Taking the all-inclusive
plunge can be a scary decision for a planner.
Pay-one-price resorts generally are not thought of as meetings
destinations, and a perception persists that they are not equipped
for special events or gourmet meals.
But don’t let that image sway you,
advises Nancy Larson, senior buyer, meetings and events, for
Minneapolis-based Carlson Marketing. “They have changed from the
old image of all-inclusives,” she says. “Now they have lots of
restaurants and activities. It’s much more deluxe.”
Though only a portion of all-inclusive
resorts cater to meetings and incentives, the ones that do can be
better choices than European-plan properties. Because the rate
includes meals, drinks, and at least a portion of meeting and
banqueting costs, planners almost always will find a savings when
bringing groups to these properties.
M&C asked the top
all-inclusive resort companies which of their properties were best
for meetings and incentives in Mexico and the Caribbean. Following
are their recommendations.
BarceloRiviera Maya
Beach Resortin Mexico
Barcelo Riviera Maya Beach Resort
Riviera Maya, Mexico
(866) 853-5720; www.barcelo.com
Resort overview: This
resort really is a complex of four properties in one, comprising
more than 1,900 rooms. The most upscale of the four, the Barcel
Maya Tropical Beach Hotel and the Barcelo Maya Colonial Beach
Hotel, each with 474 rooms, opened in 2006.
Surprise inclusion:
Free scuba diving lesson
Why it’s great for
groups: The resort complex features a new freestanding
convention center accommodating up to 850 attendees. It includes a
12,000-square-foot ballroom, five meeting rooms and a business
center. More importantly, it has a staff that bends over backward
for groups, says Margaret Miguel, events coordinator for Optometric
Services Inc., in Montreal. She recently brought a 160-person
meeting of equipment buyers to the property, and the response was
overwhelmingly positive. “The personnel, down to the last bellboy
and chambermaid, were unfailingly polite and willing to go the
extra mile for absolutely no incentive whatsoever.” Miguel’s
attendees appreciated the new conference center, as well: “It’s
very airy, and the acoustics were good.”
Recent news: The
756-room Barcelo Maya Palace Hotel, the fifth property in the
complex, is under construction, to open late this year.
Incentive-worthy:
Grand Lido Negril
in Jamaica
Grand Lido Negril
Negril, Jamaica
(800) 467-8737; www.superclubs.com
Resort overview: The
210-room property features a 3,600-square-foot meeting room for up
to 200 guests. Children under 16 are not permitted.
Surprise inclusions:
Manicures and pedicures; dry cleaning
Why it’s great for
groups: According to Shari Wallack, president of Buy The
Sea, a group travel buyer based in Plantation, Fla., the property
is perfect for an incentive group, ranging from just a few
attendees to a complete buyout. “It is probably the friendliest
property and the most service-oriented,” she says. “It makes a huge
difference when you’re bringing a program there.” Wallack adds that
private functions are creative and well executed, although the
surcharge for special events is perhaps more than other
all-inclusives would ask for.
Wallack notes that it might not be the
perfect property for meetings (as opposed to incentives), because
the resort is an hour away from the airport. Groups that have loved
it most have been those that traditionally went on upscale (but not
luxury) cruises, she says.
Recent news: Breezes
Runaway Bay, another SuperClubs property in Jamaica, completed a
$20 million renovation and expansion last December, adding new
restaurants and pools, and bringing the number of rooms to 266.
CHOOSING AN ALL-INCLUSIVE
Would an all-inclusive be right for your group? Nancy Larson, senior buyer, meetings and events, for Minneapolis-based Carlson Marketing, offers the following advice.
Not for business meetings. “If you go to an all-inclusive or on a cruise, I think it’s such a waste to spend your time in meetings.” Consider these venues for incentive trips only.
Not for VIPs. All-inclusives are not ideal for “superdeluxe, well-traveled people,” says Larson. She has seen tire companies and other automotive clients, as well as chemical companies, choose all-inclusive incentive programs.
