With Martha Chapman
06NOV07
Cuban tunes warm up the night
Occidental's Carolina Bellina with
Clive Farmer, VoX's 'Mr. Occidental'
Occidental Brings The Tropics To TO
Toronto’s beloved Palais Royale has been the site of many local dance events from waltzing couples to jitterbug madness. But earlier this week, its rafters rang with the sounds of mariachi music, flamenco dancers, and the conversation of dozens of industry types.
The occasion? Occidental Hotels’ night of appreciation for tour operators and travel agents.
The Spain-headquartered hotel chain is celebrating its 25th birthday and now numbers 70 properties, including all-inclusives in Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica, plus EP hotels in Europe.
Front and centre were the team from VoX, which markets Occidental in Canada, plus many of the hotel managers and talented dancers from the sunny south.
Spotted in the crowd were Erin Oddleifson of Transat Holidays, France Iuele of Ensemble Travel Group, Susan Oland of Signature and Carlos Zambrano of the Cuba Tourist Board.
After a meal featuring flying fish and other tropical delights, the group were entertained by Mexican hat dancers (not surprisingly, the ones flown in from Mexico were a little more polished than the volunteers from the audience – who were good sports one and all).
As the enjoyable evening drew to a close and we all drifted out to the parking lot, the visions of beachfront lazing (and being spritzed by attentive Royal Hideaway staff) danced in our heads.
© Open Jaw