When it comes to international travel, Mexico is by far the top destination for Americans. Whether it’s family vacations, spring break, destination weddings, or romantic getaways, the country’s offerings continue to evolve.
Velas Resorts is one of the most dynamic hotel brands. They are known for their all-inclusive experiences, earning accolades year after year. The four Velas Resorts in Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit have earned more than 43 AAA Diamonds, including the prestigious Five Diamond Award. Other international awards for services and facilities include Virtuoso’s “Best Spa”, Conde Nast Johansens “Most Excellent Resort,” and “Most Excellent Hotel Spa” and the 5-Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. .
Velas properties include Casa Velas, the eighth best hotel in the world on The Expedia 2013 Insiders’ SelectList, an adult boutique hotel and an ocean club located on the Marina Vallarta golf course. Velas Vallarta is an all-suite family resort and spa located on the Bay of Banderas, both in Puerto Vallarta; and the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit located in Riviera Nayarit.
Rounding out the list is Grand Velas Riviera Maya, located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, offering an ultra-luxury all-inclusive resort experience in the Caribbean with jungle and beach settings. Velas Resorts is known for its spacious rooms, spas, a unique culinary experience in a selection of restaurants, 24-hour room service, gyms, butler service, state-of-the-art conference centers, extensive family programs, fully stocked mini bar and more.
Eduardo Vela Ruiz, majority owner, founder and president, operates Velas Resorts. His brother Juan Vela is vice president of Velas Resorts.
We recently spoke with Juan Vela about the company’s current plans, outlook, and success secrets.
Q: What are the latest major developments at Velas properties throughout Mexico?
Vela: We are very excited to announce the opening of Grand Velas Los Cabos in late 2016. The new property ups the ante for our Grand Velas product with special wine characteristics, commitment to the arts, spectacular ocean views, elusive wellness . Suites and more.
This past year, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit completed a $ 20 million renovation, from spa upgrades and gourmet restaurants to new state-of-the-art Wellness Suites, a state-of-the-art teen club and a stylish lobby bar.
Casa Velas also introduced two new wellness suites for travelers seeking a comprehensive wellness retreat that includes a personal spa concierge, in-suite fitness services, massages, and much more. As part of the $ 2 million renovation, a total of 38 suites underwent complete bathroom upgrades, new furniture, new artwork, paintings and textiles from leading Mexican artists, and more.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya began offering a new Yucatecan menu inspired by the traditional cuisine of the region at its Chaká restaurant. The complex also opened a new restaurant space for its Italian restaurant, Lucca. Heading the latter is chef Genovese Fulvio Ferretto who, before joining Velas Resorts, collaborated with chef Mauro Elli, a two-star chef with a Michelin star. The kitchen evokes culinary visions of what he calls “Bel Paese”, beautiful country, for guests with its Italian cuisine.
Velas Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta is updating its family suites with new soft products and improved bathrooms.
Q: What are your latest initiatives for families?
Sailing: Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit upped the ante on teen offerings with a new $ 300,000 Teen Club, creating a contemporary space where teens ages 13-18 can enjoy their own mini-vacations. The Teens’ Club features a spacious game room with X-Box Kinect, pool table, air hockey, ping pong, foosball, karaoke with vintage dance floor, and more. The more adventurous teens enjoy the new outdoor activities program, which includes kayaking, snorkeling and a variety of other outdoor experiences where they can enjoy the natural beauty of Riviera Nayarit.
After enjoying the Club’s engaging activities, the Chill Out zone offers teens favorite refreshments and snacks to enjoy while hanging out with their new friends.
In addition to the modern Teens ‘Club and various Kids’ Clubs at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, it also recently added a miniature golf course for families.
At all of our resorts, we are constantly innovating and adding to our activity and service programs for peak family vacation periods.
Q: What are the distinctive selling points for the different regions in which your properties are located?
A: While Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are easily accessible from the Midwest and West Coast, Riviera Maya is a direct option for East Coast travelers.
In the Riviera Maya, adventure seekers enjoy exploring the ancient Mayan ruins in nearby Cobá and Chichén Itzá, first-class snorkeling and diving, zip-lining tours through the vibrant Yucatán jungle, kayaking, and the best nature reserves. from Mexico. The coastal communities of nearby Playa del Carmen and Cancun offer the best shopping, restaurants, golf courses, and nightlife.
