With properties scattered all throughout Mexico, including a strong presence in the most popular tourist areas, it comes as no surprise that Grupo Posadas is the largest hotel group in Mexico, and now the company is expanding within its home country and beyond.
Eight hotel brands fall under the Grupo Posadas umbrella. Some of the most well-known brands include Fiesta Americana, The Explorean, and Live Aqua. This Mexican family-run business has been in operation for several decades so what does Enrique Calderon, COO of Grupo Posadas, credit for this success? A large part he says is due to experience—not only in the caliber of people working at every level of the company, but also in the experience delivered to guests.
“We have the experience. We know how to do business in Mexico. We know the best of Mexico, and we know how to create a true Mexican experience,” Calderon says.
Staying true to its Mexican roots, Grupo Posadas continues to expand throughout the country. Travelers can look forward to the new Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende officially opening tomorrow, Nov. 1, 2018, while the company is also currently developing a Fiesta Americana in Playa Marena and a Live Aqua in Playa Mujeres, plus a Fiesta Americana and a Live Aqua in Puerto Vallarta. Grupo Posadas is also in final discussions to build a Live Aqua in Los Cabos. The hotel group’s biggest project, however, is the construction of Tulkal, a resort complex that will feature the Live Aqua Beach Resort Riviera Maya, and the Tulkal & Fiesta Americana Riviera Maya, plus a new resort brand launching soon.
According to Calderon, these expansions and renovations stem from the fact that tourism numbers continue to rise in Mexico, and that Grupo Posadas brands continue to be competitive in the market of an ever-expanding hotel landscape. This year has seen a 12 percent increase in North American travelers. When asked what he believes has led to this increase in visitors and developments in Mexico, Calderon points to its close proximity to the U.S., increasing global connectivity, the gastronomy and kindness of the Mexican people, plus a high value for visitors’ money.
Expanding Outside of Mexico
But Grupo Posadas has its eyes set on more than just Mexico. The company is currently in the process of expanding its hotel brands to several countries in the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic, a Fiesta Americana is under construction in Punta Cana, while Live Aquas are being built in Bavaro and Santo Domingo. In Cuba, a Fiesta Americana with 400 guestrooms and ample meeting space is projected to open in approximately two years as is another Fiesta Americana in Cayo Santa Maria. On Nov. 1, 2018, Cuba will welcome the official openings of Fiesta Americana properties in Varadero and Holguin.
Calderon assures travelers that these properties outside of Mexico will infuse local culture in the same way that Mexican culture plays a major role in the properties located there. Grupo Posadas has been collaborating with a team in Cuba to make sure that the properties will be a “mixture of the things you love about Mexico with the things you’ll be discovering in Cuba,” Calderon says. “And that’s what we’re looking for in the Dominican Republic as well.”
Grupo Posadas currently encompasses 4,000 guestrooms, but with the expansions in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, and possibly other locations, the hotel group is expected to have 10,000 rooms by 2020.
Advice for Advisors
“The first thing you have to sell is the destination, and then the hotel according to the experience your client is looking for,” says Calderon when asked what advice he has for travel advisors. And Grupo Posadas provides the resources that travel advisors need to do just that, including destination fact sheets and webinars.
In addition, Grupo Posadas shows its appreciation for advisors through a program that rewards them with bonus incentives given at the time of booking instead of leaving advisors to wait until their clients have traveled.
“[Travel advisors] are very loyal to us, and we are very loyal to them,” Calderon says.