South Florida has been a melting pot of different cultures for decades. Even so, the past five years have seen a pop in the development of cultural experiences not just from Latin American nations but other parts of the world too. For meeting and incentive groups looking for a city that can impress attendees with memorable learning experiences both during the formal sessions and in the after hours, Miami is firing on all cylinders.
Read MoreThe Travel Channel recently aired a program about the famed Mayan ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It’s great that the general public gets such opportunities to better understand this part of the overall experience of traveling to Cancun or Riviera Maya. In fact, it’s something that is central to the experience of incentive groups who use our two all-inclusive properties in the area: The 601-room Hard Rock Hotel Cancun and the 1,264-room Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
Read MoreSince the U.S. Presidential election in late 2016, there’s been lots of talk in the political arena about cutting some business regulation and perhaps taxes too. These possibilities have made many companies amenable to putting more of their money to work, in the hopes that they will see a solid return on investment in a business-friendly environment.
One area where return on investment is fairly clear is in incentive programs that motivate people to be top performers for their organization. At Hard Rock Hotels’ All-Inclusive Collection, we are seeing some shifts in 2017 regarding the planning and execution of incentive trips that will use our properties in Cancun, Riviera Maya, and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, plus Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Read MoreWhen meeting and incentive planners are researching different international destinations that could possibly host their groups, among their first and foremost considerations is airlift. Even on itineraries as long as seven, eight or ten days, attendees simply have no appetite for scheduling inconvenience. This inconvenience could come in the form of not enough options each day to the international destination, or in the form of long layovers at domestic hubs while waiting for that international flight.
Read MoreUnlike all the other major sports, the start of the professional golf season coincides with the start of the new year. The men’s pro tour goes to Hawaii for a few weeks in January, while the women’s pro tour starts in the Bahamas around the same time.
What these two pro tours have in common is their use of warm winter destinations to kick off their seasons. Interestingly, the four properties in the Hard Rock Hotels All-Inclusive Collection also serve as the setting for a lot of winter golf by meeting and incentive participants, who look forward to the opportunity months in advance. Even better, group use of golf activities at Hard Rock Hotels All Inclusive Collection doesn’t even require that attendees know how to play the game.
Read MoreFor those who plan meetings and incentive programs, there is no ignoring the fact that the demographic of their groups is changing with each passing day. The Millennial Generation—90 million strong compared to just 70 million Boomers—is advancing through the corporate ranks, and these younger workers desire experiences that older workers would not even have heard of in their younger days.
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