[ON LOCATION] LAUREL HERMAN
Located within the Mayan rainforest on the Riveria Maya, the trio of oceanfacing resorts in the Grupo Xcaret Meetings and Events portfolio—Hotel Xcaret Arte, Hotel Xcaret Mexico and La Casa de la Playa—are something to behold, spilling over with creativity and beauty. Each of these “all-fun inclusive”—the group’s overarching concept—resort provides a plethora of meetings spaces, culinary experiences, teambuilding adventures and networking opportunities. Plus, groups booking any of the properties get complimentary entrance and transportation to Grupo Xcaret’s eclectic theme and water parks as well as complimentary transportation to/from the Cancun International Airport.
Prevue recently stayed at one of the Grupo Xcaret resorts—the Hotel Xcaret Arte—and we were wowed by its luxurious but relaxed and nature-infused vibe. The property features six different “casas” (houses or buildings) that will foster memorable artistic experiences for groups.
“With our fun-all-inclusive concept, we cater to many incentive groups from the U.S.,” says Manuel Saracho, Director of Group Sales & Convention, Grupo Xcaret. “In fact, 70 percent of our business is incentive groups. We also have groups booking meetings from the U.S. but [tend to have] more incentives,” he notes. He points out that among the three properties, “Hotel Xcaret Arte and La Casa de la Playa are adults only; however, all three are luxury, five-diamond properties.” He further adds, “When our large incentive groups come to Arte, many times we place the CEOs and executives at the ultra-luxury La Casa de la Playa property. Buyouts are common from the U.S. For instance, this summer we have a complete buyout of Arte’s 900 rooms plus another 700 at Hotel Xcaret Mexico. If a group does not buy out either hotel, we can provide up to 50 percent of the rooms.”
This 900-room, adults-only property is infused with nature and 100 percent of the artisan pieces found throughout the property are created by Mexican artists. Everywhere we turned there were sculptures and art pieces, including in our accommodation, which featured a balcony and hammock overlooking the ocean. The property has two convention center areas, which can accommodate groups of various sizes. For instance, the Diego Convention Center has 26,199 sf with five breakout rooms and the Frida Convention Center offers another 11,528 sf with three breakout rooms. There are many other places in this stunningly beautiful hotel to gather for cocktail and dining receptions including terraces and beachside. In fact, the property has a total of 38 indoor/outdoor spaces. Additionally, there are 10 restaurants and bars including Arenal, which we dined at and enjoyed Mexican comfort cuisine. The different “casas” of the resort pay homage to varied art mediums: textiles; music/dance; painting; pottery; literature. Each of these artistic expressions allow for groups to experience workshops in these areas to inspire creativity. And for groups looking for wellness, the resort features Muluk Spa as well as access to beachside kayaks and paddleboards.
This boutique ultra-luxe, adults-only hotel and spa has all 63 accommodations facing the ocean, each with butler service. The culinary options here include the Tuch de Luna restaurant helmed by Celebrity Chef Martha Ortiz. There is also a 24-hour tequila bar, Chocolateria, wine room (Bodega) and room service. Groups staying here have the privilege to dine at any of the restaurants at Hotel Xcaret Arte and Hotel Xcaret Mexico in addition to another on-premises restaurant called Estero, helmed by another sought after chef, Virgilio Martinez. We found this property perfect for an incentive group buyout or for a corporate retreat. It also has two spaces for meetings. Here, too, groups will find Xcaret Xailing, with luxury yachts and three catamarans (part of the “all-fun inclusive” concept), holding up to 100 persons for sunset sails with cocktails and music. Luxe transport to/from the other properties and theme parks included.
This 900-room property offers a convention center with almost 13,000 sf of dividable space plus 11 restaurants that have private dining rooms for smaller groups. We experienced the hotel’s one-Michelin-starred HA’ restaurant, helmed by Chef Carlos Gaytan, the first Mexican-born chef to earn a Michelin star. Here we indulged in a 9-course tasting menu that was paired with excellent wines, many from Mexico; each course, from shrimp to filet mignon, was exquisitely and creatively served.
“We have the best chefs in Mexico, with two of our restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred chefs—Encanto by Paco Mendez at Hotel Xcaret Arte and HA’,” says Saracho. “And our executive chefs work with meeting groups to create a buffet dinner that allows them to experience many of our restaurants in one place and through the banquet menu.”
During our visit, our group experienced three of Grupo Xcaret’s unique parks (there are seven). At Xoximilco Cancun, groups board a trajinera dinner boat and float along a series of canals all the while dining on food from throughout Mexico and listening to a fantastic array of live traditional music from throughout the country (approximately 28 persons per vessel).
At Xplor, the infrastructure allows groups to have curated teambuilding activities such as ziplining, water slides and rally courses. There are caves for private events as well. At Xcaret Park, there are CSR and educational activities with the park animals and a number of meeting venues. For small groups of 20, the park offers an amazing culinary experience in a wine cellar serving Mexican wines paired with a 5-course tasting menu.
Fall of 2025 will see the completion of doubling in size of Hotel Xcaret Mexico’s expansion with another 900 rooms, and a new convention center with a ballroom/breakout room totaling another 37,000 sf of meeting space. There will also be additional dining outlets. Also planned is the expansion of Hotel Xcaret Arte for another 800 rooms and 50,000 sf of convention space. Timeline for Arte’s expansion completion would be five to six years and construction will not be started until Hotel Xcaret Mexico is completed. Planners will then have 3,500 rooms between the two resorts.
xcaret.com