Located in the Bay of Banderas, one of the largest bays in the world, Vallarta-Nayarit has a unique location where the jungle meets the sea and provides tourists with a picturesque landscape that is unique among Mexican tourist destinations. This diversity of landscapes makes Vallarta more than your average “fun in the sun” vacation spot, offering visitors a wide variety of activities to choose from. Not only will travelers find all the usual beach activities like water skiing, parasailing, surfing, boogie boarding, and sunbathing, there are also a wide variety of land and sea tours to enjoy.
From an expedition in the tropical jungle learning about the native flora and fauna of the area or going through the jungle with cables suspended hundreds of feet above the ground, to tours of nearby towns where guests can taste Mexican culture, learn about the history of the area, and the traditions that drive the daily lives of those who have lived there for generations, it’s all here.
If the ocean and marine life are what families want, then Vallarta-Nayarit has more than its share of activities to offer. There are many beautiful places throughout the bay that are perfect for snorkelling and diving. Fishing is a very popular activity in the bay, which is also a breeding ground for many creatures from the marine kingdom. During winter and spring there are numerous whale watching excursions, where you will see humpback whales and dolphins that have migrated to the bay to breed.
During the summer and fall months there are several programs aimed at protecting endangered sea turtles that use the coasts of Vallarta-Nayarit as their nesting areas.
Q: What properties best attract the family market? couples? destination weddings?
A: From an extended family traveling to a couple looking for a secluded and romantic honeymoon retreat and groups of all kinds, all travelers can find their ideal place within Velas Resorts. The exclusive adult section of Casa Velas and Grand Velas Riviera Maya is perfect for couples, while families enjoy the activities offered in the Velas Vallarta, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit and Ambassador and Zen sections of Grand Velas Riviera Maya.
Destination weddings, family reunions and incentives and corporate groups of all sizes.
Enjoy all the Velas Resorts for their incomparable all-inclusive experiences, comprehensive staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and spectacular ocean views.
Q: What do you think is the single most important factor that attracts visitors to Velas properties in general?
A: We attribute our success to combining the highest quality across the board with service and value, be it kitchen and spa, accommodations, activities, or convention facilities. And let’s not forget foodies and spa lovers, as our restaurants and spas are among the best in the world.
Q: How is it different from the competition?
A: We not only stand out from our competition for the quality of our facilities and services, but also for our food and drink: variety of gourmet restaurants, quality of ingredients, creativity, presentation and gastronomic experiences. Food, creativity and presentation comparable to that of the best restaurants in world capitals, that’s what critics and mainstream media are writing about Velas Resorts. Name your favorite special cuisine: Mexican, French, Italian, Asian, exquisitely prepared by award-winning chefs, including disciples of Spain’s star chef Arzak.
Signature Cuisine at Grand Velas Riviera Maya is the first restaurant in the world that is part of an All Inclusive that won the AAA 5 Diamond Award. The restaurants are run by internationally renowned chefs such as Michel Mustière, called Maître Cuisiniers de France and Xavi Pérez Stone, named “Best Chef in Mexico” and winner of the “Iron Chef 2014”.
While there are some other all-inclusives that have a featured restaurant, they charge more to dine there in addition to other fees, so they aren’t really all-inclusive. This is in contrast to what we do. Apart from very special wine selections and spa treatments, we do not charge extra. So the value equation is very strong.
Additionally, we have unsurpassed facilities and programs for children and teens, Leading Spas of the World at our Grand Velas resorts, and state-of-the-art facilities for meetings, weddings and groups.
Q: What trends do you see in travel from the United States to Mexico for 2016?
A: Traveling to Mexico from the US It will continue its steady growth in 2016, with a special interest in Los Cabos. The destination alone has 17 new hotels that will open in 2016 and 2017.
As one of the top travel trends for 2016 is bleisure (business travel for pleasure), we will offer a new long-term discounted stay option for those looking to get away from the daily grind to discover their next big idea. We hope this will appeal to creative types (writers, artists, etc.), entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, and more.
We also hope to see more travelers looking for new experiences and developing new skills and talents. Later this year, we will also start a Find Your Inner Artist series. The series of experiences will include authentic local art elements such as glass blowing, painting, Huichol-style embroidery, and mosaics.
And finally, with the increasing number of single parent households, we have seen an increasing number of them come to our resorts. Therefore, we have expanded our single parenting promotion, which does not apply the single supplement rate and includes discounts for children and tickets to the adventure tour for single parents at several of our resorts.
