Archive for November, 2008

Occidental Hotels & Offers Hassle-Free Weddings and Honeymoons at All-Inclusive Resorts in Mexico, Aruba, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic

Destination weddings have increased 400 percent in the past decade.* Occidental Hotels & Resorts is calling all brides to bring the dress and leave the stress with a variety of hassle-free, all-inclusive wedding and honeymoon options at its resorts throughout Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba and the Dominican Republic.

Couples simply visit www.occidentalweddings.com to reserve their wedding date and location, and an on-site wedding coordinator at the resort of choice will contact them within two business days to create a celebration that fits their style, and budget. Whether it’s a private vow renewal on the beach for 10 or an elaborate affair for 200, the coordinator can help choose the perfect setting within the resort, from an authentic Mayan ruin to a wedding gazebo with a stunning 360° view of the Caribbean Sea.

In addition, an online “save-the-date” tool provides a cost-effective and eco-friendly way for the future Mr. and Mrs. to send personalized invitations to guests, and for guests to reserve and pay for their rooms, saving the happy couple from the task. And, since all Occidental Hotels & Resorts are all-inclusive, a plethora of dining options, daily and nightly activities are available to guests throughout their stay, and there are no surprises on the bill at check out.

Amid the romance, wedding parties and newlyweds can also find adventure and immerse themselves in local culture. In Mexico, explore the nearby temples at Chichen Itza, walk to mystical underground rivers in Xcaret, and take in the incredible cliff-top Caribbean views from Xel-Ha and Tulum. Enjoy the hospitality of Costa Rica’s Ticos, the friendly people of the region, go horseback riding in Aruba, or experience the diverse combination of Spanish, French and Caribbean cultures in the Dominican Republic.

Occidental Hotels & Resorts Weddings

Wedding packages include the essential cake, champagne, judge, documents, décor, flowers and one complimentary breakfast in bed. In addition, couples can customize their wedding depending on the resort:

Allegro Wedding Fiesta! – Starting at $1,400
Allegro weddings, available at Allegro resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, provide brides and grooms with the best value for their wedding budget. Planning is simple, affordable and fun with basic, premium and vow-renewal options.

Occidental Grandest Moments Weddings – Starting at $1,800
Occidental Grand weddings, available at Occidental Grand resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba and the Dominican Republic, offer basic, premium and vow-renewal options. Free weddings are also available to parties booking a minimum of 10 rooms for four nights in the resort’s Royal Club accommodations.

Royal Hideaway Playacar Infinite Bliss Weddings – Starting at $2,400
Royal Hideaway Playacar in Mexico, the first adults-only**, all-inclusive resort to receive the AAA Five-Diamond Award, delivers a beautiful, personalized and thoughtfully planned day of wedding-bell bliss. The acclaimed resort hosts just one wedding per day and features six restaurants and a staff-to-guestroom ratio of 2.2 to 1.

Occidental Hotels & Resorts Honeymoons

Newlyweds staying a minimum of three nights at any Occidental Hotels & Resorts property can take advantage of a complimentary honeymoon package, which varies by resort, featuring a variety of amenities including room upgrades, resort discounts, congratulatory in-room items, continental breakfast in bed and more.

Couples looking to enjoy a more indulgent honeymoon experience can upgrade to a premium honeymoon at any Occidental Hotels & Resorts property starting from just $250 per couple, including the complimentary honeymoon package amenities plus exclusive experiences such as couples massages, a candlelit dinner for two on the beach or in-room, and more.

All Occidental vacations include unlimited meals and snacks, free-flowing drinks, juices and soft drinks, daily activities throughout the resort, non-motorized water sports, land sports, beginner’s scuba clinics, daily entertainment and activities, nightly shows and live entertainment supervised Kids Club (Allegro only) and all taxes and gratuities.

For more information or to book an Occidental Hotels & Resorts wedding or honeymoon, call 800-858-2258 or visit www.occidentalweddings.com

A new travel agent Web site for the Radisson Resort in Aruba has gone live according to Director of Leisure Sales Denis Herron. A “go to” resource tailored to support their business and sales of the beachfront property, agents can access the site at www.radissoncaribbean.com/traveltrade. The Web site is the newest tool to enhance and support the relationship between travel agents and Radisson’s owned and managed resorts in the Caribbean.

Once having accessed the trade-exclusive site, agents can contact the sales team, order a supply of brochures, subscribe to the quarterly e-Newsletter, view travel agent rates, download photography, look up their leisure sales representative and learn about LookToBook® – Carlson Hotels Worldwide agent reward program.

“Travel agents are an important partner in the success of Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa and Radisson St Martin Resort, Marina & Spa (opening December 2008) and have always been very supportive of our products,” explains Herron. “We wanted to create something specifically to make their jobs easier and help them know our properties better.”

For information and reservations, call Radisson Hotels & Resorts (800) 333-3333 or visit www.radissoncaribbean.com.