Some of Larson’s favorites:
Grand Velas in Puerto Vallarta: “It’s very over-the-top. It’s the cream of the crop as far as ones we’ve used.”
Grand Lido Negril, Jamaica: “We did an event there, and it was very well received.”
Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret and Secrets Capri, both in the Riviera Maya. -- J.V.
Moon Palace
Cancun, Mexico
(011) 52-998-881-6000
www.palaceresorts.com
Resort overview: With
2,103 rooms and 150,000 square feet of meeting space, Moon Palace
is more of a small town than any sort of palace. The resort offers
tennis, mini golf and free room service. Golf and spa are on
property (for an additional charge). “It’s a gorgeous golf course,”
says Shari Wallack of Buy The Sea. “You can go sightseeing on
it.”
Surprise inclusion:
Free meeting setup and private events (unless they’re on the
beach)
Why it’s great for
groups: The meeting space includes a 28,000-square-foot
ballroom with a 30-foot ceiling, plus 70 breakout rooms. Meetings
and events are handled completely in-house, and the conference
services department is very experienced at meetings, according to
Ginny Davito, vice president of group and incentive sales for
Palace Resorts.
“It’s great for really large groups,
but a small group is totally going to get lost,” cautions Wallack.
“They’re good about making it work for the masses.”
Recent news: In
February, the 601-room Cancun Palace reopened, fully renovated
after Hurricane Wilma. The property has a new 600-seat amphitheater
and 17,000 square feet of meeting space. The 287-room Beach Palace
reopens in June with a new spa.
A second Moon Palace opens in 2008, in
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with 1,743 rooms, a spa with 54
treatment rooms, and 60,000 square feet of meeting space.
Group-friendly:
Iberostar Maya
in Playa Paraiso, Mexico
Iberostar Maya
Playa Paraiso, Mexico
(011) 52-984-877-2800
www.iberostar.com
Resort overview: The
resort complex is composed of four properties in the Riviera Maya,
near Playa del Carmen. A total of 1,692 rooms surround a convention
center that holds up to 1,000 attendees. Adjacent is the 18-hole
Playa Paraiso Golf Club, which is available at a discount to
guests. A spa on property offers exotic treatments, including a
Mexican sweat lodge ritual and an underwater massage, also for an
additional charge.
Surprise inclusion:
Dining at any of 16 restaurants on all four properties
Why it’s great for
groups: The center is quite large, comprising a
15,700-square-foot exhibit hall/ballroom and eight small meeting
rooms for 11 people each. The facility has basic A/V capabilities,
including video projection, closed-circuit television and 42-inch
plasma TVs.
“They do a great job of decorating it
for a minimal fee,” says Sherri Goodwin, president of Summit
Planners, based in Mishawaka, Ind. Be wary of high season, cautions
Goodwin, as there’s a seven-night minimum when booking a group
through the resort at two of the properties during that period.
In the end, says Goodwin, “It’s a
superior first-class property. If you’re looking for luxury, that
would not be the property, and it’s not a bargain basement. It’s a
good price for what you get.”
Recent news: The
312-room Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso, which opened in March, is
the fifth and most upscale resort in the complex. A 350-room
Iberostar resort in Jamaica opens in May.
Occidental Grand Flamenco
Xcaret
Riviera Maya, Mexico
(011) 52-984-871-5400
www.grandxcaret.com
Resort overview: This
769-room property is loaded with activities, from archery to water
aerobics; also offered are spa services and a nearby golf course,
both at an additional charge. For VIPs, the Royal Club is a group
of rooms set aside from the rest of the resort, with private
check-in and secretarial services.
Surprise inclusion:
Admission to the neighboring Xcaret eco-adventure park
Why it’s great for
groups: The 11,000-square-foot convention center can
accommodate up to 1,700 attendees and is easily divisible for
smaller groups. “The meeting space was great,” says Jennifer
Pirtle, performance development project manager of Fired Up Inc.,
based in Austin, Texas, who brought 170 managers of the Johnny
Carino’s restaurant chain to the property for a conference in March
2006. She adds, “You always wonder with an all-inclusive what the
food is going to be like, but it was very good, and the F&B
director was wonderful.” Private activities included a party in the
beach club, and there was no surcharge.
