Prevue January/February 2013 - (Page 59)

Lima Peru The 12th Annual Leadership Summit took place at the new Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center [ON LOCATION] LAUREL HERMAN elcoming 240 flights from across North America, the seaside city of Lima opens its arms with warmth to host international meetings and conferences. In December, PREVUE was the official media sponsor of the 12th Annual Leadership Summit, organized by The Opus Group. The event took place at The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center, which premiered in 2011 as the first Westin hotel in South America. Meeting and incentive planners familiarized themselves with Peru and its various suppliers with the help of our gracious destination hosts. Sleek and modern, yet warm and comfortable, the $130 million, 301-room hotel offers over 27,000 sf of meeting space and the largest convention center in South America. It’s located in Lima’s financial district, San Isidro, with easy access to the airport and historic city center. I can’t give enough praise to The Westin for the job they did for our group. General manager Paul Ingebretsen operates his hotel like a Swiss watch. “The hotel ranked #3 in customer service worldwide within the Westin brand in its first year of operation,” he tells me with a big smile. “We have every service and protocol that the Westin brand offers. Our Heavenly Spa is the largest urban spa in South America with 17 treatment rooms, and our contemporary Peruvian restaurant Maras was rated as one of the top new Lima restaurants in 2012.” We thoroughly enjoyed for our final dinner: foie gras terrine, baby salad and passionfruit filled with lychee, jumbo shrimp rolled in fresh-caught seabass and a dessert sampler of pisco ice cream, fried three milk cake and rice pudding bavaroise. Condor Travel DMC organized city tours for each day of the summit. My two favorites: Los Ficus Casa Hacienda and Museo Larco, which groups can experience in the same day. One hour from Lima, Los Ficus is a gorgeous estate where Peruvian Paseo horses prance to music, ridden by performers wearing traditional Peruvian garments. Everyone oohed and aahed as these magnificent proud horses paraded by. After the show, we sat down to a beautiful lunch buffet outdoors brimming with local Peruvian specialties. W Museo Larco, meanwhile, is located in Lima’s upscale Pueblo Libre district, showcasing 4,000 years of preColumbian history. The museum is housed in an 18th century mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens. Its top-rated restaurant, Café de Museo, can host corporate groups up to 300 diners in the restaurant and outside on the lawn. Or, buy out the museum for an evening private showing, cocktail reception and wonderful dinner. Another terrific venue, the Observatory terrace at the 82-suite Miraflores Park Hotel hosts 150-pax receptions with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. For meetings, there are six meeting rooms inside this elegant Orient Express property, located in the fashionable Miraflores neighborhood. LAN Airlines was a sponsor of the summit. They provide excellent service and entertainment onboard in both business and coach class. LAN flies direct into Lima from Miami, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. peru.travel; condortravel.com; westin.com; miraflorespark.com; lan.com The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center prevueonline.net | 51 http://hiddentreasures.peru.travel/ http://www.condortravel.com http://www.westin.com http://www.miraflorespark.com http://www.lan.com http://www.prevueonline.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue January/February 2013

Planner's Pick: Whistler, BC
Fresh Meets: Hilton Latin America
Bureau Buzz: Oklahoma City
Good Business: Hong Kong
Sea Shores: Alaskan Dream Cruises
Value & Variety
New Orleans & The Northshore
Convention Districts
Corporate Retreats
On Location: Tropicana Las Vegas
On Location: Leadership Summit, Lima
Special Section: Florida
On Location: Puerto Vallarta
Manchester
On Location: Glasgow
Check Out: San Jose, California

Prevue January/February 2013