We visited the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic this past June.  The resort was amazing and met our standards as a true luxury all-inclusive resort.  The decor was chick and contemporary.  The lobby and main building was covered with Rock & Roll memorabilia.  We saw everything from BB King's guitar to Madonna's glitter limo.   Also, each bedroom had a hot tub, stocked bar & fridge, free Wi-Fi and free long distince calls back to the United States.  We see why the received the AAA Four Diamond ranking.  

There are 11 different restaurants on the property and you only have to make reservations for two, Zoro(Hibachi Style Resturant) and Toro (Steakhouse) .  We had a chance to eat in them all and the food was great.  Even if you don't feel like eating out, there is 24 hour room service.

The resort is located right on the beach.  You also have your choice to take a dip in a variety of pools.  We changed pools based on our mood.  There was a pool for partying that had a DJ and swim up bar.  There was an infinite pool that was very tranquil.    There was also a kids pool complete with a water slide.  The Hard Rock resort even provided complimentary scuba lessons at the pool.  The best pool  for us was not really a pool but a lazy river, were you jumped on a tube and floated away.  We saw one guy who fell a sleep on the lazy river but his friends manage to wake him up before he made another round trip.

The night life was fun with the many night clubs and bars to choose from.  We saw everything from karaoke to a live band.  They are also opening up a new club in their casino later this year called Oro which is getting a lot of buzz.  We were visiting during the NBA finals so we had a chance to lay down some winning bets at their Vegas style casino.  That casino by far is one of the top casinos in the Caribbean. 

We believe the best promotion for the resort is its $1500 resort credit in which you can use on tours , golf, spa, casino, room upgrades and many more.  We had a chance to go on a dune buggie tour.  If you go on this tour, please wear old clothes because you will get muddy.  We had so much fun ridding through the countryside and visiting secluded beaches.

Overall, our stay exceeded our expectations.  we have booked many groups at the palace resort properties and we have not received any negative feed back.  Our next stop will be Le Blanc Cancun in the Palace Resort family.   Stay tuned for more updates.

Las Vegas continues to make positive changes.  I had just visited the "Adult Playground" and stayed at the luxurious Venetian.  It's been a couple years since my last visit and a lot has changed in the city.

The new CityCenter was the biggest change on the strip.  The new resorts Aria, Vdara and The Cosmopolitan look spectacular.  I had a chance to walk through the resorts and was amazed by their elegance.  Each had its own unique style.  The Cosmopolitan has balconies which I thought were banned on the strip for obvious reasons.  But that must have been an ol wise tale.

I always like to go to the variety of night clubs during my stay in Las Vegas, but now the party is going on during the day.  Day parties are the new trend in Las Vegas and they usually take place at a resorts outdoor swimming pool.  We had a chance to visit Tao Beach at The Venetian and had a good time.

Tropicana has now refurbished their resort to more of a south beach feel.  It has been been getting great reviews since the change.  Along with other resorts, they will start a day party soon called Nikki Beach.

We had a chance to see The Blue Man Group which is a very unique show since none of the characters talk.  I think it attracts a younger demographic that you may not see at the Venetian.  That's probably why its moving to the Monte Carlo in the near future where The Jabbawackeez  are performing.

Other new Las Vegas shows and events include CSI Experience at the MGM, Mafia Tours, Rod Stewart at Caesars and  Gallery Night Club at Planet Hollywood  

How A #Group Travel Leader Can Organize A Getaway

1. Get a strong commitment from the group to #travel and promote the getaway
2. Pick a destination and/or type of travel that will interest the group
3. Set objectives and goals that the groups wants to accomplish for the getaway
4. Pick a an experienced travel consultant to organize an itinerary based on the groups requests
5. Review and agree on the terms of the travel package presented by travel consultant
6. Market the getaway to meet goals set earlier in the process
7. Once all final deposits have been made for the getaway start the steps again so you can present the next getaway during your present getaway.  This will allow for you get a stronger showing at your next getaway.

Group travel for a purpose resolves around an event like a wedding, sports, education fundraiser, etc.

Group travel for business usually follows in the category of incentives, conventions, meetings and seminars.

Group travel for pleasure is strictly for enjoyment and usually attended by friends/family, a specific club, church or organization.

Group travel leaders usually plan trips for pleasure, business, education and special interest.