Corporate Travel Destinations

In a recent blog article posted by Cvent entitled, Caribbean Incentive Travel: Summer Travel Benefits, the top 10 reasons why the Caribbean is a great destination for summer incentive travel are outlined.  While all those are valid reasons, I thought it would be interesting to raise the idea a notch by providing the top 10 benefits to CRUISING the Caribbean for Summer Incentive Travel.

So, here goes:

1.     Lower Cruise Fares – Many cruise lines offer summer deals and specials.
2.    Ability to Visit Different Islands – Why stay put in one resort when you have the whole Caribbean to explore?
3.    No Need to Unpack Several Times – Do it once and you’re free to enjoy the rest of your trip as you island hop.
4.    Activities to Suit All Ages – Whether its the adrenaline rush of the exciting Zip Line ride, surfing the day away on a Surf Simulator or brushing up on your golf skills, there’s something for level of desired activity for any age (also included in the fare!!).  Kid’s Clubs allow for some parental downtime and a variety of spa services are also available on board (spa services are separate).
5.    Meeting Facilities and Event Venues are FREE to Reserve – While resort hotels may discount them during the summer months, on a cruise ship they’re always FREE!
6.    Variety of Dining Options – With multiple restaurants to choose from included in the fare (and some additional exclusive options available for a nominal charge), you’ll never be bored at meal time.
7.    Beat the Summer Heat- What better way to get away from the city heat than to sit back and enjoy the tropical breezes and breath-taking beauty of the Caribbean.
8.    Air Travel More Affordable and Convenient to US Ports – Many airlines have frequent and reasonable flights to cities such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale where cruise ships board, rather than paying a premium to fly directly to an island and having limited flight options.
9.    Expansive Selection of Entertainment Choices – Enjoy a Broadway-class show, dance the night away in one of the many lounges and clubs or partake in deck-side festivities, there’s always something exciting to do on board and once again, included in the fare!!!!

And the last and probably most AMAZING…

10.    Fabulous Sunsets from the Middle of the Ocean-  Truly a sight to behold as you stand on deck and marvel at nature’s wonder while the skies are painted in hues of pinks and oranges.  It’s a view that simply can’t compare to land-locked sunsets.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is one of the most popular travel destinations in the South. With world-class golf courses, beautiful beaches, resort hotels, fabulous shopping, exquisite dining options and a plethora of entertainment, visitors to Myrtle Beach are never at a loss for how to spend their time, which means that your event attendees will have plenty of options for evenings and free days while attending your corporate meeting or event.

As for meeting space, Myrtle Beach is home to several hotels that can accommodate small- to mid-size groups, as well as the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, which offers 250,000 square feet of customizable space to meet your needs. Part of this space includes a 100,800-square-foot exhibition hall that has no columns and can be divided into three separate spaces. All meeting spaces are equipped with high-speed, wireless Internet access, and the exhibition hall has water, cable and electricity available throughout. The Convention Center also has a banquet kitchen that is able to cater full-meal events with up to 5,000 in attendance, 1,400 parking spaces, and 402 guest rooms in the newly opened Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel on the same property.

Located just three miles from the Myrtle Beach International Airport and walking distance to dining, shopping and entertainment, the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is as convenient for your participants as it is for you as a planner.

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.

Las Vegas hotels sometimes offer some great deals for corporate meeting planners, but just a short drive away in Henderson, Nevada you might be able to save even more by taking advantage of competitive corporate travel packages offered by Henderson hotels. Henderson hoteliers know that they are competing with the big boys on The Strip, and are often willing to go the extra mile in offering extra niceties or negotiating stellar deals on hotel rooms, meeting spaces, rental items for events and meals.

Henderson is just minutes away from the offerings of Las Vegas, which allows your attendees to easily drive or take public transportation to enjoy gambling, buffets, fine dining, world-class shopping and Vegas shows. If you are including a show or event in Las Vegas in your corporate travel planning, an affordable, convenient bus charter will deliver your attendees to the event and back to the Henderson hotel and, even with this small additional expense, you will still see overall savings from opting for this Vegas suburb, instead of one of the main resort hotels on The Strip. You could also use some of the money you save to provide additional entertainment options, such as a chartered bus to Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Mount Charleston or the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

An all-inclusive incentive travel deal can save you money, and that’s good news for corporations! If you are looking to motivate your staff by sending them on an incentive travel trip, all-inclusive bargains make a lot of sense.

For one, these all-inclusive bargains save you a lot of money as everything is included in a single package. By ‘everything’ we mean, stay, food, amusement, additional facilities and activities as well as outdoor sight visits. Some all-inclusive resort hotels also provide additional benefits for example flight bookings and airport transfers. Each item is neatly delivered on a platter and there are no surprises when the bill comes. Continue reading »