With 15 acres of tropical gardens, swimming pools and white sand beach, the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino has always been known as a great place to relax. Now, in this age of business and leisure being blurred into “bleisure,” it sounds like a great place to relax AND work.
I had a chance to chat with marketing manager Melissa Michaane the other day about a resort and an island I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting just yet.
The Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino was the first hotel to debut on Palm Beach in 1959. The resort offers 357 spacious guest rooms and suites with expansive ocean views and an array of experiences.
One of the great features are the thatched roof huts, called palapas, which can be rented for the day. The resort has 146 in all, more than any resort or hotel on the island. Now they offer “power palapas” on the beach, complete with a power and USB charging station, a laptop cooling pad, a sunshade privacy cover, and a power bowl with hydrating aloe juice or coconut water. Talk about an inspiring place to work.
With 15 acres of beachfront property, Michaane said the resort never feels crowded.
“Even when we’re at 100% capacity there’s lots of room. You don’t have to get up at 6 a.m. and dash to the pool to lay down five towels.”
Overview of Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. Photo Courtesy Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino
Daily activities and watersports range from bicycle rentals and standup paddleboards to diving and snorkeling. The resort also boasts two “zero-entry” pools. The tranquil beachfront Eforea Spa featuring rum-infused treatments, aloe-based experiences, and a “one-of-a-kind astronomy experience.”
Michaane said there are six onsite dining options, including dinner under the stars at Sunset Grille and beachfront dining at Gilligan’s Seafood Shack.
The Sunset Grill offers steaks and fresh seafood. There’s also a happy hour, nightly entertainment, bottomless mimosa and an endless breakfast option. Not to mention fine sunset views.
The resort also offers a “royal dinner” that’s based on the cuisine and dining style from when the Queen of the Netherlands would visit. They also have pirate dining with costumes and family-style service, which is great for groups and families.
Try a cycling ride along the beach at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. Photo courtesy Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino.
Down by the pool is a new coconut bar that dishes out fresh coconuts and drinks. Michaane said they go through as many as 150 coconuts per day.
The iconic Sunset Concierge experience is a scenic culinary adventure for guests to experience innovative, private dining accompanied by the famous Aruban sunset. Guests work with their personal concierge to select from distinctive locations throughout the resort and across Aruba, personalizing their exclusive sunset ritual for memories that will last a lifetime. Think maybe a Classic Sunset Crusin’ Car Ride across the island, or on-property in a Hilton Aruba private beachside cabana or on a guided sunset kayak ride. The concierge will be at the guests’ service throughout their entire experience to assist every step of the way.
Need a little more space? The Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino has 32 suites and also some connecting rooms. Shopping, dining and nightlife options are right across the road, Michaane said.
Swimming pool at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. Photo courtesy Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino.
Michaane said they have 18 workers who have been at the hotel for 35 years or more.
“Some of our guests come back and go to dinner with staff, or go to their homes for a meal. Sixty per cent of our guests are repeat visitors.”
Aruba’s slogan is “the one happy island,” and 95% of the economy is tourism, Michaane said.
Another word she said visitors need to know when they visit Aruba is “jeito,” which means “warmth,” and that’s not just a description of the weather.
Michaane said there are a ton of things to do on Aruba for every type of traveller; adventurers, relaxation seekers, romantics, families and everything in between. Arikok National Park has a natural pool, caves and ruins to explore, and there’s even a WWII Nazi shipwreck you can dive to or snorkel around.
Aruba has direct flights from both Toronto and Montreal, she said.
NEW PLAZA PREMIUM LOUNGES AT PEARSON AND YVR
Plaza Premium Lounge (PPL) has announced two updates to its hospitality airport services with the opening of newly renovated lounges in Terminal 1 Domestic departures at Toronto Pearson International Airport and at Vancouver International Airport servicing US departures.