Recent news: In Aruba,
the Occidental Allegro property reopened last May as the 391-room
Occidental Grand Aruba after a $24 million renovation. Occidental
also is planning four resorts for its luxury Royal Hideaway brand
in the Americas, though details are not yet definite.
Meetings-ready:
The Paradisus Palma Real
in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Paradisus Palma
Real
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
(888) 336-3542
www.paradisuspalmareal.travel
Resort overview: The
554-room Paradisus Palma Real opened a little more than a year ago
on B!varo Beach. Punta Cana is a heavily leisure destination, but
this property welcomes meetings. The resort offers unlimited free
greens fees at the nearby Cocotal Golf & Country Club. There’s
also a spa and approximately 25,000 square feet of meeting space,
which includes a 12,876-square-foot indoor amphitheater.
Surprise inclusions:
Horseback riding and wine-tasting classes
Why it’s great for
groups: Not only does the resort have meeting space to
spare, it features both golf and a spa, the two must-haves for
high-end resorts. “For a group that’s really into golf, there’s a
lot of opportunities in the area,” says Bob Jacques, vice president
of sales and training at AIT, an incentive house in City of
Industry, Calif. Also, 102 of the suites feature Royal Service --
VIP treatment that includes butler service as well as private pool
and beach areas.
Recent news: The
486-room Paradisus Puerto Rico will be reflagged as a Gran Melia on
May 1. The property will be a bit more upscale but will be a la
carte (blame it on the high cost of paying U.S. employees). The
Paradisus Playa del Carmen opens this summer in Mexico.
SandalsRoyal
Bahamian Spa Resort,
Nassau, Bahamas
Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort
Nassau, Bahamas
(242) 327-6400; www.sandals.com
Resort overview: The
403-room resort offers all the typical all-inclusive amenities
(large pool, bars and restaurants everywhere), plus a few more,
most notably a private island just offshore, where guests can spend
the day on the beach and even eat at an on-island restaurant. The
Royal Bahamian has the most meeting space of any in the chain, at
11,500 square feet.
Surprise inclusion:
Champagne in the minibar; two scuba dives per day
Why it’s great for
groups: Bob Jacques has used a number of Sandals
properties for mid-tier incentives and has been pleased. Typically,
the only events he plans are an opening night reception and a
closing night dinner, and the Royal Bahamian has areas set aside
for such functions. A meetings-heavy group wouldn’t do well at the
property, he says, but it does have adequate space. “You don’t want
to have many meetings in these settings,” he says, “but the group
functions work out really well.”
Planners familiar with the Sandals
chain’s couples-only rule should know that up to 10 percent of a
group may be single travelers, and adult couples of any sexual
orientation are permitted. Jacques says that on his trips,
incentive winners bring whomever they want, even friends, and
nobody bats an eye. Furthermore, he says, the adults-only rule
actually can be a plus for his groups.
Recent news: The
193-room Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa will open a $70
million, 180-suite Mediterranean Village in June with 9,000 square
feet of meeting space.
Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort
& Spa
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
(800) 234-1707
www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com
Resort overview: The
730-room resort recently was rebranded from a Renaissance and given
a propertywide renovation, which was completed in 2005. Among the
upgraded facilities are five winding pools, a 1,300-foot beach and
a new spa and fitness center, along with a small casino.
Surprise inclusion:
Free Jamaican gifts for VIPs
Why it’s great for
groups: First off, it has 32,000 square feet of meeting
space, much more than most planners would expect in the Caribbean.
The 17,650-square-foot ballroom can comfortably handle up to 1,200
at rounds. Outdoor event space is plentiful, and the staff makes an
effort to be amenable to large groups’ requests.
Recent news: The
upscale 65-room Sunset at the Palms in Negril (formerly Negril
Cabins) also recently underwent a renovation.