| Destinations - January 2007 |
The Puerto Rico Convention Center, the largest facility of its kind in the Caribbean, offers planners nearly 600,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Photo © 2005 Puerto Rico Convention Center |
Puerto Rico
Exotic Paradise With All The Advantages Of A Domestic Meeting
By Diana Rowe
Puerto Rico Convention Bureau President and CEO Ana Maria Viscasillas personifies the energy and excitement that’s currently brewing on her island when she talks about its appeal for planners. “Puerto Rico’s vibrancy sets itself apart from most other major U.S. meeting destinations. Our top name hotels and resorts, United States ties and lush Caribbean setting, coupled with a rich cultural heritage and easy access from many major North American cities make for great meetings, whether taking care of business in our state-of-the-art boardrooms or out exploring the island.”
Located at the gateway to the Caribbean, the island of Puerto Rico is teeming with local exotic hideaways, 300 miles of white sandy beaches, mountains and valleys, 23 golf courses, including 17 championship-level courses, luxurious hotels and resorts, and plenty of meeting space. And speaking of championship golf courses, the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Bahia Beach Golf Course, a signature 18-hole course overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, broke ground in summer 2006 and is slated to open this spring. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company reports that Puerto Rico will be included in the PGA circuit from 2008 through 2011.
Only 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, the island is home to nearly 4 million people, with 1.5 million residing in San Juan. The people are warm and welcoming, and their diverse backgrounds and cultures — from Spanish to Indian to African — provide a colorful backdrop for that perfect meeting or incentive trip.
But probably the most attractive reason to plan a meeting in the idyllic tropical island of Puerto Rico is its similarities with the U.S. For example, attendees enjoy all the comforts of the mainland, including currency and language, and planners appreciate the conveniences of a domestic meeting with the same laws and no sales tax.
Isle Of Enchantment
Puerto Rico offers a wide range of premier accommodations with a total of more than 13,300 hotel rooms, exciting new hotel development, expansions and renovations, more than 500,000 square feet of hotel meeting space, more than 900 domestic and 600 international fights per week, and a sophisticated 
infrastructure in a central location in a country where both English and Spanish are the official languages. For meetings that require cutting-edge technology and telecommunications, the “Isle of Enchantment” delivers with high-speed Internet, video conferencing and many other services that are readily available throughout the island.
The place to begin exploring these options is the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB), a nonprofit organization established in 1962 to drive meetings, conventions, trade shows and incentive groups to Puerto Rico.
According to Viscasillas, “The PRCB serves as a primary source for information and assistance in putting together a meeting on the island. We work with planners to tap into the services of our more than 500 members committed to great meetings in Puerto Rico. Site inspections, housing services, offsite theme parties in historic locations, along with amenity gifts and promotional materials are just a few ways we work to provide planners with one-stop shopping to coordinate great, memorable meetings in Puerto Rico.”
With the opening of the Puerto Rico Convention Center (PRCC) in 2005, the island boosted its total meeting space to more than 1.2 million square feet. The convention center itself provides nearly 600,000 square feet of meeting and event space, making it the largest facility of its kind in the Caribbean, and the most technologically advanced in the Caribbean and Latin America. Located near Old San Juan and the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the PRCC can accommodate groups of up to 10,000 attendees, effectively positioning Puerto Rico in the forefront of meetings destinations.
Ramon Sanchez, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, is excited about the Center’s accomplishments. “With the opening of the new convention center, the island continues to emerge as the preferred meetings destination of the Americas. In addition to the entire Convention Center District taking form with parks, fountains and the start of construction on a headquarters hotel, Puerto Rico continues to develop with major hotel expansion projects geared towards serving the meetings market that include plans for more than 10,000 new hotel rooms by 2012.”
New Convention Center District
The Puerto Rico Convention Center District is conceived as a dynamic, multiuse urban business and entertainment complex that includes retail shops, restaurants, office space and movie theaters as well as
The Caribe Hilton’s exclusive and secluded beachfront location provides a spectacular backdrop for the historic hotel’s more than 65,000 square feet of function space.
Photo courtesy of Caribe Hilton |
commercial and residential units. The project is expected to be completed in 2012 with a public and private investment of more than $1.3 billion.
Adjacent to the convention center, two full-service chain-affiliated hotels are planned, providing an additional 2,000 guest rooms. Groundbreaking on the first 500-room headquarters convention hotel took place late last summer. The $209-million facility, scheduled to open in 2009, will be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide under its Sheraton banner. The hotel will boast a contemporary urban design with a large, open lobby casino and entertainment complex, complete with a music hall for live performances.
