From pristine beaches to world-renowned cultural institutions, Mexico paints a picture-perfect backdrop for groups. As prolific as the destination is for its venue options, Mexico is also growing its business side to appeal to the meetings market.
“The expectations for the meetings industry in Mexico for the next year are very positive,” says Joaquin Armenta, meetings industry liaison for the Mexico Tourism Board.
In 2016 there will be new convention centers opening in Toluca, the state of Mexico; La Paz, Baja California Sur; a convention and cultural center in Oaxaca; and the M Pavilion in Monterrey.
On the hotel front, the Mexico Tourism Board is highlighting destinations like Leon, with 1,000 additional rooms planned between 2016 and 2017. Also in that time, Monterrey will add more than 1,500 rooms.
Meetings Strategies
The Mexico Tourism Board has plans of its own for 2016. According to Rodrigo Esponda, regional director for North America for the Mexico Tourism Board, one of the board’s strategies next year will be leveraging meetings business with the country’s strong industries.
“We are looking to have much better integration in key industries for Mexico worldwide as far as business,” Esponda says.
One example will be tying in Puebla and its strength in the automotive industry with a new Audi plant slated to open there next year. According to Esponda, Guadalajara is becoming a technological hub with companies like HP and IBM, while Monterrey has been a historical birthplace of industries, including beer companies and the steel industry.
“We want to see more vertical integration,” Esponda says.
In April, the Mexico Tourism Board is publishing the guide Meetings to Mexico, and next year there will be a new promotional video for the meetings industry. As for the incentives market, the program created by the Mexico Tourism Board, Mexican tourism ministry and SITE Mexico chapter, “Your Best Reward is Mexico,” will continue to be promoted to international markets. Currently it focuses on incentive options in Queretaro, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Cuernavaca, Morelos and San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. In 2016 the program will include Puerto Vallarta and Merida.
Los Cabos
Nowhere is the meetings market more representative of strong growth than Los Cabos, where a wide range of new properties is augmented by the location’s scenic highlights. Los Cabos has been recovering from Hurricane Odile since it hit September 2014, with a slew of property renovations and new hotels consistently opening.
Properties that reopened earlier this year include One & Only Palmilla Los Cabos, Marquis Los Cabos and Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, as well as both the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos and Hyatt Place Los Cabos.
Hotel openings this year also include the The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, which debuted in June with 161 guest rooms; the 300-room JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa, with 37,652 square feet of total meeting space; and the 140-room Mar Adentro by Encanto.
“Now that the destination is back on track, we are focused on all the great developments that are in the works for the next couple of years,” says Ruben Reachi, the Los Cabos Tourism Board’s managing director. “Through the end of 2017, we plan to welcome nearly 4,000 new hotel rooms to the destination from some of the highest luxury brands available.”
For next year, additions will include a Le Blanc with 380 rooms and a Park Hyatt with 232 rooms. Other reopening properties will include Melia Cabo Real and the Westin Resort & Spa, both due next summer.
The Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos is scheduled to be completed in 2017. The 600-room property will feature 54,000 square feet of meeting space. Other projects planned for 2017 include the 124-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve; the 311-room Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos; the 300-room Villa Valencia; and the 200-room Nobu Hotel Los Cabos.
Earlier this season, Alaska Airlines launched nonstop service from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., and Southwest Airlines introduced a nonstop flight from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport.
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta also flaunts its seaside locale to groups, adding a wide range of arts and culture outlets as well as its historic downtown.
“We are always proud to say that Puerto Vallarta is a very dynamic destination,” says Miguel Andres Hernandez Arteaga, director of the Puerto Vallarta CVB. “Our city increased the amount of congresses, conferences and events 288 percent versus 2014.”
Looking to next year, the International Convention Center of Puerto Vallarta will have a new administrative committee and will be the only one in Mexico supporting a federally protected natural reserve, El Salado, which will protect more than 100 endemic species as part of the destination’s green commitment.
In September, the all-inclusive Grand Fiesta Americana debuted on Banderas Bay with 443 guest rooms and a convention center with the capacity for more than 1,200 people.
Other additions to the destination will include the continued construction of an aquarium, which according to Arteaga will become an anchor for the destination and add value for events.
The former Teatro Vallarta now acts as the Viva Tequila Experience, designed for groups of up to 1,000 attendees. The experience includes a tequila tasting with a professional master tequillier, the Viva Tequila Museum, a city tour by train, mariachi music and a renovated area for small groups.
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Riviera Nayarit
North of Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit is also booming. Statistics from the first half of 2015 indicate that hotel occupancy levels were at 82.5 percent. There is also a commitment of more than $500 million to 35 upcoming projects in the destination.
New hotel projects include the W Hotel Punta de Mita, slated to open in 2016 in the Los Veneros development of Punta de Mita. The oceanfront property will have 120 guest villas as well as a spa. One&Only Mandarina will debut with 145 villas as well as separate private residential estates. The resort will also offer a conference center for groups.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, in the residential community of Nuevo Vallarta, recently began a gradual $20 million renovation that will be completed by 2016 and will include improvements to its restaurant, guest rooms and spa.
