Cancun - Meetings Collaborative - By and for Meeting Professionals

Cancun Palace: Above average all-inclusive experience

w2i — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:32:43 +0100

Room quality, food / beverage and service are all at a higher level than what you might expect at a typical all-inclusive property. I have one group that keeps returning because they enjoy the friendly staff.

JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa: Superior experience

w2i — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:25:00 +0100

Everything was fantastic. This property has an amazing staff and provides a superior experience for the guest. I love bringing groups here.

AQUA Cancun: Fantastic Property. Excellent Employees

BCBHOUSTON — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:42:45 +0100

This hotel is just amazing! Everything about it would rank among the best of the best - especially the staff. Our meeting was a last minute training meeting and the hotel was just great to work with.

The pools and beach area are just spectacular!

AQUA Cancun: Spectacular!

lnorfolk — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:29:07 +0100

This hotel is absolutely beautiful. When you walk into the lobby the first thing you notice are all the water elements and the signature scent (eucalyptus and mint) of the hotel. Every staff person is courteous and helpful - your every need is either anticipated or taken care of. Each area of the hotel is very well-maintained and spotless. The spa is the best spa that I have ever been to. The hotel is also within walking distance to two very nice shopping malls and numerous restaurants. You won't however want to leave the hotel given all that it offers - numerous restaurants and bars, a spa, 8 pools, etc.

Hyatt Regency Cancun: Disappointing for a meeting

tyrah — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:27:05 +0100

I stayed here and attended a meeting at the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach (across the street) and the Cancun Convention Center. I was very disappointed in my experience at the Hyatt.

The hotel is decorated in what I would call a minimalist style, which didn't bother me because it was open and uncluttered. A very different feel than the Fiesta Americana, but okay.

I had terrible experiences in the food outlets. Food quality was poor and service was spotty. At lunch, my servers brought my food and then apparently went off shift because they never returned. When I finally went to the hostess desk and tried to get my bill from another restaurant server, they asked me if I had eaten there and it took them three tries to get my order right.

Wireless in the room didn't work properly and I was told by the front desk clerks that "It works better in the lobby." I finally got someone to take an IT person up to my room on the 2nd day and they managed to fix the problem.

Many of the service staff were friendly, but overall, it was a poor experience at best and certainly not up to par for a major association meeting.

Fiesta Americana Grand (Grande) Coral Beach Cancun: Very nice hotel

tyrah — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:16:57 +0100

This was the second time I've been to this hotel for a meeting. It is a lovely hotel with fabulous service. The food--both catered and in the restaurants--was good, but it was the service that really made the meals.

The hotel is convenient to the convention center, though you have to cross streets with dangerous traffic to get there.

There is a steep entrance from street to hotel which could make the hotel a tough location for persons with disabilities.

Fiesta Americana Grand (Grande) Coral Beach Cancun: Generally excellent service .. and ...

JoanEisenstodt — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:57:44 +0100

My first time in Mexico and I was only partially prepared for the humidity - inside!
Airport: it was easy to gain entry and the wait for baggage was non-existent - much better than any airports in the States. Many greeters to get you to use their transportation services. Were it my meeting, I'd explain that to participants and let them know what to do. Fortunately the group for which I was conducting training had designated vans and buses. [ivi Destination Management took care of the transport to and from the hotels and during the first 2 days to and from the convention center. They were superb. If you decide to work with them - www.ivicancun.com or www.ividmcquest.com, I recommend you ask to work with Alejandro Solis. The co. is a PRA partner.]
The Hotel: Lovely - truly. I didn't realize that hotels in Cancun (all of Mexico?) are non-smoking - a very pleasant surprise. The lobby is beautiful with fresh flowers and exquisite sculptures .. and a view to the Gulf. [The water really is the color seen on postcards and in brochures.] The lobby and public areas have wonderful and comfortable seating - nice for gatherings.

Check in was simple; the bell person brought my bags to my room w/o difficulty.
I was in a suite - which is sort of two 'levels' - a lower area (2 steps down) is the small parlor w/ a desk and 2 chairs, w/ a small walk-out balcony overlooking the pool and Gulf.
The room was relatively comfortable but damp. Always damp no matter what level of air I had on. You know - that sticky feeling? The floors are all marble and thus noise from above when someone moved the desk or chair was not too quiet.
My pet peeve existed: very few outlets. It was tough to get all things plugged in and tough to find a place to iron.
WiFi in the rooms is $20USD/day. It worked well.
Meeting space: some of the meetings took place here and some at the Center. If you have anyone in your group w/ even a slight difficulty walking or with mobility, this is not a great combination. It is a hike to the Center - and there are steps involved. In the Hotel, there were steps to one level unless one was willing to use a service elevator - and I did use it. Not horrible .. and it gave me a chance to see the back of the house which was clean and people were pleasant.
Food: There is a charming little bistro in the hotel that has an interesting menu: some Japanese food (excellent tuna sashimi) and sandwiches, pizza and salads. The prices are reasonable [explain that $130 does not mean $130USD!] and the service was quite good. It was quiet and pleasant. Frustrating that the two better restaurants didn't open until 6:30 p.m. - for an East Coaster, after travel, it would have been nice to have an early dinner.
Room service was excellent and had some lovely touches: a candle and two little pastries w/ my dinner.
Banquet food was mixed - beautifully presented even on a buffet - but breakfast one morning was not hot. I do think it was the group's fault for starting late. So that said, they do a beautiful job w/ F&B.
Meeting space was ok - very meeting room-like! That is, I was not in any meeting rooms w/ windows. I understand why they want the views for public space and guest rooms and restaurants. BUT education would be better w/ windows.
There is a sundry shop that was well-equipped but one cannot charge to one's room. There are other shops as well with jewelry and art.

Altho' I only gave this a '3' for recommendations, I think the right group would love this .. if they loved hot, humid weather, didn't spend much time in their rooms, and no one had any difficulty with mobility. The staff have all been helpful and friendly. My lack of Spanish embarrassed me but did not phase anyone with whom I interacted in the Hotel or the Center.

I have not yet gotten used to using pesos and have found people glad to have American dollars.
I did find the Center a disappointment - I expected it to have art and altho' some of the meeting rooms had windows, all the windows were covered. It needs something to make it beautiful.

Fiesta Americana Grand (Grande) Coral Beach Cancun: Fiesta Americana Grande Coral Beach

jwane — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:48:37 +0100

5/29/2008

Fiesta Americana Grand (Grande) Coral Beach Cancun: Fiesta Americana Grande Coral Beach

congressmaker — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:57:26 +0100

5/28/2008 There was nothing but positive feedback from all the attendees - most said it was the best convention they had been to. Several commented that the staff anticipated their needs even before they knew they had any needs! Everyone I worked with at the hotel was very professional and accommodating.