The plan also includes meeting and banquet rooms, two ballrooms, a full-service spa, restaurants and retail shops. On the fourth floor, the design includes a rooftop pool with cabanas, tropical gardens and views of Old San Juan and the harbor. For planners looking to bring the outside in, this floor is described as a “beach without sand” with no worries over the weather.
For planners looking for a location in the heart of historic and romantic old San Juan, the 240-room Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel is ideally located on the waterfront, just a few minutes from the docking point of grand cruise ships and steps away from world-class shopping, dining and entertainment. Within this property’s old world elegance, planners will find more than 12,000 square feet of modern meeting space.
After exploring Old San Juan, attendees won’t want to miss one of Puerto Rico’s most distinctive features: its designated forest reserves. The most notable is the 28,000-acre El Yunque, near San Juan, the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. Also of note is The Guajataca Forest Reserve, with 25 miles of trails, and the Guanica Dry Forest Reserve, featuring the largest bird population on the island. The famous bioluminescent lagoons located throughout the island glow with billions of microscopic plankton that create light through a chemical reaction when disturbed by splashing swimmers or paddling kayakers.
More elbow room at the gaming tables is no longer a problem at the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, which completed the first phase of a $35 million improvement project — a newly renovated casino expanded by an additional 2,200 square feet. The Tower Wing is currently undergoing renovation to be completed in early spring. The 511-room resort, which boasts a beachfront setting with Atlantic Ocean vistas, is located just 5 miles from the airport, and is close to San Juan’s shopping, dining, adventure, nightlife, historical and cultural landmarks. The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino offers planners eight meeting rooms totaling more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Renovations And New Venues
Located in the heart of Condado in the canal sector, the Renaissance La Concha Hotel & Casino is scheduled to open this summer. With a prime location just 11¼2 miles from the PRCC, the 474-room planned Renaissance property will offer 15,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as a 15,000-square-
foot casino, three restaurants, an oceanfront pool and a 5,000-square-foot fitness center located on the beach. The initial phase will include 248 rooms, with the additional 235 suites debuting at the end of 2008.
The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is scheduled for completion late in 2008. This 300-room luxury property will feature 20,000 square feet of meeting space, a gourmet restaurant, bistro, spa and two oceanfront pools.
Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club, Puerto Rico’s first five-star development, is scheduled to open in 2008. Situated on 483 acres of pristine native maritime forest and coconut palms, the resort is within 25 minutes’ driving distance of San Juan. The resort opening will include the Regis Resort, Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico, offering as-yet undetermined square feet of executive meeting space and 150 guest rooms, doubling the number of guest rooms by 2009. Other resort amenities will include a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. championship oceanfront golf course, signature butler service, a world-class Remède Spa and Fitness Center, casual and fine dining restaurants, oceanfront swimming pools and concierge.
Known as the Grande Dame of the Caribbean, the stylish and historic Caribe Hilton has been a favorite for incentives and large and small business meetings since its opening in 1949. This deluxe hotel is one of the most up-to-date spa and convention hotels in San Juan. Thanks to an unusual configuration of natural barriers and legal maneuverings, the hotel features a secluded, nearly private, beach, and is ideally situated between Old San Juan and Condado. The Caribe Hilton’s more than 65,000 square feet of flexible function space includes San Juan’s largest hotel exhibition hall and a Hilton Meetings complex. The hotel completed an expansion featuring a new executive floor lounge, dining outlets and 168 Condado Lagoon Villas, making it the largest resort in San Juan with 812 rooms. Renovations were completed recently in the tower building guest rooms, two ballrooms, Atlantico Bar & Grill and the fitness center, with further renovations planned for 2007. The adjacent Paseo Caribe project, which is currently under construction, is a world-class development with restaurants, boutiques and entertainment.
Paradisus Puerto Rico Resort in Rio Grande is the first and only all-inclusive resort on the island, and the perfect site for the budget-conscious Albert Tire Company’s annual incentive trip. Albert Tire, a major tire distributor located in New Jersey, is the client of Kevin R. Karolak, executive vice president of Motivational Marketing Inc. (MMI), a Southfield, MI-based travel and marking management company.
“Puerto Rico offers numerous affordable nonstops for air travel,” said Karolak. “Albert Tire wanted a big bang for the buck, but at the same time, they wanted to offer a worthy high-end, all-inclusive product to their incentive winners. With most new properties without a brand history, we proceed cautiously. However, the Paradisus rose to the occasion, and we were pleasantly surprised. An all-suite hotel with high ceilings and plenty of room space is a huge asset for our attendees.”