The newly renovated lounges have arrived just as PPL sees a 570% increase in its airport lounge services across its Canadian network as compared to November 2021. In addition, Plaza Premium Group (PPG) has added Root98, the group’s premium airport dining destination to Vancouver’s US transborder terminal to suit every traveler’s needs during the holiday travel season.
“We are excited to unveil these newly renovated lounges at a time when travelers need it the most”, said Pascal Bélanger, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Operations for Plaza Premium Group. “The mission of Plaza Premium has always been to offer guests an elevated and comfortable airport experience no matter their ticket status and with the reopening of our T1 Domestic and US Transborder lounges, this will help us to further democratize the airport lounge experience for those traveling to and through Canada’s largest cities”.
TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA ANNUAL AWARDS
Confederation Park in downtown Kingston, Ontario, Canada. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada gave out its annual Canadian Tourism Awards in Ottawa last night. Here are the winners.
Air Canada Business of the Year Award:
Great Wolf Lodge – Niagara Falls, ON
Great Wolf Lodge is a waterpark resort with over 100,000 square feet of wild rides, slides and water activities that hosts over ½ million lodging guests each year. From morning to night, there are endless things to do at Great Wolf Lodge to entertain every member of your pack.
ITAC Indigenous Tourism Award:
Heritage Path Tour – Elisipogtog Mi’kmaq Cultural Centre
The Mi’kmaq Heritage Path Tour is a guided walk through the traditional lands of the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick. Lasting over two hours, the tour features historical, cultural, and spiritual teachings, and is designed for both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people.
VIA Rail Canada Innovator of the Year Award:
AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village
What started as a simple parking lot on an industrial waterfront has been transformed into a top tourist attraction in Saint John, New Brunswick. AREA 506 has rebranded Saint John for visitors and residents alike, becoming a cool and attractive place with energy, excitement, and a bit of everything New Brunswick has to offer.
Small or Medium-Sized Business of the Year Award:
ERTCU Travel Group
ERTCU Travel Group is a receptive tour operator and offers unforgettable self-guided, pre-booked RV itineraries for both independent travelers and guided travel groups. They specialize in all-inclusive travel packages for the on-the-go traveller wanting to explore all that Canada and Western USA have to offer.
Air Transat Sustainable Tourism Award:
Eagle Wing Tours
Eagle Wing Tours is an ecotourism and conservation company based in Victoria, British Columbia, that offers year-round whale and wildlife tours. As Canada’s first 3rd party verified carbon neutral whale-watching company, Eagle Wing Tours aims to protect marine wildlife and the ocean environment by building awareness through tours, education and outreach.
Tourism HR Canada Employee of the Year Award:
Kaleigh Potts
Kaleigh has been a valued member of Adventure Canada since 2016. A high impact team player, she exhibits an intelligent, thoughtful and professional approach to her work. Kaleigh played a key role in supporting clients during the pandemic, never failing to go above and beyond what was asked of her.
Tourism HR Canada Employer of the Year Award:
Tourism Kingston
Tourism Kingston is the Destination Marketing Organization for Kingston, Ontario. Its vision is to champion Kingston as a destination for local, regional, national, and international tourism. Tourism Kingston strives to provide a supportive environment for staff to innovate, collaborate and grow.
TMAC Travel Media Award:
Must Do Canada, Karla and Matthew Bailey
Must Do Canada’s Matthew and Karla Bailey have created an exceptional social media following that genuinely showcases Canada’s nature, rural and urban life experiences to Canadians and the world. In a short period of time, they have achieved recognition as a travel media company focused on ‘real’ travel in their discovery of Canada as a ‘must do’ destination.
Floor13 Business Event Award:
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada 2022 Conference – Toronto ON
The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2022 Convention is the world’s premier annual exploration and mining event. This year PDAC welcomed more than 17,000 investors, analysts, Indigenous leaders, mining executives, geologists, government officials and students to Toronto for its first in-person convention since March 2020.
