Corporate Travel Destinations

The island of Aruba is part of the Dutch Antilles located in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela. Every year, tourists are drawn to its sun-soaked shores to enjoy relaxing beachside vacations filled with water sports, long walks on sandy beaches, sipping cocktails under a beach umbrella and SCUBA diving in the crystal clear waters of the nearby coral reef off of De Palm Island. A cruise terminal and international airport are located on the island, allowing corporate travel planners and event planners to include this Caribbean paradise as part of a group cruise, or as a single corporate travel destination. The Reina Beatrix Airport (AUA) is just 2.5 miles from Oranjestad, which is also the home to the main cruise port, which is located just a short five-minute walk from the city center.

The main cities on the island are San Nicolas and Oranjestad, each of which offers a variety of meeting and event venues, with two of the most popular resort hotels on the island being the Aruba Gold Coast and the Occidental Grand Aruba. Popular attractions and activities available on the island include water sports, horseback riding, biking, bird watching at the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, the weekly Bonbini Festival at the Aruba Historical Museum and an 18-hole championship golf course.

Whether you are planning a group cruise, incentive travel package or corporate event, you simply cannot go wrong with Aruba.

Santo Domingo, located on the coast of the Dominican Republic offers the perfect blend of modern amenities and rich history and culture. Christopher Columbus first came upon this region in 1492, with his brother, Bartolome Colon, founding the city of Santo Domingo de Guzman in 1498. As the first city in the New World, UNESCO naturally awarded it status as a World Heritage Site and visitors can still walk along the cobblestone streets of the original city, now called Colonial City, where the first university, church, hospital and monastery constructed in the New World can still be seen.

A popular destination for the cruise meeting industry, the Port of Santo Domingo has two cruise ship terminals: the Don Diego Terminal and the San Souci Terminal. Each of these terminals allows passengers convenient access to nearby Colonial City, as well as a number of important historical sites and landmarks, many dining options serving scrumptious local cuisine and nightspots that come alive each evening with the vibrant sounds of merengue. Santo Domingo is considered one of the most important cultural capitals of the Americas and offers a wide variety of entertainment, dining, shopping and cultural attractions, such as the museums of the Plaza de Cultura, the Columbus Lighthouse and the Parque Colon.

A well-established, modern public transportation system makes getting around this historic city a breeze, which will allow your attendees to take in all that Santo Domingo has to offer between scheduled meetings and events.

Corporate travel rewards can often be difficult to book. Trying to find out what an employee, retail partner, or prized client wants can be an exercise in futility. It’s often hard to get an answer if you ask, and if it’s supposed to be a surprise it’s just a guess anyway on the part of the Big Boss.

One destination that has a high rate of success and approval is the tropical island. Although it is generally a popular destination, the idea of the private island is sometimes forgotten. Anyone who wants to give the gift of relaxation, beautiful scenery, and peace should consider the private island as a destination.

Private does not necessarily mean free of options. It doesn’t mean your client will be marooned until she decides she is no longer stressed and can come home. It means that there are choices. She can stay in bed for the whole trip if she wants, lie on the beach and read, but there is sometimes golf, tennis, equestrian activities, and much more a short distance away. But on a private island it means you don’t even have to be aware of them.

These amazing destinations can also be romantic. If your client knows that the traveler has an anniversary coming up, you can book a honeymoon island. You can find special dinners for couples, and even activities just for the two of them.

So before you throw your hands in the air in despair over a difficult plan, find out if there is space on an island somewhere. You have a good chance of being successful.

To supplement housing for this prestigious meeting, where leaders of 53 Commonwealth countries will convene to discuss global, political and economic issues, Landry & Kling has secured two ships on behalf of the GORTT, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas and Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess, which will be docked within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency, the host venue.  In addition to supplementing local accommodations with up to 2,500 more sleeping rooms, the ships will also function as adjunct convention facilities and dining venues to complement the Hyatt Hotel.  A host of meetings will be held on board the two cruise ships, and a casino will be transformed into a trade show with up to 20 table-top exhibits.