Karalok added, “Our welcome reception could have been a disaster when the rain washed us out, but the hotel quickly presented options that were as enticing as outdoors. We used covered indoor/outdoor space and brought the beach inside. The local band, Danny and the Groove, played cover music and motivated our attendees to dance. It was one of the best beach parties we’ve had, despite the rain.”
The Paradisus Puerto Rico Resort is a beachfront property offering meeting and incentive planners 486 suites, 13 meeting rooms, more than 29,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and open-air venues, and amenities in idyllic settings with breathtaking views. Karolak pointed out that the beach is an environmentally protected area, so upgrades like adding sand to make the beach more pristine, is not allowed. However, the resort more than compensates with their pool-centric design and swim-up bars.
Karolak recommended the Paradisus’ Royal Service for VIPs. Royal Service accommodations include 96 junior suites; 48 ocean-view rooms with Jacuzzis on the balcony; five exclusive ocean-view garden villas surrounded by lush vegetation, private terrace and pool; and a two-bedroom presidential villa. All have in-room, high-speed Internet access. The resort’s signature suites are divided into 20 elegant two-story bungalows, situated throughout the property among its spectacular gardens and tropical surroundings.
The new 500-room headquarters hotel for the Puerto Rico Convention Center is scheduled to open in 2009 and will be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts under its Sheraton banner. The hotel’s “urban resort” design includes a large, open lobby casino and entertainment complex, two ballrooms, banquet and meeting rooms, spa, shops and restaurants. |
Making Tracks On Route 66
Reaching the resort is now quicker than ever thanks to the recently opened Route 66 highway, which links the greater San Juan area to the east end of Puerto Rico, which has reduced the drive time to the resort by half, a scenic 20-minute ride from the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
Other hotel expansions include the Embassy Suites Hotel Dorado del Mar Beach & Golf Resort’s new Las Palmas Ballroom, which offers more than 5,500 square feet of divisible meeting space, bringing the total to 12,800 square feet.
The Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort joined the renovation trend by completing their $120 million upgrade and expansion, which included the addition of Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club. The hotel includes an
The challenging Arthur Hills-designed par-72 course at El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa features elevation changes of more than 200 feet throughout the course.
Photo courtesy of El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa |
executive lounge and 17 meeting rooms that accommodate up to 1,400 attendees and feature wireless Internet access.
For the past 10 years, Lenore Dechtman has organized a unique recognition program for her client Time Warner Cable at the The Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort & Spa. Dechtman is the program manager for Andavo Meetings & Incentives (AMI), based in Greenwood Village, CO. In a departure from the typical sales incentive approach, peers voted the attendees onto the island as a reward for service.
More than $16 million in renovations to the 600 guest rooms at The Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort & Spa were completed this past year. Other enhancements included an exotic Mandara Spa, new restaurants with innovative menus and fresh décor, poolside cabanas and oceanfront bohios (thatched huts). The Westin Rio Mar, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, also recently announced that it’s a smoke-free resort.
Meetings are a breeze in the resort’s 48,000-square-foot Oceanfront Conference Center, which boasts one of the Caribbean’s largest ballrooms with 20,913 square feet of unobstructed space.
Dechtman described the group dynamic: “Attendees range from a cable installer to head of accounting, resulting in a cross-section of 400 employees and guests from divisions across the country. Range of ages can be as young as 18 up to senior citizens, and they can be active or have special needs like wheelchairs. However, the really beautiful part of this trip is that these attendees aren’t your typical seasoned travelers. Many come from small towns and may never have been on an airplane, much less outside their small community. That translates into a very exciting event for these employees.”
From the moment the attendees step off the plane, they are wined and dined like royalty. Time Warner Cable’s intention is to provide an unforgettable experience, and all the attendees’ expenses, sans incidentals, are covered. Beginning with a welcome at the airport, the attendees are transported to the hotel where they are taken to a special welcome area to enjoy refreshments and a private check-in.
Motivational speakers are hand picked by Time Warner, Dechtman explained, and corporate also gives a presentation. Activities include the opportunity to experience snorkeling, kayaking and the rain forest. A “Margaritaville party” is offered outdoors in a relaxing lawn area with music from the band serenading the attendees. At the next evening’s awards gala, Time Warner rewards their employees by giving them gifts at a sit-down dinner.
