“It’s not just a matter of having a spa, but of having the finest spa,” says Jose Villela, president of International Group Sales, Flower Mound, Texas. The meeting executive, a native of Mexico, has seen a spa boom at top Mexico resorts over the past eight years that has resulted in today’s world-class spas at many properties throughout the country. The increase in the number of spas reflects a rise in the demand for spa services.
On the Riviera Maya, Sandra Beltran, vice president of sales and marketing of Prohotel International, the management company for Esencia on Playa Xpu-Ha, 46 miles south of Cancún, notes a 30 percent increase in the demand for spa services by incentive groups over the past two years.
And at Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, “about 90 percent of our groups request spa services,” says Margarita Guitron, director of sales and marketing. Guitron sees groups incorporating the spa into their programs in a variety of ways. “Grand Velas offers mini massages for the attendees when they’re checking in, so they have the spa experience from the minute they arrive at the resort. What we do is set up a spa station in the private group check-in area so that guests can have a mini massage on shiatsu chairs.
One of the most unique spa services available from some Mexico spas is the Temazcal, or Mayan sweat lodge. According to Esencia’s Beltran, “We have had groups that want to do a spa experience together, such as the Temazcal. This helps the group bond as they stimulate and cleanse their senses. One particular group chose to partake in this in the early evening after their meetings.”
Other spas incorporate Eastern treatments into spa offerings. The 7,000-square-foot Saltwater Spa at Casa Dorada Los Cabos, Resort & Spa, for example, features services such as a saltwater ritual. Victor Gomez, general manager of the popular incentive property, notes, “It is not unheard of for meeting planners to base the final selection of a particular hotel on the fact that a spa is available on the premises.” Golf at Meliá Puerto Vallarta.