During the recent Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Princess Cruises’ “floating hotel” Caribbean Princess was the venue for 2 days of Plenary Sessions, luncheons, and Closing Ceremonies for the Private Sector Forum and for all Youth Forum Events on April 15-16. The ship was docked adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

“We are thrilled and honored to have been chosen to play a pivotal role in making this important gathering a success,” said Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling.  She added, “This project has been months in the making, and we look forward to putting our creativity and expertise to work on behalf of this prestigious event.”

As with any meeting of global governments, and particularly one as multifaceted as this is, there are a number of key aspects beyond the housing element that come into play for the Landry & Kling team, such as government protocol, security, multiple event logistics and the efficient flow of thousands of people from venue to venue to ensure a seamless operation.

While the actual CHOGM retreat will take place from November 27-29, the ships will arrive in Port of Spain on November 22nd and 23rd, as will participants for parallel events such as the Youth Forum and the Commonwealth Business Forum.  To accommodate the week-long activities, Landry & Kling will be staffed 30 strong in strategic locations – the airport, cruise terminal, accreditation centers, and on board the ships – to ensure the event is staged with exact precision and flow.

As the premier company organising cruise events around the globe for more than 27 years, providing additional housing where demand for accommodations outstrips supply, has been one of Landry & Kling’s hallmarks.
What the concept of floating hotels means is that port cities and destinations around the world who never dreamed of hosting world class events and meetings can now vie for their share of the pie.

Beverly Khan, Deputy National Coordinator for the National Secretariat said, “Landry & Kling was the invisible force that brought it all together” during the Fifth Summit of the Americas.  She noted that the cruise event specialists provided close to 3,000 rooms for attendees and a venue for pre-Summit events and planning sessions ranging from 400 to over 1,000 people for various parallel events including a live simulcast onboard the vessels for the opening ceremony followed by receptions onboard.

About Landry & Kling

Landry & Kling, cruise event specialists and pioneers of the meetings-at-sea concept, provide turnkey solutions for the planning and implementation of global meetings and events-at-sea.  Throughout its 27-year history of creating and delivering highly personalized, results-driven and unforgettable cruise events, Landry & Kling’s services and expertise has been in incentive travel, ship buy-outs, multiple dockside ship charters for global events and other on-board corporate functions, from site selection and ship sourcing, to contract negotiations and custom cruise planning.

In April 2009, Landry & Kling co-founders Jo Kling and Joyce Landry were inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame, recognizing their significant contributions and innovations in the cruise industry.  The company, which is based in Miami, the Cruise Capital of the World, is certified as a diversity supplier by WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) and was been named among the Top Small Businesses in the United States by DiversityBusiness.com.

In an unprecedented move that will revolutionize the cruise industry, this fall Landry & Kling will debut Seasite.com, the only online cruise platform for meeting and event planners.  (www.seasite.com)

For more information on Landry & Kling, visit www.landrykling.com or call 800-448-9002.

Planning corporate events can be quite tasking, however if the venue is something as beautiful and charming as the region of the Bahamas, the effort is worth taking. An eternal favorite with business visitors and event planners, the Bahamas is a splendid business destination offering a wide array of delightful facilities and experiences.

Business can truly become a pleasure in the Bahamas. There are three main areas that you could explore for your business visit- the Grand Bahama Island, the Out Islands, and Nassau.

The beautiful Grand Bahama Island

Three things define the Grand Bahama Island- superb golf facilities, vibrant casinos, and cosmopolitan shopping. So whether you are a sports buff, shopaholic, or simply love to try your luck with gambling, this island has all that it takes to offer a splendid business vacation. Continue reading »

If you are looking for a top-notch group travel choice that is both easy and affordable, look no farther than the As in your phone book–Aruba. Prized for the accommodations, food, nightlife, and local customs, there is another reason seasoned meeting professionals keep coming back to Aruba for their incentive travel needs. The tiny island paradise is so friendly that the hotels and other businesses help each other help the visitor. If one hotel can’t help you make arrangements, they will send you to someone who can, even if it is a competitor.

This makes Aruba the perfect choice not only for incentive groups, but also for meetings, conventions, continuing education conferences, and many other groups that meeting planners encounter in their daily lives. Here are some other advantages to booking events in Aruba.

Accessibility. Aruba is located in the Caribbean, so it’s a short flight from the southeast United States airports. Aruba is also a popular port of call for cruise lines, so if you are considering a cruise meeting, you could include a stop in Aruba as part of the plans. Continue reading »