The lure of the Caribbean cannot be denied: gorgeous tropical scenery; a soothing ocean that invites you to pick your jewel tone (emerald or sapphire); and a laid-back attitude that applies to the people as well as the position you take on your beach chair.
Is there anyone who could object? Your CFO might; but then, he or she may not realize what a bargain the Caribbean is at the moment. Not only are there hotels offering double-digit and low-triple-digit rates, but airfare is out-and-out cheap, as low-cost airlines continue undercutting legacy carriers for a bigger slice of the Caribbean pie.
"The days of the North American low-cost carrier being domestic are definitely changing," says Bryan Baldwin, a spokesperson for JetBlue Airways, which has expanded its Caribbean presence dramatically over the past year and at press time was offering one-way rates as low as $29 from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau and $119 from New York to San Juan.
"For us, the Caribbean is a really big area of focus, and we’ve had great success expanding our low-fare model to international destinations," Baldwin says.
More bang for the buck and a great getaway? Could packing your bags be far behind?
The Bahamas
Less than a hundred miles off the Florida coast, the Bahamas make a convenient entree to the Caribbean, with well-timed air schedules and familiar hotel flags easing the transition into an exotic territory of white- and pink-sand beaches, crystalline waters said to be the clearest in the world, abundant aquatic life, impossibly blue skies and sunny days overflowing with things to do, from browsing Nassau’s colorful Straw Market and nearby Bay Street to hopping a catamaran for Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island.
Groups looking for an even bigger break from civilization can head to the Out Islands—including Eleuthera/Harbour Island, Long Island and the Exumas—though Grand Bahama Island and Nassau/Paradise Island are the meeting locales of choice for most gatherings, dominated by huge properties like Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort, Atlantis Paradise Island and the recently renovated Wyndham Nassau Resort.
Meanwhile, properties like the new boutique-style Marley Resort & Spa make excellent spots for corporate retreats.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Need an incentive to bring a group to the U.S.V.I.? Beyond the golf and horseback riding on St. Croix, the unspoiled beauty of St. John and the historical charms of St. Thomas, how about no passport required, increased nonstop service from Delta and American Airlines, and a $1,600 duty-free allowance on all items purchased there?
"Meeting groups also find the U.S.V.I. to be hassle-free because the territory shares so many of the same conveniences as the mainland U.S.—coverage on most cell phone carriers, and the same laws, currency and global shipping and postal services, to name a few," notes Beverly Nicholson-Doty, commissioner of the U.S.V.I. Department of Tourism.
Meetings-centric properties are another incentive, including the Westin St. John Resort & Villas; St. Croix’s Carambola Beach Resort; The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas; and Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, also on St. Thomas.
When it comes to actual incentive groups, however, you’ll find less is more in the U.S.V.I. Joining a growing industry trend, the islands recently launched "voluntourism" programs—travel experiences that combine community improvement projects with leisure activities.
"Even in the current economy, companies need to reward their top performers," Nicholson-Doty says. "Voluntourism provides excellent team-building opportunities while minimizing the perception that all incentive trips are about over-indulgence."
Puerto Rico
Call it the big fish in a big pond. Since the 2005 opening of the 580,000-square-foot Puerto Rico Convention Center, this 110-mile-by-35-mile island hit the ground running and hasn’t looked back, creating a 113-acre hotel zone around the center and scheduling 1,358 hotel rooms to fill it.
First up is the headquarters property: the 503-room Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino, slated to open this November with its own 35,000-square-foot conference center. Meanwhile, construction is beginning this year on a Marriott Courtyard Convention District Hotel and another Starwood property, the Aloft Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel, with an additional 700 to 750 rooms also part of the convention center district’s master plan.
"Puerto Rico’s commitment to the meetings and conventions market continues to be unsurpassed," says Ana Maria Viscasillas, president and CEO of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau.
For that matter, Puerto Rico is equally committed to expanding its hotel inventory throughout the island. Coming this fall is the W Retreat & Spa-Vieques Island, which will be followed by a host of new East Coast hotels—the Bahia Beach, St. Regis Resort; the JW Marriott Hotel & Resort at Coco Beach; the Regent Puerto Rico Beach Resort & Spa; and a new Mandarin Oriental.
For all its progress, though, Puerto Rico remains a green haven of tropical rainforests, centuries-old historic sites, deserted sands bathed by trade winds and natural wonders like the Camuy Caves, home to one of the longest underground river systems in the world.
Jamaica
Much has been made of Jamaica’s beaches, and rightly so, with their golden sands washed by calm blue-green seas, abundant watersports and easygoing vendors hawking everything from jewelry to conch shells to oceanside horseback rides.
Yet the beaches are but a sandy belt encircling the verdant Blue Mountain range, whose lush green peaks, dense with tropical forest, bisect the island from east to west. This is where the real adventure is, as visitors discover on zipline tours, downhill bicycle rides and gravity-driven rides courtesy of Bobsled Jamaica, located minutes from Dunn’s River Falls.
Luckily, mountain excursions are but minutes from most of the resorts in "MoBay," Negril and Ocho Rios, home to the fabulous oceanfront resorts that double as convention venues. Among the options are Half Moon Montego Bay, with more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space; the new Palmyra, offering 23,000 square feet of conference space; and the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort & Spa.
