The Sales team at Discover Puerto Rico, led by Chief Sales Officer Ed Carey, held its final quarterly Sales and Revenue Advisory Board (SRAB) meeting of the year with 55 industry professionals representing 20 hotels in municipalities including San Juan, Fajardo, Río Grande, Humacao, and Ponce.
Successful Sales and Revenue Advisory Board Meeting at Discover Puerto Rico
During the meeting, hotel sales directors, marketing executives, and revenue managers reviewed the destination’s most recent performance data alongside the Discover Puerto Rico team, outlined joint strategies, and defined plans to protect Puerto Rico’s competitive advantages and continue driving destination growth. All analysis was grounded in market data and trends.
Among the key findings, it was noted that demand for Puerto Rico as a destination remains solid despite market uncertainty driven by geopolitical factors and rising costs. Discover Puerto Rico data shows that during the first six months of 2025, demand softened in the meetings and conventions market as well as in leisure travel sales. However, acceleration is evident in the second half of the year, with demand levels already surpassing those of the previous year.
This trend is particularly significant considering that many destinations in the continental United States have yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Puerto Rico, by contrast, reached that recovery approximately three years ago and has continued to exceed those benchmarks each year.
The analysis also reaffirmed that approximately 90% of the destination’s demand originates from the United States. During the meeting, maps were presented illustrating the top 10 demand-generating states, as well as the markets where that demand converts most quickly. One example is California, which ranks among the leading states in room nights requested but shows lower conversion due to limited connectivity from the U.S. West Coast compared to markets in the eastern United States.
The meeting helped align sales teams to focus efforts on markets with the highest conversion potential, reinforcing the need to act with agility and flexibility in a highly competitive environment.
As part of the agenda, representatives from Cvent participated in the discussion. Cvent highlighted that nearly 60% of confirmed business is awarded to one of the first three destinations to respond, underscoring the importance of speed and flexibility in responses, as well as attention to key factors such as pricing and safety.
Additionally, two initiatives from the Destination Experience team were presented: the Destination VIP Access Program and the Service Excellence Recognition Program. These initiatives are designed to generate greater local economic impact, encourage longer stays, and provide visibility to small and medium-sized businesses.
The impact of the meeting was immediate. At least three hotels reported plans to reorganize their sales team deployment following the insights shared, demonstrating the value of a shared strategic vision to protect and grow destination demand during times of uncertainty.