Smart Meetings

It’s day one of the 2007 Fun & Sun trip in Ixtapa, Mexico, hosted by the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Convention & Visitors Bureau. I arrived around 1p.m. at Las Brisas Ixtapa, the host hotel for the 11-member press group. Las Brisas has the unique advantage of being on a beach that is bordered by two rock outcroppings, making the beach accessible only from the hotel. Private beaches are illegal in Mexico, so Las Brisas has the next best thing.

With a recent $20-milion renovation of the rooms and public space, the hotel is looking better than ever, and the 100 or so VIP guests that arrived for dinner were certainly impressed.

After we found our seats in the open-air solarium where dinner was held, general manager Higinio M. de Leon de Wit gave an impressive speech about the need for hotels and guests alike to follow more stringent environmental practices if we are to combat global warming and better preserve the earth—an unusual call-to-action for Mexico and a refreshing indicator that the eco-movement is spreading beyond the U.S. and Western Europe.

 

The hotel is ensconced in greenery and natural landscaping, and there are many of the same energy-saving features found in U.S. hotels, such as key-card operated lighting and power, the option to forego bed sheet and towel changes, and placards all over asking for guests to conserve.

As we dined on several courses of fresh seafood and tasted wine from the Baja Peninsula (that’s right, Mexican wine), we watched an impressive performance of Spanish flamenco dancers and Spanish tango.

It was truly a night to remember—and a reminder of the magic that can happen in Mexico when everything comes together.

Tomorrow we explore the town… 

After a light lunch at Las Brisas, the press group gathered together for a tour of the bay. The captain piloted the three-story boat near the beaches of both Zihuatanejo (the “old town”) and Ixtapa (the resorts), allowing us to get a good perspective of the major properties lining the waterfront. Carol Canter, a frequent contributor to Smart Meetings, was also along on the trip and, as a long-time Mexico writer, was able to illustrate the growth that Ixtapa has seen over the years. The sunset was fantastic, but we did not see the famous green flash that many locals claim to have experienced the moment the sun disappears beneath the horizon. There’s always next year….

After returning, we dressed up and gathered in the hotel for dinner. This was the only night we had free, so we decided to try dinner at one of Las Brisas’ five restaurants, Restaurante El Mexicano. Outside of the ceviche, which never seemed impressive to us anywhere in Ixtapa, the meal was excellent, and the service particularly notable. As Zihuatanejo is a major fishing town, there is an abundance of fresh-off-the-boat seafood, and one can find everything from simple grilled fish with lime to robust Italian interpretations.

We were picked up this morning to head out to Delfiniti, one of best examples of “dolphin experience” enterprises that are proving popular worldwide, from Jamaica to Hawaii to here in Ixtapa. Most of the public’s exposure to dolphins has been either behind the thick glass of an aquarium or the thin glass of a TV, so the chance to touch and interact with a live dolphin, let alone simply get in the water with one, is not surprisingly quite a thrill.

Although I do live in San Francisco, I had never kissed a dolphin before, and being launched through the air via a dolphin-powered propulsion system was also quite amusing. As Delfiniti cycles through groups of about a dozen on a rotational basis, accommodating several dozen at one time, it is the perfect bonding experience for a group, and would make a memorable finish to any multi-day meetings. Nothing really brings people together like going from trepidation to adoration of a six-foot mammal in a matter of minutes.

After showering off dolphin kisses back at the hotel, we set out for dinner at Melia Azul Ixtapa. Here, we were treated to a dinner in a large open courtyard, while a highly talented troupe performed traditional dances from the different regions of Mexico.

The sales manager of Melia Azul, José Luis Márquez, also talked about environmental stewardship, making the speech from the first night more than a coincidence.

This morning the press group hopped into a van for a ride down to Adventours, an adventure tour company focusing on ecology. After selecting our mountain bikes, we pedaled down a surprisingly smooth and wide bike path through town and into the Azatlan Ecological Preserve, where our guide pointed out the various creatures.

After arriving at Playa Linda, we boarded small boats that ferried us out to Ixtapa Island. Only a few minutes away, this is a perfect place to take a group for a daytrip and to have an exclusive meeting or team-building experience. The island has a number of wonderful basic restaurants on the beach, but leave your projection equipment at home. After exploring the island via kayak and snorkel, we returned to Ixtapa in time to head to the Presidente Intercontinental Ixtapa Resort, which has beautiful grounds and impressive meeting facilities. During dinner, we were greeted by Jose Arriaga, executive director of the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo CVB. Over the din of excited guests and waiters putting together last-minute touches, we were able to chat about the merits of Ixtapa for meeting groups and the growth it has experienced over the years.

Dinner was excellent, as was the performance by Paco Renteria, one of the most celebrated guitarists in Mexico. After dinner we said our goodbyes and headed off to bed.

Today is Sunday, and I was supposed to be on a plane headed home. Unfortunately, Click Airlines, operated by Mexicana Airlines, went on strike last night, so I am stuck until they can put me on an Alaska Airlines flight tomorrow. There are worse place to be trapped, however...

 

 

 

 

When people talk about Acapulco, it’s usually in reference to its glory days in the 1950s and ’60s, when Hollywood elites and the jet set wintered here in the many seaside hotels. A construction boom followed in the 1970s, crowding the beaches along the crescent-shaped bay, and the city’s star slowly faded. These days Acapulco has been in the news for the wrong reasons, with shootouts on its outskirts between the police and drug gangs. But there’s plenty more brewing in Acapulco beyond those inglorious headlines.


View from the Fairmont Acapulco Princess in the Diamante section of the city.

On a recent press trip to the city, as a guest of the Acapulco DMO I found a thriving seaside getaway with some serious investment going into the hotel and meetings inventory. It started with the Fairmont Acapulco Princess where I stayed, which has opened parts of its newest addition—Pearl—a high-end boutique hotel-within-a-hotel, a separate tower that stands adjacent to the main hotel on the properties lush and expansive grounds.

The famed hotel (Howard Hughes took over the top two floors) is in the Diamente section of Acapulco, an area near the airport that’s seen a huge expansion in beach-side condos, a new high-end shopping mall and the jewel on the development crown—Mundo Imperial. Still a ways from completion due to recent work stoppages, the complex is tentatively planning a December 2010 opening, and will feature the second-largest convention center in Mexico at 730,000 sq. ft. of total meeting and event space. An attached resort hotel will have 705 guest rooms and another 100 luxury suites, and will be flanked by what they’re calling a gastronomical promenade of restaurants. Also part of the complex is the 4,000-seat Forum theater, which is currently open and presenting concerts by the likes of Carlos Santana, as well as some of Mexico’s top artists.



Mundo Imperial.

Also on the way is the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, which will open by January 2010, and features 47 separate villas set amid a lush tropical setting, all (but four) with amazing views of the sea. It’s the Banyan Tree’s second foray into Mexico, which recently opened the Mayakoba along the Riviera Maya near Cancun. And the Boca Chica Hotel, including the room where actress Rita Hayworth often stayed, is undergoing a complete renovation and will be open later this year. With all this activity in new and renovated properties, along with a vibrant meeting and tourism industry from Mexican nationals, Acapulco is on the rise again.