You’re planning a major conference. Or a business getaway. Or a small forum for company executives. Well, the Caribbean is the perfect place — with scores of hotels with top-level meeting space and all the perks you want during downtime — beautiful beaches, great golf courses and more. We put together this ranking of the best Caribbean hotels for meetings using a variety of criteria, including the quality of the hotel, the quantity and quality of meeting space (depending on the different kinds of facility you may need), restaurant offerings, local activities and more. And the list features properties both large and small, because while sometimes you want a large conference centre, other times you just need an intimate facility for a private retreat. Here they are — the best hotels for meetings for 2014.
Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana — Dominican Republic
When it comes to meetings, the Hard Rock has it all: great restaurants, great golf and almost 65,000 square feet of meeting space. And it’s all-inclusive, making it easier all around.
Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman — Cayman Islands
The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman is perfect for smaller, high-level retreats, and is frequently used for some of the region’s top events in the financial industry.
Atlantis — Bahamas
When you can fit an NCAA basketball game inside one of your ballrooms, you have a lot of meeting space. Atlantis is a regional leader in meetings, hosting events large and small, with its 50,000-square-foot Imperial Ballroom as the centrepiece.
Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino — Puerto Rico
This meeting favourite has 35,000 square feet of meeting space. But the kicker is that it’s adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Centre, which adds another 600,000 square feet of space of its own.
El Conquistador — Puerto Rico
With more than 100,000 square feet of space, El Conquistador serves as a combination luxury resort and full-service conference centre. And the great golf course doesn’t hurt either.
St Kitts Marriott & Royal Beach Casino — St Kitts
The St Kitts Marriott has 15,000 square feet of meeting space, with a terrific golf course, a large beach and a casino right inside of the hotel, meaning you can get your business done and find an array of options for leisure.
Karibe Hotel — Haiti
Haiti has been playing host to some of the most high-profile events in the Caribbean in the last few years, from CARICOM Heads of Government meetings to the Association of Caribbean States summit. And they’ve all been held at the Karibe — with good reason.
Cambridge Beaches — Bermuda
Bermuda’s proximity to the northeastern United States makes it extremely convenient for meetings. This Bermuda mainstay offers a top-level site for more intimate meetings, with just under 10,600 square feet of space, along with top-notch golf.
Hyatt Regency – Trinidad
Last year alone, the Hyatt, with 43,000-square-feet of meeting space, hosted meetings that included US Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, making it one of the region’s hubs for political get-togethers. And that experience means that, for meetings, it’s a well-oiled machine.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya — Mexico
All-inclusives are particularly good places for meetings, and the Grand Velas is the best of both worlds, with a 31,000-square-foot convention center including a special 12,000-square-foot area just for trade shows and the like.
Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino — Aruba
With 11,000 square feet of meeting space, the Aruba Marriott is perfect for smaller conferences, and its location in Aruba means easy air access from much of the eastern United States.
Hilton Barbados
If you’re planning a large event in Barbados, the Hilton, perched on a beautiful location on Needham’s Point, has almost 20,000 square feet of space, with a great beach, lively bars and good restaurants.
Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas — US Virgin Islands
The Ritz-Carlton has 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, highlighted by its 2,500-square-foot Great Bay Ballroom (it also offers use of its 53-foot catamaran as a rather special meeting venue of its own).
Half Moon — Jamaica
It’s not just a great luxury resort — it’s also a seasoned meeting facility, with 27,000 square feet of total meeting space. It’s also in very close proximity to the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which has just under 57,000 square feet of space of its own.
Paradisus Palma Real — Dominican Republic
The all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real recently opened its new 18,000-square-foot convention centre, which makes for a multi-functional meeting space in a beautiful indoor-outdoor setting.
Westin Dawn Beach — St Maarten
It has 10,010 square feet of space, and it’s also the place for a green retreat, having just completed the installation of more than 2,600 solar panels, meaning during peak hours it’s running entirely on renewable energy.
Scrub Island Resort — British Virgin Islands
This resort in the British Virgin Islands is ideal for small-scale meetings, with 2,100 square feet of meeting space in an exclusive, private atmosphere on Scrub Island.
Fort Young Hotel — Dominica
Dominica’s location in the Eastern Caribbean makes it the perfect location for both intra-Caribbean business meetings and getaways from the US and Canada. And Fort Young, with just under 7,000 square feet of space has a large array restaurant options and a great location in downtown Roseau.
Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort — Curacao
The Santa Barbara has an excellent combination of both indoor and outdoor meeting space, led by a nearly 5,700-square-foot ballroom that is the largest on the island. And when it’s time for a different venue, the golf course at the property is outstanding.