Prevue September-October 2013 - (Page 16)

bureau buzz Puerto Rico Hosts 25% Group Biz New hotels and restaurants are catering actively to international meetings The hotel is currently open for dining and events at 1919, helmed by Michelin-star chef Juan Jose Cuevas, and 15,000 sf of function space including a rooftop venue and oceanfront ballroom. The Vanderbilt is accepting room block reservations for rooms starting 1Q 2014. That will include 87 rooms and three suites in the restored historic wing, and 105/128 rooms in the new East/West Towers, all with Gilded Age-inspired decor that reflects the hotel’s history. Condado is already a favorite destination for high-end visitors, says Segarra, who cites hip eateries like Budathai, helmed by Iron Chef competitor Roberto Trevino, which is available for private events. And Bar Gitano hosts events during the monthly Heineken jazz series. Other excursions ideal for active groups include progressive dine-around dinners in Old San Juan, 1919 Restaurant private tours of circa-1539 El Morro, and the always popular salsa dance classes. There are two other notable group properties scheduled to come online in Greater San Juan in 2014. The 104-room Hyatt Place Manati will have 104 guest It’s no surprise to learn that the MICE market is key to Puerto rooms and a full-scale casino in the hub of Puerto Rico’s Rico. In fact, one of every four room nights that is booked is a medical and pharmaceutical community, just 40 miles west of group room night. San Juan. The 156-room Hyatt Place Bayamon Hotel & El “We have groups coming to our destination two, three, Tropical Casino, just 15 miles southwest of the main city, will four years in a row,” says Milton Segarra, president/CEO of be convenient to the Luis A. Ferre Science Park and San Juan’s Puerto Rico Convention Bureau. “And a good amount of largest shopping mall. those meeting attendees are coming back with their families on “In the last 12 to 18 months we have noticed an increase their leisure time.” in international groups and conventions coming to Puerto Rico. Catering to that repeat business means keeping things Mexico is the primary market but Panama, Colombia, Costa fresh so attendees always find something new, a challenge the Rica and to some degree Brazil are also active. From January destination welcomes. To that end, Puerto Rico had several 2014 on, we’ll have daily flights to and from Mexico City.” luxury openings in the past few years, including the St. Regis Segarra only expects that to continue to grow, now that Bahia Beach Resort Puerto Rico and Dorado Beach, a Aerostar is managing Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. Ritz-Carlton Reserve. And there is more to come. A new $250 million, 60-month upgrade is presently under One of the most anticipated is the reopening of the development.—Susan Moynihan Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. In 1919, Frederick William Vanderbilt built this gorgeous Spanish Revival building on an oceanfront stretch of the Condado District. “The Vanderbilt is a gem in the Puerto Rico tourism industry,” Segarra says. In its heyday the hotel hosted the likes of Errol Flynn, A bunch of new artisanal coffee and tea shops Charles Lindberg and President Franklin Roosevelt, and it was opened recently in Old San Juan, including two designated with landmark status before closing in 1997. The we like: PRTea and Café Poética. Both have a bohemian feel with old world romance and cool iconic hotel has undergone a $200 million refurbishment and opportunities for group tastings. expansion by International Hospitality Enterprises, the same team behind Hotel El Convento and La Concha. PRTea & Café Poética 16 | prevue magazine 16-17_BBuzz.indd 16 9/4/13 4:00 PM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September-October 2013

Planner's Pick: Orlando
Fresh Meets: Omni Nashville
Bureau Buzz: Puerto Rico
Good Business: Prevue Visionary Awards
Sea Shores: Crystal Cruises
Innovation & Inspiration
On Location: GMIC 2013, Chicago
Special Section: The West USA
Green Luxury
On Location: Club Med Rio Das Pedras
On Location: La Playa, Naples, FL
Stockholm
Korea
On Location: US Virgin Islands
On Location: Starwood New Orleans
Torchbearers 2013
On Location: Westin Snowmass/Aspen
On Location: Paradisus, Dominican Republic
Check Out: Christchurch, New Zealand

Prevue September-October 2013