Creating A Feel-Good Experience
“During the entire four-day event,” said Dechtman, “the emphasis is placed on how important the employee is to their company. The excitement of this group is contagious,” Dechtman continued. “They appreciate every little thing you do. Even the printed programs or menus — when other attendees might leave them behind, this group takes everything home as souvenirs for their once-in-a-lifetime trip. This is one of my most rewarding programs, because it feels good to make people feel good.”
Two hours southwest of San Juan is the 268-acre Camuy Cave Park, one of the largest cave systems in the world where attendees can take guided tours of cathedral-like caverns.
Photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Convention Bureau |
Kathy Blount is president and CEO of the Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Meeting Dynamics & Dynamic Productions Inc., a full-service international planning destination management and event company that has an office in Puerto Rico. Blount’s clients frequently select Puerto Rico as a destination for their meetings. She cites easy access with numerous non-stops from major cities in the United States as a primary factor in choosing Puerto Rico. For a recent incentive trip, The Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort & Spa was chosen for one of Blount’s clients, Crown Equipment Corporation. Crown Equipment is an Ohio-based material handling company.
“The Westin Rio Mar works for Crown because everything is right there,” said Blount, “a five-star restaurant, two championship 18-hole golf courses, the largest tennis facility on the island, a brand new spa, and versatile indoor and outdoor meeting space. Even corporate groups that are here for five nights won’t need to leave the property to be entertained.
“The Westin Rio Mar’s conference center space brings the outdoors in by incorporating windows across one side, and an ocean terrace spans the entire front of the grand ballroom,” Blount continued. “Attendees on breaks can easily step outside in between meetings to enjoy the sunshine. Plus, The Westin Rio Mar offers several different lawn areas so more than one event can occur at the same time without distracting each other.”
Another of Blount’s clients was wowed by the El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa, a 933-room destination resort perched on a 300-foot bluff overlooking the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The resort features their private 100-acre Palomino Island, a 13,000-square-foot casino, the three-level plantation-style Golden Door Spa, the 18-hole Arthur Hills championship golf course, seven tennis courts, 16 restaurants and lounges, six pools, 22 luxury retail shops, and 70,000 square feet of meeting and convention facilities. Attendees enjoyed adventures such as swimming, wave running, windsurfing, horseback riding, scuba diving and fishing excursions from the property’s private marina.
LXR Luxury Resorts, which now owns the El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa, has broken ground on a new $32 million conference center and large-scale expansion plan. Slated for a spring grand opening, the conference center will include two adjacent conference areas with a total of four ballrooms, providing groups with more square feet of indoor meeting space per available guest room than any other resort in the Caribbean.
The El Conquistador’s conference center will include a 22,650-square-foot Grand Atlantic Ballroom, the largest in the Caribbean, divisible into three equally sized sections. All existing meeting space will receive updated interior finishes as well as infrastructure enhancements, solidifying this resort’s position as the preeminent conference and incentive destination in the Caribbean.
LXR also owns the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino and the El San Juan Hotel & Casino, both formerly Wyndham properties, and has more than $200 million earmarked for upgrades and expansions of their Puerto Rico properties. The Condado has already begun its $65 million renovation and upgrade project.
Offsite Horsing Around
In addition to unique activities such as deep sea fishing, diving, snorkeling, rain forest excursions, horseback riding, sunset sailing and ATV tours, Blount said that Puerto Rico offers exceptional offsite venues as well. The Hacienda Siesta Alegre is a traditional, authentic hacienda that private groups can rent 
for events, including a sit-down dinner for up to 200 attendees. Steep tiled stairs go past the pool into the main courtyard to a beautifully tiled area centerpieced by a lighted water fountain. “This is a working ranch that raises thoroughbreds,” said Blount. “The entertainment is their in-house horses performing a choreographed and synchronized line dance, and the attendees hear the actual clippety-clop on the wood planks during the performance.”
Another offsite recommendation by Blount is Revealing Rainforest Events, an old YMCA camp with permanent structures set in the corner of the El Yunque rain forest. “You can do so many fun things here from teambuilding to relaxing events,” Blount explained. “We coordinated a ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’-type program and actually ziplined the CEO of the company in to land in the room where the attendees were gathered.”
San Juan is known as “La Ciudad Amurallada,” the walled city, and history tells us that the massive walls of Old San Juan and the fortress of El Morro were built to keep out invaders. Now, Puerto Rico freely welcomes all who will enter this second oldest city in the Americas, catering to meetings and incentives with an impressive display of accommodations and meeting space. The Enchanted Isle not only offers natural wonders and breathtaking vistas along with well-preserved historic treasures and architectural masterpieces, but a professional business atmosphere to boot — a planner’s perfect paradise. C&IT