Grand Cayman
Be forewarned: You will be tempted to park it on pristine Seven Mile Beach, soaking up the rays and enjoying the spectacular view. But then you’d miss out on attractions like the 23-acre marine park Boatswain’s Beach, where the Cayman Turtle Farm is home to over 11,000 green sea turtles ranging in size from six ounces to 600 pounds each, or the lush, 65-acre Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.
For the divers and snorkelers who view the islands as a mere garnish for the hundreds of reefs, wrecks and other underwater treasures that comprise the main course, the Caymans are still one of the world’s top dive destinations. When it’s time to actually meet, though, resort-based facilities at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa; the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort; the Grand Cayman Beach Suites; and the Reef Resort will be waiting.
Aruba and Curacao
Business and pleasure are a Dutch treat on the isle of Aruba, whose ability to host large gatherings is evident at properties like the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, with 555 rooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting space; and the 14-acre Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa, home to 15,000 square feet of indoor meeting space with another 24,000 square feet outside.
But one look at a local license plate—declaring "One Happy Island"— will tell you what else is in store. Hospitable locals from 40 nationalities do their best to live up to the island’s new slogan, "90,000 Friends You Haven’t Met Yet."
Whether discovering the geological wonders of Arikok National Park, exploring the century-old California Lighthouse, going for birdies on championship golf courses or tempting Lady Luck at local casinos, this tiny island just north of Venezuela offers a stream of delights as steady as its refreshing breeze.
Heading east to Aruba’s island neighbor, Curacao, you might think you took a wrong turn and ended up in Amsterdam, so strong is the Dutch colonial influence in the capital city of Willemstad and beyond. Just don’t expect to stay in a windmill; opening this January is the 350-room Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort & Spa, with 18,500 square feet of meeting space.
Saint Martin/Sint Maarten
There may be two sides to every story, but you’ll find two sides on this dual-nation island as well—one French and one Dutch—and it all adds up to double the pleasure as your group hits the road in search of fine dining, shopping and a nightlife that goes on till dawn (which you’ll want to see as well, by the way, because sunrise is a spectacular sight over these beaches).
Of course, with a new day comes a new meal, and you might find yourself wishing you’d brought larger pants as you discover why the island is known as the "Dining Capital of the Caribbean." From the tiny bistros and elegant restaurants helmed by chefs imported from Paris to waterfront seafood joints serving freshly caught favorites with a side of delectable scenery, it’s definitely a diner’s market here. All the more reason to get out there for some swimming, diving or hiking to work off that great food.
Hotels and resorts with meeting space include the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa; the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino; or the new Radisson St. Martin Resort, Marina & Spa, offering more than 7,500 square feet of meeting and event space.
Dominican Republic
Topographically, the Caribbean’s highest and lowest points are to be found in the Dominican Republic, with the Pico Duarte mountain soaring to 10,128 feet and Lake Enriguillo dipping to 144 feet below sea level. In between is every imaginable environment, from tropical rainforest to arid desert, creating a panorama of outdoor adventures.
You’ll have nearly as tough a time deciding where to convene as you will deciding what to do, as the choices have become so vast in recent years. In the capital city of Santo Domingo, convention centers, specialized venues and soaring hotel towers define the meetings landscape, while resort areas, including Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana, weigh in with such meetings properties as Casa de Campo, the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort and Viva Wyndham Tangerine.
They’ll be joined this fall by Palace Resorts’ first all-inclusive property in the Dominican Republic: the 1,791-room Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort on Macao Beach, featuring an enormous casino, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and a 60,000-square-foot spa.
Cancun/Cozumel/Riviera Maya
Sun-seekers, diving enthusiasts and budding archaeologists alike are heading to Mexico’s Caribbean coast, a land of temples, tropics and tequila that starts in vibrant Cancun, which buzzes day and night as visitors fill the restaurants, bars and clubs after spending the day on the beach, shopping duty free or exploring the vestiges of Mayan culture, which dominated the Yucatan Peninsula for more than 3,000 years.
Meeting space here is copious, anchored by the 154,400-square-foot Cancun Center and followed closely by Cancun’s own Moon Palace Resort, with 137,300 square feet of meeting space, along with the Hilton Beach & Golf Resort, with 78,000 square feet. On a more intimate scale, the stylish Aqua Cancun checks in with 16,500 square feet of customizable meeting space, while the Westin Resort & Spa offers 11 flexible meeting spaces along with Mexican-themed activities and authentic local cuisine at group gatherings.
Just outside Cancun, the Riviera Maya begins its trek southward toward Tulum, one of the best-preserved coastal Mayan sites. Along the way are uncrowded beaches, deep blue freshwater wells called cenotes and eco-archaeological parks like Xcaret, which is only 35 miles south of Cancun International Airport yet feels a world away. Accommodating groups of 30 or more for lunch, dinner and special events, it’s a good off-site addition to meeting space at nearby properties by Palace, Occidental, Iberostar and Barcelo.
Off the coast of the Riviera Maya is the island of Cozumel, famed for its coral reefs, deep-sea fishing and protected natural areas. Groups can gather at properties such as the Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa and the Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort & Spa.
Want more on Mexico? Try attending the annual Meeting Place Mexico (www.meetingplacemexico.com), the country’s meetings and incentives marketplace, featuring a trade show, seminars and plenty of networking opportunities.
