Prevue March/April 2013 - (Page 10)
prevue
editor’s letter
Destination experiences for
meetings + incentives
Mar/Apr 2013
prevueonline.net
Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace
We check out new Nobu room service
and catering in Las Vegas, and hit the
Teppanyaki tables.
Meet the Trumps
Mr. Trump takes over iconic Doral
Golf Resort & Spa. We speak with him
and his daughter about their plans.
Sandals Hearts Groups
Check out our full Q&A with Jim
Bullock, vp of group development for
Sandals Resorts.
10 | prevue magazine
Many years ago I covered the Caribbean travel
industry exclusively, and during countless hotel
site inspections, my hosts always showed me the
meeting facilities. Back then at many of the hotels
I visited, the space wasn’t used very often except for weddings and a few
CMEs here and there.
Fast forward a decade and it’s a completely different story. Group
business is becoming a major focus for many large and small hotels as
they reconfigure their product, much like the cruise industry.
For this, our annual Incentive issue, I spoke with two industry leaders
during the Caribbean Marketplace buyer/supplier tradeshow in Nassau
at Atlantis Resort.
On the group side, business is looking up.
“For 2014 sales, we are double digit ahead from 2013 and triple
digits ahead for 2015,” says Gus Tejeda, vp of group sales for Atlantis.
“What we’re seeing is that some companies are still concerned about the
economy and the stigma of a luxury offshore destination, but they are
starting to book us again. We are very, very encouraged about the future.”
I also spoke with Jim Bullock, vp of group development at the
all-inclusive pioneer, Sandals Resorts. For couples incentive travel
programs, Sandals is well-established to woo planners and their groups.
“While the brand is known as a destination for couples, there’s a side
of Sandals that has evolved to meet the incentive market,” Bullock told
me. “Many of our resorts offer distraction-free meeting environments,
flexible function space and ballrooms. We now have professionally trained
meeting and event planners to expedite the process from start to finish.”
Few things motivate executives like a well crafted travel program
designed specifically for a particular group. We have 14 “On Location”
destination reviews this issue, including Aruba and the USVI, to give you
some ideas about what’s fresh and innovative.
Whether you’re meeting at a beach in Exuma, a chalet in Kitzbühel
or a spa in Las Vegas, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) is a
powerful organization to help planners understand the motivational power
of travel. Their Annual Incentive Invitational brings together senior
planners and industry experts to discuss new innovations in the incentive
industry. For example, this year the IRF is unveiling a new benchmarking
tool to help maximize the value of integrating business meetings and
incentive travel. If you’re interested, the event takes place May 7-11 at the
new Hard Rock Hotel Cancun. We’ll see you there...
Greg Oates / greg@worthit.com
http://www.prevueonline.net
http://www.prevueonline.net
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue March/April 2013
Planner's Pick: Miami
Fresh Meets: Renaissance Hotels
Bureau Buzz: Austin
Good Business: Washington, DC
Sea Shores: Cruising Sweden
Feelin' Good About Incentives
Special Section: California
On Location: JW Marriott Desert Springs
Caribbean & The Bahamas
On Location: U.S. Virgin Islands
On Location: Aruba
On Location: Omni Amelia Island
The South: Best of Golf & Spa
On Location: Fairmont Scottsdale
On Location: W Singapore
Austria
Ireland
On Location: Mexico City
On Location: Starwood Los Cabos
On Location: Universal Orlando
On Location: Villas of Grand Cypress, Orlando
Check Out: Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland
Club Med
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