Meeting News - November 19, 2007 - (Page 52)

Destination Insider: Island Incentives Edited by Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com New Tourism Director Wants Dominica Seeded In U.S. Planners’ Minds Dominica’s meeting and convention market has been almost nonexistent, but the new director of the Discover Dominica Tourism Authority plans to put the destination on the group business map by promoting what he calls “mini-meetings and incentives.” “We don’t have many meeting or hotel rooms— ket trends, he said.“Most food is from farm to table, and groups interested in responsible tourism can volunteer in a Carib Indian tribe school.” Bornn’s ambitions for marketing Dominica to meeting planners are modest.“If I can land one meeting in the next year, I will consider it reaching my goal,”he said.“My goal is to make a dent in the meetings market and build awareness about Dominica.” Jumeirah Resort Still A Go Despite Environmentalists, But New Location Possible A planned luxury resort in Bermuda could be relocated from the island’s Southlands region after environmentalists protested the initial location. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, the Dubai-based hotel company, debuted plans in January for a 300-suite resort on Bermuda’s South Shore. The resort, opening in 2009, will have a 15,000-sf conference center. However, the project was met with swift opposition from the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), which objected to development of a privately owned, 37-acre wooded parcel that is one of Bermuda’s few remaining open spaces. The plan was “the worst development proposal we could inﬂict on Bermuda,” according to environmentalist and BEST member David Wingate. In August, Bermuda’s government issued a development decree allowing construction to move forward. However, government ofﬁcials and developers began discussions in September on a land swap that would move the Jumeirah from Southlands to government-owned property at Morgan’s Point. BEST ofﬁcials said in a press release that “a valuefor-value trade would get our endorsement.” total meeting space, in 2010. “The Dominican Republic is ripe for a luxury beachhead,” said Bruce Seigel, vice president of sales and marketing for Ritz-Carlton, Caribbean. The Ritz-Carlton’s meeting space will be “enough to do a 150-room incentive, insurance meeting, board function, or product rollout,” Seigel said. A property in the Dominican Republic gives Ritz-Carlton loyalists another Caribbean island to add to their rotation, with existing resorts in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, San Juan, and St. Thomas, he added. The arrival of luxury brands will change people’s view of the Dominican Republic, said Verona Carter, Ritz-Carlton, Caribbean’s spokeswoman. “We changed the view of Jamaica with Rose Hall,” she said.“We’ll do that in the Dominican Republic.” Sheraton Cable Beach Promotes Early Opening The meeting space at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, in Nassau, Bahamas, will open Dec. 15—two months ahead of schedule. The hotel is offering price breaks on events booked between now and Dec. 31. The 694-room Sheraton will feature 25,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Discounts range from $1,500 for groups using 75 to 150 room nights, to $20,000 for those consuming more than 900 room nights. Deals are for events before Dec. 22; from Aug. 24 to Dec. 20, 2008; and from Aug. 23 to Dec. 19, 2009. A balcony at the Fort Young Hotel, in Dominica, provides a picturesque view. our largest hotel is about 75 rooms—but we do offer something different from the usual incentive programs in the Caribbean,”said Steve Bornn, CEO and director of Discover Dominica since September. Last month, Bornn announced a new marketing strategy for Dominica that included “key niches, such as mini-meetings and incentives.” Properties like the luxury Fort Young resort in Dominica’s capital of Roseau and the Jungle Bay Resort & Spa can accommodate groups of 20 to 100. The Fort Young provides a 1,500-sf conference room while Jungle Bay has a 2,400-sf meeting space overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a similarly sized verandah, and a 1,000-sf breakout room. Teambuilding programs with a buccaneer theme would be a natural for Dominica, where many scenes from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest were ﬁlmed. “You don’t have to struggle to create an obstacle course or nature trail,” Bornn pointed out; Dominica has a zip-line treetop tour, river rafting, and diving. Dominica’s appeal mirrors some meeting mar52 MeetingNews November 19, 2007 St. Kitts Gets Big Infusion An upcoming complex of hotels and entertainment promises to give St. Kitts more than beauty to sell. The Christophe Harbour project, on Majors Bay, will include a meetings hotel, an upscale boutique property, a marina village, restaurants, boutique stores, and a Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will open a 125room resort—featuring a 225-seat [sic] ballroom and four breakout rooms—at the development. Set to debut in 2010, the Mandarin Oriental property will have ﬁve restaurants, a 15,000-sf spa, and 20 private residences. Meanwhile, Auberge Resorts will build a 75-room and 60-villa property. Called Sandy Bank Bay, it will open next year and have 3,000 sf of meeting space.H —Section written by Bob Curley www.meetingnews.com Luxury Lands in the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic, known as the Caribbean’s all-inclusive budget spot, is going upscale. In late August, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts announced it will build a 200-room beachfront hotel in Casa de Campo, with a 43,000-sf spa and a banquet and convention center (size to be determined), opening in 2009. Then, in September, RitzCarlton said it would open a 220-room resort at Cap Cana, with a 5,800-sf ballroom and 8,000 sf of http://www.meetingnews.com

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