Hard Rock Hotel Nuevo Vallarta recently completed its 12,900-square-foot Sanctuary Convention Center, which is the largest in Rivera Nayarit and can host up to 1,500. The hotel now has 20,000 square feet of event space to complement its 348 rooms.
Another Nuevo Vallarta addition, Cirque du Soleil and developer Grupo Vidanta, will partner to construct and operate a 300-acre immersive theme park replete with a waterpark, nature park and an outdoor evening show for up to 5,000. Construction is expected to be complete in 2018.
Acapulco
Also on the Pacific, Acapulco leverages its oceanside views and activities with its broad range of meetings hotels and venues.
“Besides leisure travel, Acapulco is a great destination for meetings and conventions,” says Pedro Haces, president of the Acapulco Destination Marketing Office. “With a variety of convention centers, the hospitality that characterizes our people and options for customization, Acapulco is prepared to host events ranging from group meetings to big-scale concerts and international fairs.”
Acapulco this year hosted everything from the International Congress of Gastronomy, Hospitality and Tourism to Tianguis Turistico.
“Additionally, Acapulco is making strides on the luxury market with its new partnership with Virtuoso, a prestigious travel industry luxury network,” Haces says.
Mundo Imperial Resort, part of the Mundo Imperial complex, opened last year in September. According to Haces, Mundo Imperial Resort will acquire Princess Acapulco and Pierre Marques, making the resort one of the largest as far as number of rooms in Latin America.
Next year, the $85 million Fiesta Americana Grand Diamante Acapulco will debut with 428 rooms, meeting spaces, a spa and four restaurants.
In 2016, Acapulco will also debut a new airport terminal.
Cancun/Riviera Maya
On Mexico’s Caribbean side, the enticing resort areas of Cancun and Riviera Maya are also adding depth to their hotel and meetings infrastructure.
The $85 million Hyatt Ziva Cancun opened this month at the tip of Punta Cancun, featuring 547 suites and more than 11,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event areas. Club Med Cancun Yucatan was renovated this summer and included the addition of 60 new family accommodations.
Dreams Playa Mujeres is set to open in early 2016 and offer 500 rooms. In addition, the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Cancun is slated to open in late 2017 with 1,800 oceanfront rooms, six restaurants and an 8 million-gallon, beachfront lagoon-style pool.
Cancun International Airport is undergoing an expansion, including this year’s renovation of Terminal 3 and the addition of Terminal 4, slated for completion in 2017.
In Riviera Maya, the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort opened earlier this year with 314 guest rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of flexible function and meeting space.
Also this year, Barcelo Maya Beach Resort completed an $80 million renovation focusing on the complex’s Barcelo Maya Beach and Barcelo Maya Caribe resorts. The complex is composed of five adjacent resorts with a total of 2,756 rooms.
Mexico City
Heading inland, Mexico City spills with historical and cultural venues, experiences and attractions that run the gamut from theaters and galleries to archaeological sites and city parks.
Next year Mexico City’s Centro Banamex will host IBTM Latin America 2016 in September.
There has also been activity on the hotel front. Four Seasons Mexico City near Chapultepec Park and the exclusive Polanco neighborhood recently underwent a $14 million renovation, while InterContinental Presidente Mexico City completed a $40 million renovation to its 700 guest rooms this October.
The Krystal Grand Reforma Uno Mexico City, with 48,000 square feet of meeting space, recently completed a renovation.
Guadalajara
Guadalajara is also expanding its meetings offerings at a fast pace. Next year the city will host major international events such as WOC (World Ophthalmology Congress), COCAL (Latin America Congress Organizers Association) and Tianguis Turistico.
“Since 2015, the CVB of Guadalajara has changed part of the strategy to promote the city as traditionally modern,” says Gustavo Staufert, promotion director of the Guadalajara CVB. “We are the city of innovation with high-tech companies and competitive infrastructure, in addition to being the cradle of Mexican icons—tequila, mariachi and charreria [Mexican Rodeo].”
More than 2,000 rooms will be added to the city’s hotel infrastructure by 2016, including a 250-room Hyatt, a 160-room Marriott and 180-room Fiesta Americana. In addition, Expo Guadalajara is undergoing a renovation project.
Air connectivity was also increased this year with four international destinations—Fresno, Calif.; New York; Costa Rica; and Guatemala.
New off-site venues include PALCCO—Palace of Culture and Communication—with the capacity for a 3,000 people.
Tequila Mundo Cuervo in Jalisco will open its first hotel and convention center.
In addition to options that include visiting the town of Tequila by train—the Tequila Express to the Herradura distillery and the Jose Cuervo Express—groups can now arrange to take a 20-minute helicopter flight to the Casa Sauza distillery.
