The state of Yucatan is gearing up to attract more meetings. The Yucatan International Convention Center (www.yucatan.travel) is due to complete construction at the end of 2017 and begin hosting events in 2018. Representing Samsung’s first partnership in the region, the facility’s main hall has a capacity for 6,000 people, and the upper floor has two halls for up to 2,000 people each. There are also two terraces with a capacity for up to 700 guests each. In preparation for what is expected to be an influx of new meetings, at least six new hotels are to open in the Merida area in 2018 and 2019.
In Puebla, the newest luxury hotel is the 78-room Rosewood Puebla. It has 4,949 square feet of indoor meeting space, including a ballroom, two boardrooms, patios, a private terrace and a private dining room.
New in Guadalajara this year is the Tequila Herradura Express, a 90-minute train ride, complete with bar service, that operates between Guadalajara and Casa Herradura, where tequila is made. Tours include round-trip train transportation, a light breakfast with music and entertainment on board, lunch and a distillery tour, in addition to live local music and folk dancing at the estate.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company plans to open its first hotel in Mexico City in 2019. The 153-room Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City is part of the Chapultepec Uno mixed-use project, located on the popular Paseo de la Reforma boulevard.