.7 million Grand Canal Square opened in April on the south side of the Liffey. The 107,639-square-foot square is one of the largest paved public spaces in Dublin and features myriad shops, bars and restaurants.

• Adjacent to Grand Canal Square, the Grand Canal Theatre raised its curtain for the first time in March. Event facilities include a 2,000-seat auditorium, a private conference room, and a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Liffey and the Grand Canal.

> Tips for Groups
The Dublin Pass allows free entry to 27 of the city's top attractions, including the Guinness Storehouse, the National Gallery of Ireland and Dublin Castle. Cardholders get to skip to the front of the line for faster access, receive free airport transfer to the city and an 84-page guidebook. One-day passes for adults begin at US$47, but Dublin conference delegates receive a 25 percent discount. In addition:

• The Visit Dublin App is an extensive mobile guide that includes audio descriptions and history for more than 80 sites; special offers for shops, restaurants and tours; and an augmented reality function that makes a smartphone's camera function as an interactive map. App users also receive a daily bulletin with updates on the latest city happenings. The Visit Dublin App is available on the iTunes store for $3.99.

• The VAT rate here is 21 percent, with a reduced rate of 13.5 percent for hotel accommodations; qualifying conferences or meetings with a minimum of 50 attendees can claim a refund. For more information, go to www.revenue.ie.

Hyderabad, India
hicc.com The capital of the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh in south-central India, Hyderabad is a relatively new destination for corporate travelers but has a rich 400-year history. The city is home to the Hyderabad International Convention Center, India's largest, with a 65,750-square-foot main hall for up to 5,000 delegates and 32 additional meeting rooms. Adjacent is the 287-room Novotel Hyderabad Hotel, which opened in 2006.

> Why Now?
The city has been dubbed "Cyberabad" thanks to its thriving IT, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries. A burgeoning hotel sector has 12 new properties coming online in the next year, adding a total of 1,960 rooms to the city's skyline, and room rates generally remain reasonable (the average rate at the 293-room Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, for example, currently runs around US$175). The city's many charms have been drawing events such as The International Congress and Convention Association's 49th annual Congress and Exhibition, held last month.

> Recent Developments
Hyderabad's second and newest convention facility, the Leonia International Centre for Exhibitions & Conventions opened in September with a main hall spanning 62,839 square feet, eight additional function spaces and an overall capacity of more than 7,500 delegates. In addition:

• The new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was completed in 2008 and offers direct flights from Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Dubai, UAE, in addition to the Asian ports of Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Singapore. North American flights will come through the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, all of which have multiple daily flights into Rajiv Gandhi Airport.

• The city has announced plans for a new metrorail network that is estimated to cost US$2.7 billion and carry 1.4 million passengers per day by 2015.

• Among new hotels expected to open by the end of 2011 are the 300-room Leela; 285-room Park; 250-room Park Hyatt; 225-room Hilton Palace Hotel; 160-room Lemon Tree; 142-room Taj Vivanta, Begumpet; and 60-room Taj Falaknuma.

> Tips for Groups
Hyderabad's most famous mosque and monument is the Charminar, or Mosque of the Four Minarets, built in 1591 by the city's founder, Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah. A 149-step climb brings visitors to the top -- and stunning panoramic views. In addition:

• Just outside the city lies Golconda Fort, a 12th-century stronghold with eight entrance gates and nearly 90 bastions. Groups can explore the ruined remains of the fort's 6.8-mile-long outer wall and the multitude of stone pavilions within its ramparts. At night, the edifice becomes a backdrop to a popular sound and light show that recounts Golconda's colorful history.

• For a more varied look into India's storied past, the Salar Jung Museum offers a total of 38 galleries of stunning antiques, jewelry and artwork across three buildings. The collection includes Persian carpets, daggers belonging to past royalty, statues and more.

• The mid-19th-century Chowmahalla Palace served as the seat of Hyder­abad's native rulers, the Asaf Jahi dynasty of kings known as Nizams, from its completion in 1869 until 1948, shortly after India achieved independence. The palace complex opened to the public in 2006 and now accommo­dates events for up to 1,500 people. Delegates can mingle amongst the gardens and fountains in the manicured Courtyard or bask in the grandeur of Durbar Hall under its glittering chandeliers.

• India does not have a VAT refund policy in place; meeting planners should contact the Hyderabad International Convention Center for up-to-date tax rates on food, service and hall rentals.