MARRIOTT INT'L last month opened its first
Fairfield Inn property outside the U.S. in Mexico under a franchise
agreement with Optima Hoteles de Mexico, SA de CV. The former
Optima Express Monterrey Airport is located on Avenida Rogelio
Gonzalez Caballero, about three minutes from Monterrey's Apodaca
Airport. Its new name is the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Monterrey
Airport. Nearby attractions include Sesame Street Park, La Fe
Shopping Center, La Cola de Caballo waterfalls and the Cintermex
Convention Center. Marriott launched the Fairfield Inn brand in
1987 to cater to budget-minded business travelers. It has become
one of Marriott's fastest growing brands, opening an average of 33
hotels each year since its launch. The brand expects to add another
25 properties by the end of this year.
AEROMEXICO, Mexico's largest airline, plans to
launch nonstop service from Ontario, Calif., to San Jose del Cabo,
effective July 7. The service is scheduled to operate on Mondays,
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flight 475 will depart Ontario at
12:45 p.m. and arrive in San Jose del Cabo at 4:05 p.m. On the
return, Flight 474 will depart San Jose del Cabo at 11:35 a.m. and
arrive in Ontario at 12:55 p.m.
PLEASANT HOLIDAYS is boosting airlift to Cancun
aboard its scheduled nonstop flights with ATA Airlines. The
roundtrip service leaves from both Los Angeles and San Francisco,
with Wednesday and Saturday departures beginning April 12. In the
summer, Pleasant will operate an additional Sunday flight from Los
Angeles. To promote the added lift, Pleasant is giving its
customers room upgrades at select Cancun hotels (depending on
availability) through Dec. 19. Reservations must be made by April
30 to qualify for the upgrades. Seven-night, air-inclusive packages
start at $887 per person, double, from Los Angeles, $927 from San
Francisco. To book, log onto www.pleasantagent.com.
THE OPERATORS of the Paraiso de la Bonita on
the Riviera Maya said they renegotiated prices for full-day guided
excursions to popular sites like Chichen Itza, Tulum, Xel-Ha and
Coba, and guests in most cases will now pay approximately 40% less
than before. In addition to guides, all tours include private
transportation, entrance fees and lunch. All tours can be booked at
the hotel. For information on the resort or tours, call (800)
327-0200 or visit www.paraisodelabonitaresort.com.