Prevue January/February 2013 - (Page 12)

fresh meets HILTON HOTELS MEXICO & LATIN AMERICA In Panama, Colombia, Peru & Mexico, Hilton Hotels offers a big batch of values for meeting planners. Last fall, Hilton Hotels & Resorts announced it had opened six hotels and signed 10 agreements in the previous 12 months. Presently the hotel group has over 50 hotels combined in Latin America and Mexico, across a range of budgets and brands from DoubleTree by Hilton to Waldorf Astoria. We spoke with Danny Hughes, SVP Latin America & Caribbean at Hilton Worldwide about the different destinations and properties, beginning with Panama. “Panama’s economy is very active, led by the Canal construction, and it’s viewed as a very safe haven for money,” says Hughes. “It’s been mobbed for new hotels because it’s really interesting for both group and leisure, and there’s excellent airlift.... There’s demand across the board.” Hughes is excited about the 248-room Waldorf Astoria Panama opening in January, offering impressive pricing for the level of luxury throughout the hotel. “It’s a new build and we’re really going to focus on exceptional service,” he says. “It’s not for large groups; it’s for smaller meetings at the top end. There’s a disproportionate number of restaurants; just a lot going on there.” In Colombia, the 245-room Hilton Bogota, Colombia is now about 1-year old. Few destinations in the world have turned around their tourism infrastructure like Colombia. “Colombia is really, from a rebranding standpoint, a complete success story,” says Hughes. “Bogota is such a dynamic city with great food, culture and transportation. The Colombians are very well educated and cosmopolitan. That is a country that’s going to do very well.” Up on the Caribbean coast, the beachfront 341-room Hilton Cartagena completed a $35 million renovation last month. The city’s colonial splendor is well known, of course, but Hughes says there’s a lot of tourism expansion developing around Santa Marta farther up the coast among some of South America’s most underrated scenery. In Peru, the new 207-room Hilton Lima Miraflores opened in December in the upscale Miraflores neighborhood, close to the Larcomar entertainment district. The striking glass facade makes a bold statement signaling a new direction of meetings in the capital. Hughes points out the rooftop event space and its unbeatable location for groups who want to experience the city. However, he recommends that groups check out Machu Picchu too. “It a shame how many people fly into Lima and never see anything other than the airport and Miraflores,” he says. With regard to Mexico, Hughes trumpets the facilities and service at the 4-diamond, 375-room Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort for value-packed meetings and incentives. “There’s fantastic airlift and it’s a true experience,” he says. “And the service culture is just tremendous. Los Cabos is always number one or two in customer service throughout all of the Hilton properties worldwide.” In terms of safety, we told Hughes about feedback we’ve heard from planners who know the destination is safe but are still wary of perception issues among attendees. “Los Cabos is safer than any city in the world,” says Hughes. “Our philosophy on Cabo is simple. We spend a lot of money bringing meeting planners down because the conversion rate is fabulous. Once they experience the destination and see the value proposition, there’s no doubt left in anyone’s mind.” hilton.com Hilton Cartagena 12 | prevue magazine http://www.hilton.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue January/February 2013

Planner's Pick: Whistler, BC
Fresh Meets: Hilton Latin America
Bureau Buzz: Oklahoma City
Good Business: Hong Kong
Sea Shores: Alaskan Dream Cruises
Value & Variety
New Orleans & The Northshore
Convention Districts
Corporate Retreats
On Location: Tropicana Las Vegas
On Location: Leadership Summit, Lima
Special Section: Florida
On Location: Puerto Vallarta
Manchester
On Location: Glasgow
Check Out: San Jose, California

Prevue January/February 2013