Kempinski Hotel Cancún had favorable participation in Global Mice Forum 2023

In this context, Travel2latam had the pleasure of chatting with Rodrigo Formoso, Director of Sales and Marketing at Kempinski Hotel Cancún.

How has the property construction project been and what objectives does it have?

Indeed, the hotel has been operating for 30 years and has always been characterized by expressing the finest service and facilities when it was still with the previous brand with the five diamond category and we also have two five diamond restaurants, so this new change has made the hotel has been redesigned, the spaces have been renovated, there has been a lot of updating of colors that reflect the luxury and serenity that characterizes the brand, which is the oldest luxury hotel company in the world founded in 1897. In addition, we have just celebrate the 125th anniversary at the hotel, and also as part of the construction and the facilities we offer we have elevated the facilities and many details for the satisfaction of our guests, for example the amenities in the rooms and bathrooms.

Our goal as a construction and as an establishment is to provide the best location for our guests, whether they come for a group event, conference, convention or come on vacation. The hotel is a beachfront hotel with facilities in which the rooms have a wonderful sea view with a balcony terrace so that you can enjoy your experience, whether for work or pleasure in very luxurious facilities and lots of subtle European elegance. Furthermore, for the MICE segment specifically, I describe the hotel as a perfect beachfront hotel, with adequate facilities for groups and corporate conferences.

What is the most important segment for the hotel?

The individual segment is of great relevance as well as the group segment. The group has many benefits for the hotel in the sense that when there is an event or a conference it attracts its needs, its previously organized programs, such as breakfasts, meeting rooms on the beach or within the facilities. The individual segment is also very strong, many of our clients and travelers who come to visit us like the serenity, enjoying the sea of ​​Cancun.

For the MICE segment, we have indoor areas such as banquet halls of up to 11,000 square feet and also many terraces and areas to organize outdoor events. Now for the individual segment, we have two swimming pools in the hotel, which means that there is always an atmosphere of tranquility; We have facilities such as the spa, the gym, we offer yoga classes, tennis courts, we also have an executive floor that is like a hotel within the hotel, which is an area with a much more personalized service by our collaborators, who book in this category are those who like privacy and being in a completely pleasant environment with a super personalized service.

What are the predominant markets for the hotel?

The strongest market for the hotel and which also applies to the destination is the United States, and then on the list is Mexico, which is very good at the national market level both for MICE and for individuals, but the United States is definitely the most important and the most relevant for Cancun due to its proximity, its ease and the variety and quantity of air availability to the destination. We have many flights from all over the world and as a secondary market there are mainly European countries such as England, Germany and France, which are emerging markets. 

How do you work on the hotel offer?

It is really a different product from the traditional product offered in Cancun, we are a luxury hotel in a European style, with super sophisticated and beautiful facilities. We have the flexibility and we offer the European plan concept, but we also have meal plans to be able to be competitive in that area. At the hotel we have a very special feature called Lady in red or Gentleman in red, which in Spanish is The lady in red or The gentleman in red, and it is a personalized service of ladies and gentlemen who are strategically located located in the lobby with a red changing room and this team of people has contact with our clients before arriving at the hotel to be able to assist them with anything they need, be it restaurant reservations, 

We know that there are many hotels in Cancun, but what makes the difference is the service of our hotel, due to the age we have in the property. We also have training programs, whether virtual or in-person, in which we are constantly improving processes and reinforcing luxury service and attention to detail for our clients. Another thing that differentiates us and that is very important is that we are the only hotel in Mexico that has two 5-diamond quality restaurants from Triple A; Five diamonds is the highest ranking for a luxury hotel dinner. And above all, the hotel is in an area with a really very favorable beach location that has a relaxing atmosphere away from the typical hustle and bustle of hotels.

I would also like to comment that the hotel restaurants are available to any client who is staying at another hotel in the destination, since they can make their reservation and have the pleasure of coming to have an experience in any of our restaurants, whether they are the 5 diamonds or any other. We have one on the beach called Casitas and we are the only hotel that has a restaurant on the beach at night just for dinner. 

What is the work at the alliance and promotion level that you are doing?

We have strategic alliances with commercial partners in the most relevant markets for the hotel, and strategic alliances for the generation of MICE groups. We also work linearly and have a commercial structure very focused on promoting the hotel especially in the most important markets, we have marketing initiatives, we do a lot of virtual training, we have a very important public relations plan and strategy sharing the Hotel's message under the new name of Kempinski Hotel Cancún. Our communications through the public relations agency are very clearly focused on how clients who like to come to the hotel or anyone who looks for us can find us. We also have a very robust special program on social networks in which content is always developed for the dates of the celebrations, such as the Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving Day or for December and New Year's Eve. So we develop a lot of content to generate interest for clients to come with us, for example, for December any client who books a suite at the hotel is offered the option to decorate the suite with a Christmas tree, so they can continue the celebrations they hold at home with their family when they come on vacation and continue enjoying.

For the remainder of the year and for 2024, do you already have planned activities to carry out?

Yes, the MICE segment is really waking up very quickly and at a very high magnitude, so we are very happy that even for the year we are still closing contracts, for example, we are closing with a women's tennis congress with the Women's Tennis Association World Cup, where the 12 professional players from all over the world will come to stay at our hotel, and we are closing the year very satisfied, but above all next year is the one in which the indicators really show us that we are returning to the historical levels of congresses and events, including weddings. For next year we are really very happy that the group segment that is being reactivated after the individual segment that was reactivated in the previous two years, is already performing with great commercial performance.