The Mexican state of Yucatan should be on your radar, with the opening of the Yucatan International Convention Center (ICC) in Merida scheduled for March 2018 as well as 15 new hotels in development.
Powered by Samsung, the ICC marks Samsung’s first business alliance in Latin America and will help bring top technology to the area. Even more, the center’s LEED Gold design offers connectivity to the facility’s surrounding environment, with the existing trees and even a cenote being incorporated into the eco-friendly layout. With the capacity to seat up to 6,000 attendees, the ICC offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces. That includes the ground level main hall as well as two halls that occupy the upper level with two expansive outdoor terraces.
Because the new ICC is anticipated to create a 10 percent increase in demand for meeting services that will exceed the 12,000 hotel rooms currently available in the area, 15 new hotels are in the works. One will be Merida’s Hotel Wayam by Xixium, which will open in time for the ICC’s grand opening. The five-story hotel will be the first in the city to achieve LEED certification. A current Art Deco house will serve as the new hotel’s lobby, and attendees will have 29 rooms and 11 apartments to choose from for high-end stays.
Groups visiting Yucatan, located in the northern section of the Yucatan Peninsula, will want to explore the region’s rich heritage and Gulf of Mexico coastline in between meetings. The state is home to several designated UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the preserved Mayan towns of Chicen Itza and Uxmal as well as the two “pueblos magicos” of Valladolid and Izamal. Merida, itself, is full of vibrant culinary offerings, modern museums and historic attractions.
