In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Evelyn Carrasco, Group Sales & Planning Manager of Meliá for the Dominican Republic.
What can you say about Meliá's participation in this important event?
In Punta Cana, the resort has five properties. Paradisus Palma Real, which is our luxury brand, will be hosting the post-tour of this important event. We have 22 participants from the associations that are coming to this event, who will be with us on Saturday and Sunday enjoying the wonders that we have in Punta Cana on our white sand beaches, and, at the same time, they will be seeing first-hand our convention center, which is one of the largest in the area, with a maximum capacity of 1,500 people for cocktail party.
In addition to the Hotel Paradisus Palma Real, we have four additional properties, which are family-friendly and under the Paradisus brand. We have Paradisos GranD Cana, and in addition to this we have the Meliá brand, in which we have two hotels, one family-friendly, the Meliá Caribe Beach, one of the most popular because it has a water park for the whole family, and then the Meliá Punta Cana Beach, which is the all-inclusive wellness resort, a pioneer in this concept that we have been developing gradually.
We are currently the first hotel in Punta Cana and in the Caribbean region dedicated to wellness.
What assessment can you share regarding the results of this season and what are your forecasts for the future?
This season in September in the Caribbean is traditionally the one with the lowest occupancy, but we have had a last-minute business trend, which has favored us quite a bit. We are prepared for any business that comes to us at the last minute. Latin America is a market that prepares itself with little advance notice, which is an advantage for business and we are ready to receive them. At the same time, 2025 is also shaping up to be very positive.
We are already quite busy with the high season from January to May, with our conference rooms full of activities, and we are focusing on finishing this season and starting the next year with everything.
What are the most important source markets for the hotels you manage?
Our number one source market is definitely the US, which generates 80% of our occupancy at the resort level. This is followed by Latin America, and finally we have Europe and the rest of the world, which is still recovering with travel for congresses and conventions.
The United States is fully with us and in Latin America lately the Mexican market and Brazil are the ones that are consuming the most from us.
How does Meliá work to offer a superior offering for the MICE segment?
We have a team designated for this type of business, a complete team, starting with us, who are the sales department, where we have packages for groups, including additional concessions within the group rate, which are lounges, coffee breaks, private events, and a number of additions based on the characteristics of the group. All of this makes us stand out from the competition.
We also have a conference room, one of the largest in Bávaro, with 12 sections. We also have breakouts and a room that can accommodate 1,500 people. In addition, we have a group and convention team at the operational level, which is responsible for making what we sell a reality, where the logistics and planning of the group are carried out live and direct until the client arrives at the hotel.