Puerto Rico’s moniker, “La Isla del Encanto,” or “The Island of Enchantment,” rings true in its 300 miles of Caribbean beaches, tropical landscapes and 500 years of Spanish cultural influence. This tiny country packs in a vibrant milieu of Spanish, African, Indian and U.S. influences and balances its natural riches with urban amenities.
The island features more than 20 golf courses, of which 18 are championship, a variety of spas and upscale resorts.
“Many groups choose Puerto Rico, not only because we’re in the Caribbean, but we’re part of the U.S.—two hours from Miami, three from New York. There is no passport required, and it’s the same currency, same language,” says Ramon Sanchez, executive vice president and CEO of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau. “Things run smoothly for meetings in Puerto Rico. Attendees don’t have to worry, ‘Are they going to speak my language, will I be able to eat the food?’”
Puerto Rico as far as infrastructure is the most advanced island in the Caribbean, according to Sanchez.
“If your cell phone doesn’t work in Puerto Rico, it’s probably because you haven’t turned it on,” he quips.
There are numerous venue options as well. Currently, Puerto Rico boasts more than 1.2 million square feet of meeting space with more than 13,300 hotel rooms.
The convention bureau recently kicked off its new campaign, “Puerto Rico Smooth.”
“Think about the fact there is nothing better than a meeting planner turning around and saying things went smooth,” Sanchez says. “Smooth for many reasons—our infrastructure, relationship with U.S. and ease of doing business here.”
Sanchez touts the bureau itself as a one-stop shop.
“The meeting planner calls us and we’ll take it from A-Z, including RFPs with hotels and making contact with any one of our over 400 members—DMCs, restaurants, venues,” he says. “We’ll help you promote the event, organize collateral material, send e-mail blasts to clients or help you manage your event when you come to Puerto Rico.”
The island’s accessibility is another key selling point.
Despite a recent 10.5 percent reduction in airlift to the island, including a number of seats from American Airlines as a result of the recent economic downturn, Sanchez emphasizes Puerto Rico is the most accessible destination in the Caribbean, with over 650 weekly nonstop flights from the U.S.
“We’re hoping as the economic situation changes, airlift picks up,” Sanchez says. “Some airlines like JetBlue have picked up some routes.”
San Juan
Colonial Old San Juan, which Sanchez dubs “a living museum,” spans just eight square blocks, but is jammed with a variety of restaurants, cafes and shops.
Groups can visit historic sites like El Morro, a fortress built by the Spanish in 1539 at the eastern edge of the entrance to San Juan Bay, which rises 140 feet above sea level. Visitors will find a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, outposts and ramps. Another relic, Castillo de San Cristobal, is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. When it was finished in 1783 it wrapped around the city of San Juan.
Outside Old San Juan, the Santurce district is home to the tourist area of El Condado, spilling with nightclubs, casinos, shops and restaurants. The nearby historical district Miramar is close to beaches such as Ocean Park, popular with swimmers, surfers and kite-surfers.
Miramar is also home to the Puerto Rico Convention Center, which can accommodate groups of up to 25,000 people with 580,000 square feet of total space and 152,700 square feet of exhibit space. The convention center is only one part of the planned Puerto Rico Convention Center District, which consists of a hotel, a residential building with 96 units, office buildings with 50,000 feet of commercial space, a retail and entertainment complex, a cinema, waterfront cafes, restaurants and walkways.
Sanchez says the convention center, which debuted in 2005, has been an incredible success.
“It not only allowed us to be able to go after groups and business we otherwise never would have been able to, it’s the most advanced in the Caribbean,” he says.
Last year the convention bureau hosted just under a dozen citywide conventions.
“We’re ramping up,” Sanchez notes. “I would like to see 25 to 30 percent of our market be citywides. If I can do that, they will probably build a statue of me.”
To help the cause, construction of the district’s headquarters hotel is under way and scheduled for a November 2009 opening. The $209 million, 500-room Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel and Casino will feature a conference center with over 35,000 square feet of meeting space for up to 1,800 meeting attendees and a 57,000-square-foot outdoor sundeck.
Also in the convention district, a former luxury apartment building will be retrofitted and refurbished to become a 303-room condo-hotel called The Golden Triangle Hotel. Another 300-room property is also in the works for the district.
Other options in Old San Juan include the Sheraton Old San Juan and El Convento. Close by, in the Isla Verde area, are InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino, Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino, Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort, and The Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino. Condado features Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino, Radisson Ambassador Plaza Hotel & Casino and Regency Hotel.
For off-site venues in San Juan, La Princesa is an old prison that now houses the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The old colonial building can be used for catered events. The nearby Bacardi rum factory is popular for tours.
Rio Grande Area
The Rio Grande area in the northern coastal valley is home to the island’s famed El Yunque tropical rain forest. Groups can arrange hikes through El Yunque as well as ATV rides to the forest.
“The rain forest is just one in the national park system and is a big draw,” Sanchez says.
Other activities in the Rio Grande region include kayaking on the bay.
The region is a popular spot for large-scale resorts that cater to incentive groups, including the El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa, with 70,000 square feet of meeting and convention facilities, as well as its own private island. Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa, a Wyndham Grand Resort features the 48,000-square-foot Oceanfront Conference Center and a 20,900-square-foot ballroom. The Gran Melia Puerto Rico offers 29,000 square feet of space with 13 meeting rooms.
For a unique off-site event, Revealing Rainforest Events can host dinners on 45 private acres of rain forest.
Other Areas
On the south coast, the colonial city of Ponce features town plazas, old Indian ceremonial grounds and the Serralles Castle Museum, a 1930s mansion that can host events. Parque de Bombas is the home of a former fire station and now houses Ponce’s main tourist office. It is the departure point for a sightseeing trolley around the city. Another off-site option is the Ponce Museum of Art. Holiday Inn Ponce and Tropical Casino, Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort and Hotel Melia are just a few hotel options.
Not far from Ponce, the town of Guanica is known for its beaches and is home to the Copamarina Beach Resort and Spa. Another attraction close by is the colonial city of San German.
On the north coast, Arecibo is best known as home to the Arecibo Observatory, which features the world’s largest radio telescope, operated by Cornell University.
Groups can also take excursions from Arecibo to the Rio Camuy Cave Park, where visitors ride a trolley that descends into a sinkhole while a guide describes the sights.
For More Info
Puerto Rico Convention Bureau 787.725.2110 www.meetpuertorico.com
