Tianguis Turistico Shows Off Quintana Roo

Cancun’s Nizuc Resort & Spa has several ultraluxury amenities for guests, such as multiple pools.

Cancun’s Nizuc Resort & Spa has several ultraluxury amenities for guests, such as multiple pools.

With the state of Quintana Roo hosting the 39th annual Tianguis Turistico this week, Travel Agent takes a look at some of the new and exciting developments in Cancun and Riviera Maya. Tianguis participants may have an opportunity to check some of these out, while you can alert your clients to what they can look forward to for their summer vacation and beyond.

Most of Tianguis will take place at the Lakám Center/Cancun-Riviera Maya, with local hotels hosting select events. The opening ceremonies will take place at the brand new Moon Palace Arena at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort. The 140,000-square-foot facility was part of a nearly $100 million enhancement project begun in 2012 and completed this past winter. The resort’s Nizuc section (not be confused with the Nizuc Resort & Spa) received a $22 million renovation that included upgrades to 120 guest rooms and public areas, plus the addition of an Irish bar known as The Pub, a mini-golf course and a new kids club.

Lunch on opening day of the Tianguis is being held at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya. While there, buyers and exhibitors may wish to check out the resort’s new Koi Sports Bar and Dancing Lounge. It has a Black Diamond Screen 231” HDTV 16:9 with Apple TV, providing viewing of top shows and sports events, a DJ and dedicated dance floor, indoor and outdoor seating, and beers, cocktails and a menu of light snacks. In the Zen wing of the resort, Koi seats 140 indoors and 100 in the outdoor terrace overlooking a lush jungle setting.

Experiencias Xcaret, host of the welcome evening cocktail reception at Tianguis, recently unveiled a new attraction that pays tribute to the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City. Tourists can explore 4.6 miles of Venetian-like channels on trainers (gondola-like boats), while listening to traditional and live mariachi music. Also, a new Xenotes Oasis Maya Tour lets guests experience Cancun’s scenery and four different cenotes in one day. Visitors will test their skills while they rappel, zip-line, snorkel and kayak. 

RELATED: On Location With an Xcaret Outdoor Adventure (VIDEO)

Cancun’s newest ultra-luxury resort, Nizuc Resort & Spa, recently celebrated its first anniversary. The resort offers 274 suites (including 44 Ocean Suites) and private villas dispersed throughout 29 acres. The condo-style Residences are well suited for families. Guests can enjoy multiple pools, six world-class restaurants (including ones serving Peruvian and Italian cuisine), a private jetty, and 8,500 square feet of event and meeting space.

The 30,000-square-foot, oceanfront Nizuc Spa by Espa has nine multifunctional treatment rooms with showers, one Asian treatment room, two private spa suites with pool and outdoor deck, a beauty salon and nail bar, fitness center, and movement studio, as well as the Spa Café, with lounges, fresh-pressed juices and a wholefoods approach to dining.

The Koi Sports Bar & Dancing Lounge, Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

The Koi Sports Bar & Dancing Lounge, Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

Nizuc Resort & Spa also just signed an agreement with Peter Burwash International to direct its tennis program. The resort recently completed installation of a new tennis center with two soft artificial grass tennis courts including lights for night play and seating.

RELATED: Travel Agent Visits New Nizuc Resort & Spa (VIDEO)

On Isla Mujeres, the Villa Rolandi is being rebranded by AMResorts beginning June 1. It will be renamed and officially inaugurated as Zoetry Villa Rolandi Isla Mujeres Cancun in December. The property will offer 35 ocean-front suites with Jacuzzi terraces, gourmet dining, a full-service Spa & Thalasso Center with 10 treatment rooms and a natural seawater pool, a private marina with its own 42-foot yacht that transports guests between Cancun and the resort, and the Endless Privileges program.

Looking further ahead, Commune Hotel & Resorts will bring a Thompson Hotel to Mexico’s Playa del Carmen as part of a mixed-use project. Slated to open in 2015, the luxury beachfront resort will be known as the Thompson Playa del Carmen. It will have 125 rooms and suites, and amenities such as a rooftop pool and spa. The overall development, spanning more than 300,000 square feet, will include international retail, cafes and restaurants in addition to the hotel. This will be the first in a series of developments in different locations throughout Mexico. 

New Services, Deals and Offers

Guests at the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Resort & Spa can now access free Wi-Fi in their rooms and throughout the hotel. It’s the first Palladium Hotel Group property to offer this amenity as part of a brand-wide roll-out to be implemented at all Grand Palladium and The Royal Suites resorts across Mexico, the Caribbean and Brazil this summer.

Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Perla now offers hour-long Pole Dance classes for fun and exercise twice a week at the resort’s outdoor Palapa. Each class is taught by a certified pole dancing instructor who will explain all the basic steps and movements, along with tips to avoid any muscular injuries. Sister resort Paradisus Cancun hosts Diamond Tutorials every Tuesday, exclusively for Royal Service guests. Guests learn about the different cuts of these gemstones, as well as the mounting types that can be applied and how to identify them.

JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort and CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa are among the eight resorts participating in the new “Worry-Free Weddings” program offered exclusively by Marriott Caribbean & Latin America Resorts. Marriott resorts in Aruba, Curacao, Grand Cayman, St. Kitts and St. Thomas are also participating.

The new program aims to help couples remove the stress of planning a destination wedding, from the initial planning stages to their time in the destination and post-nuptials, with special offers and incentives for booking a wedding within the collection.

“Worry-Free Weddings” also provides special activities to bring friends and family members closer together and entertained while in the destination. Specific offerings vary by property, however, key elements of the program include a basic wedding ceremony offered complimentary when a minimum of 70 premium category room nights are booked. Details may vary by property. “No Guy Left Behind” is a menu of free and fee-based activities designed for the groom and his friends, such as cigars, scotch/tequila tastings, flag football on the beach and grooming sessions at the spa/salon. 

Couples who book their weddings at a resort within the collection will become eligible for the “Newlyweds Forever Package”—a discount of 20 percent off leisure rates when visiting the same property or another resort in the collection. Couples have up to one year after their wedding day to book their next vacation.

New Air Service Pending

Alaska Airlines recently announced that it is seeking government approval for new daily nonstop service between Seattle and Cancun. Pending approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Mexico Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil, the airline plans to begin flying this route on November 6.