In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Patricia Pérez, Country Sales Manager of PHG Dominican Republic.
What is the experience like for Palladium Hotel Group to participate in such an important event like this?
For us, it is a platform through which we can present our products to all those people who come looking for venues in the Dominican Republic, especially in Santo Domingo, for their events, conventions and incentive trips.
In the Dominican Republic we have six properties, among them we have all-inclusive hotels that are located in the eastern part of the country and we have one here in the city of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Fiesta Hotel, which has the largest convention center in the entire city and where we can host up to 3,000 people, with the largest room with a capacity of up to 1,200. This is why we can have larger capacity events that require different set-ups simultaneously, that is, we are quite flexible in this regard.
And in Punta Cana we have a hotel complex with approximately 2,000 rooms and we also have a convention center for 500 people. We also have a very interesting property in the Cap Cana area, the TRS Cap Cana with 115 rooms, a boutique hotel that can perfectly work for any corporate incentive trip, or for a group that is going to practice any sporting discipline, because we have facilities very close to the property. There we have a small room that can accommodate up to 100 people.
Today we are very happy with all the meetings we have had, because they have been very productive, with many businesses looking towards 2025-2026.
What source markets are strategic for you here in the Dominican Republic?
By nature, in the Dominican Republic the largest volume comes from North America, that is, we have many clients from the United States and Canada. That is historically the largest volume of clients we receive. However, we are receiving many visitors, especially in Punta Cana, from Latin America and even the local market in the Dominican Republic that is using our facilities to hold religious, sporting, corporate events, medical congresses or talks. There is everything and Palladium has been working for a long time, the idea is to continue strengthening it.
In fact, we are creating new strategies to be able to highlight this type of business a little more in the brand, and of course, to work with all types of clients; those who come for enjoyment, but also those who come for business.
Because of proximity, they can offer multiple experiences, right?
At this fair we have realized that people are very interested in this dynamic. For us it is surprising because we see the interest of the client who wants to be in Santo Domingo to have a more specific look at the event that is going to take place, so that people concentrate more and do not get distracted, and after the event, focus on Leisure, where participants can enjoy the beach.
All the appointments we have had come with this idea of combining experiences, and since we have all the products we can combine them within the brand perfectly.
How are you doing in relation to demand?
When there are very large events, they are usually planned ahead of time. However, we have had cases in all the properties where we do everything possible to accommodate them in the most appropriate way. In fact, in Punta Cana we had some groups that required rooms with two beds necessarily in a property where we did not have the inventory. At Palladium we now have a format where we can create a bed on the sofa bed and thus the guest can have two identical beds but using the sofa, providing the same comfort.
We have been looking for alternatives so that this client who comes to carry out his events and incentive trips can have these facilities with us. We are always open to the fact that if we have the availability, whether short, long or medium term, they can count on us because we are always in the best position to support them.