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Hendrick Santos Takes Over at the Gran Melia Puerto Rico
Past Managing Director of the Gran Melia Puerto Rico, Ken Dittrich, has been promoted to Area Vice-president of Gran Melia Hotels & Resorts in the Americas and Caribbean for Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts. Taking the reins at the GMPR is none other than old friend Hendrick Santos. Hendrick was with Hyatt for years, then came over the Westin Rio Mar to manage that property about four years ago – until the Wyndham take-over. We’re delighted to have him at the Gran Melia – Hendrick knows how to make things hum!
Ritz-Carlton at Dorado Beach
The famous Hyatt Dorado Beach Hotel, originally a RockResort built in the late 1950s, has been closed for at least two years now. We’ve just learned that Caribbean Property Group (owners of the Isla Verde Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Casino) and a local development group have purchased the property as well as the adjacent Cerromar Hotel from the Pritzker family and tentative plans appear to be for Dorado Beach to become a five-star hotel operated by Ritz Carlton and for Cerromar to become a four-star hotel. A total of $1.5 billion is reported to be the total investment. The owners hope to have permitting completed and construction on the Dorado Beach phase started in early 2009.
Canopy Tours Come to Puerto Rico
Costa Rica popularized the canopy tour years ago, and one of the pioneers in that field has partnered with a local firm to offer a two hour Canopy Tour in the La Marquesa Forestry Reserve. This 890 acre property is located about 20 minutes southwest of San Juan. The response has been very enthusiastic. For groups staying in San Juan it operates perfectly as a stand-alone activity. For groups at the outlying resorts to the east it can be combined easily with a city tour. Contact us for a write-up with photos.
Contact DMC Group Selects Travel Services, Inc.
In their own words, “The Contact DMC Group is a partnership of the most highly qualified destination management companies in the world. We are dedicated to providing fun-filled tours, creative special events and the most memorable theme parties imaginable.” On January 9 of this year, after having gone through a rigorous qualifying process where professional knowledge, financial stability, operational capabilities and the firm’s history underwent deep scrutiny, including an on site visit from a member of the organization specifically to watch us in action and meet our personnel, the Group selected Travel Services to join its outstanding team of DMCs. Members operate in Amelia Island, Baltimore, Banff, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Connecticut, Daytona, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Miami, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Newport, R,I,, New Jersey, Orange County, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, Quebec City, Riviera Maya, Rocky Mountains, St. Petersburg, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Diego, Sarasota, Scottsdale, Tampa, The Keys, Toronto, Tucson, Vancouver, Washington, D.C. and Whistler. Check their website out at www.contactdmcgroup.com for more information!
Towels Please...
In the event you’ve a program scheduled for any of the outlying resorts and plan on offering activities involving off property swimming, and thus will need towels – here’s a “heads up”! At least two of the most popular properties on the east side of the island appear to be withholding the loaning of beach towels to groups requiring same for off property kayaking or catamaran cruises unless the group has booked through the in-house DMC. We would suggest you negotiate this point prior to signing your contract. And as always, ensure that your contract doesn’t oblige you to use the hotel’s in house airport shuttle – just strike that clause before signing.
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