Rosewood, SLS, Grand Hyatt Review
The Baha Mar hotel facility has come a long way since its opening back in 2017. It’s a great product for MICE travel, given its convenience to the US. There’s plenty to do in terms of golf, spa, and snorkel. And the price is a good value for your dollar when comparing it to other Caribbean islands. Food and beverage prices are still a challenge at the hotels, but with MICE travel that’s expected.
Here are our top hotels for incentive travel in 2020.
Malliouhana Anguilla (63 rooms; opened 1984, renovated 2019 and became an Auberge property). This property recently reopened after a large renovation and Auberge taking over management of the hotel. From the moment you enter the lobby, there's definitely a wow factor from the view down to the decor, and it doesn't stop there. The beach, service, food, spa, and pools are all extremely impressive. This is the perfect opportunity for an incentive program buyout for groups with 50-60 rooms. The addition of the beachfront casual dining restaurant, Leon’s, is perfect for a casual lunchtime option or entertainment each evening.
In the past 6 months, a few new exciting hotels have opened their doors in Los Cabos, Mexico. The most anticipated opening was actually two hotel brands owned by the same owner, located only a few steps away from each other. Both properties are located on the Pacific side of Los Cabos in the Diamanté area, which is approximately one hour from SJD airport.
This is a constant question we get! In fact, we blogged about this topic before but since methods are constantly changing we wanted to explore the topic again.
If you want to get ahead of the planning we recommend starting at least 18 months before your event for a mid-size incentive trip (75+ rooms per night room block) and 2 years lead-time for over 150+ room per night. Though 18 months sounds like a huge chunk of time, there are several reasons why we recommend this :
There are many important decisions when planning your next President's Club but location might be the most important. After a few years in the Caribbean and Mexico, attendees might be ready for a change of scenery and the opportunity to explore Europe locations. It's important to administer feedback surveys following each event that include a question allowing attendees to type in their preferred future President's Club trip locations.
You might ask yourself where do I start in terms of planning your first European adventure so we provided a few tips to help.
Below is a list of the properties that we have personally vetted over the past two years. Most have hosted an extremely successful client event for us!
Despite many misconceptions in the hotel industry, there are only a few dozen properties that are usually a good fit for your client’s upcoming incentive trip that checks all the boxes. Once you look at direct flights, five-star requirements, budget, weather, and more, you will find your large list of property options quickly dwindling. Here’s a quick list to get started for those looking to plan your next incentive trip. The all-inclusive hotels will average out to low to mid range budget spend whereas most of the EP properties listed are mid range to higher budget resorts.
Fort Lauderdale has seen a recent increase in MICE business due to the recent improvements to their hotel product. Recent renovations along with new properties provides companies with plenty of options when looking for a warm weather location with affordable and frequent airlift.
If you haven’t yet secured your 2019 incentive trip location then you are running out of time, especially if you are in search of a popular five-star incentive destination. Most clients are contracted for 2019 and turning their focus on 2020. This group of hotels is a guarantee in terms of client experience and presenting attendees with a “wow factor.” For those looking for a last minute search or getting a jump start on 2020, here is a great place to start.
The Florida Gulf Coast has a long list of hotels for MICE travel. Unfortunately the product has been a tougher sell when compared to Miami/Fort Lauderdale region of the state. A few renovations to highlight are Hilton Marco Island, JW Marriott Marco Island, Don Cesar, Vinoy, Hyatt Regency Clearwater, and Tampa Marriott Waterside. The Tampa hotel product is constantly improving with a new JW Marriott and Marriott Edition breaking ground in 2019. For those who need less meeting space they can move outside the city of Tampa and closer to one of the beautiful beaches in the area!