Azul Blue - A New Concept in All-Inclusive!

Karisma Hotels & Resorts has gone the high-tech route to ensure guests won’t find any unwelcome surprises at its Azul Blue Hotel + Spa.

The 96-unit Riviera Maya property, which will be fully open Dec. 15, is inviting guests to share their preferences with hotel staff through Karisma’s www.karismahotels.com web site, with an Azul Blue section enabling upcoming vacationers to specify what type of pillows, linen, aromatherapy, food and other items they wish to have on their vacation.

In fact, says Lubo Krstajic, Karisma’s VP of sales and marketing, couples recalling a song that has particular significance for them can notify Azul Blue staff of it through the web site and then hear it upon entering their suite. If the hotel doesn’t have it already, those planning to stay there are invited to e-mail it.

“We will make sure that song is playing in the suite,” vows Krstajic, who adds that having guests communicate personal preferences before their arrival is all part of the hotel’s “stress-free” philosophy.

“Everything is arranged beforehand as the client likes. The concept is completely different than any other hotel in the Riviera Maya.”

Krstajic also notes that Karisma properties don’t have buffet restaurants, opting for the a la carte route instead, which he says is a classier form of dining. The “gourmet-inclusive” approach means there are no cash transactions, and guests don’t sign for their meals.

Azul Blue guests can also expect to find plenty of choices of each type of alcohol, Krstajic continues.

Krstajic acknowledges that the trend in the Riviera Maya has been to all-inclusives, but not all vacation-ers want that type of experience, he says, and so Karisma decided to open the Azul Blue, which it labels as boutique property.

AMENITIES



Azul Blue suites feature king or queen beds, wide-screen plasma TVs, marble hydro-jet tubs, Mexican décor, iPods, mini-bars, wireless Internet, drinks, and aromatherapy according to guest preferences and butler service provided by butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers.

The hotel spa has 10 treatment rooms and a temazcal, a purifying steambath ritual that began with the Maya.

Other hotel amenities include three restaurants, including Yuzu, which serves Asian dishes; three bars, one of them a piano bar; a fitness club that offers the likes of yoga, tai chi and an equipment room; four outdoor whirlpools; DVD library; cooking, tequila and Spanish lessons; nightly entertainment and live music; meeting rooms; and a gift shop. Nanny service is available; The hotel has meeting rooms, and there is an on-site weddings co-ordinator.

Krstajic reports that those staying at the resort, near the Maya ruins of Tulum, won’t find many other vacationers when they walk along the shore by the property. “On those beaches, you feel like Robinson Crusoe.”

Among tour operators that are offering Azul Blue are Air Canada Vacations and Conquest Vacations. You can book this resort online at our website http://www.travelmyway.ca