Travel Agent - December 24, 2007 - (Page 51)

A new suite at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort on St. Maarten the property is Wendy Charity, reservations supervisor, who can be reached at 268-5625500 or wendycharity@hermitagebay.com. Mexico Expansion In Mexico, the Dreams all-inclusive chain for families continues to expand. Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa was set to debut this month following a multimillion-dollar enhancement to the former Sunscape the Beach Punta Cana. The resort features 620 guest rooms and suites, new gourmet restaurants, upgraded amenities for Preferred Club guests and meeting space. Dreams Nuevo Vallarta Resort & Spa is slated to open in the middle of 2008. Located on Banderas Bay, this 224-room luxury resort will be near golf courses, a dolphin facility and a turtle reserve. Later in the year, Dreams will open its first property in the state of Oaxaca, Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa. This 440-room oceanfront property will be situated in an unspoiled area where the foothills of the Sierra Madres meet the Pacific Ocean. Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa will open in early 2010. Located along the beaches of Vallarta Bay in Puerto Vallarta, it will have 340 rooms and suites. Visit www.dreamsagents.com or call 8662DREAMS. Dreams’ sister company, Secrets, operates all-inclusives for couples only. It will open Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun next May instead of March, as originally scheduled. In addition, “Litibu” has been dropped from the names of the previously announced resorts that Dreams and Secrets will open in fall 2009 at Punta de Mita, northwest of Puerto Vallarta. They are now to be called just Dreams Punta de Mita Resort & Spa and Secrets Punta de Mita Resort & Spa. Agents can also contact Matt Mullen, senior director of sales for AMResorts (parent company of Secrets and Dreams), at 610-359-8124 or mmullen@amresorts.com. other international dishes, plus local specialties. Square Lounge, open from 6 p.m. to midnight, features drinks and evening entertainment. Meliá Caribe Tropical has more than a dozen restaurants. Visit www.solmelia.com. St. Maarten Dive Package The Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino in St. Maarten bolsters its all-inclusive pricing with special amenities in a package for scuba enthusiasts. The seven-night dive package includes accommodations in a mountain view room, three meals a day and roundtrip airport transfers plus five two-tank dives and one night dive. Rates start at $1,470 per person double or $2,065 single for travel January 5 through April 14. Upgrade to an ocean view room costs an extra $15 per night. The Sonesta Great Bay offers a non-allinclusive alternative. For $55 less per person per night, the dive package would include breakfast as the only meal. In October the resort opened a new wing, Miramar, that consists of 52 units including studios and one- and two-bedroom suites. For bookings, call 800-223-0757 or visit www.sonesta.com/greatbay. Agents can also contact Joan Maduro-Samson, sales manager, at 599-542-2446 or -2447 or joanmadurosamson@greatbaybeachresort.com. I New Name in Punta Cana AMResorts has also added to its Sunscape all-inclusive brand with the rebranding of the former Occidental Allegro in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, as the Sunscape Punta Cana. Sunscape resorts are open to singles, couples and families. For more information on the 540-room property, visit www.sunscaperesorts.com or contact AMR’s Matt Mullen (see above). The Punta Cana property was acquired by Playa Hotels & Resorts, which has purchased at least 12 hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic since it was established in 2006, including another resort formerly owned by Occidental, the Grand Flamenco in Puerto Plata. Meliá Adds Restaurant Another all-inclusive in Punta Cana, the Meliá Caribe Tropical, has added a restaurant, called Marketplace, and a “chill-out” spot, Square Lounge. Marketplace, with indoor and outdoor seating for 384, presents a buffet featuring grilled scallops and shrimp, T-bone steak, beef tenderloin, cooked-to-order pasta, pizza and CONNECTING YOU For more details on all-inclusive hotel arrangements, visit www.travelagentcentral/allinclusives December 24, 2007 TravelAgent | 51 http://www.solmelia.com http://www.sunscaperesorts.com http://www.sonesta.com/greatbay http://www.dreamsagents.com http://www.travelagentcentral/allinclusives

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - December 24, 2007

Travel Agent - December 24, 2007 Online Now Contents From the Editor Letters to the Editor Contributors Europe: Lyon, the Center of France Two Iconic London Hotels Jazz Up their Top Suites Europe Briefs Mexico: Puerto Morelos on the Riviera Maya Mexico News & Notes Pacific/Asia: Large-Scale Developments Strengthen Singapore’s Appeal to Families, Meetings and Other Travelers Caribbean: Old San Juan’s New Hotel The Cervantes Ritz-Carlton Upgrades, La Concha Reopens in San Juan Peter Island Resort Hawaii: Maui Enhances its Allure for Active and Luxury Clients Las Vegas: Hoteliers and Wholesalers Go Beyond Gaming Las Vegas Briefs Tours: Pacific Northwest Briefs Hotels: News and Packages from All-Inclusives in Mexico and the Caribbean Cruises: Luxury Lines’ Shore Excursions Cover Story: Gerry Cahill Agent Profile: Nancy Nicol, Hawaii Specialist and Hyatt Award Winner Technology: Mailpound’s Customized Marketing Transportation: Boeing’s Anticipated Next Arrival: the 747-8 Intercontinental New York: The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Vegas Travel Week Sofitel’s Two New Brands Travelport Rolls Out Leisure Product Expedia CruiseShipCenters Debuts U.S. Tourism to Israel In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Classified Marketplace Trendwatch Special Supplememt: 2008 Portugal Travel Guide

Travel Agent - December 24, 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.