Palace Resorts (www.palaceresorts.com), the largest all-inclusive chain in Mexico, has introduced several new or newly reopened properties in the last year. Newest among them is Le Blanc Spa Resort, a five-star, adults-only, 260-suite property in Cancun, featuring 10,000 square feet of meeting space and a 29,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art spa. (President Bush stayed in the property's Presidential Suite for the Mexican Summit earlier this year.)

Also earlier this year, Palace Resorts acquired the 300-room Club Maeva Tulum in the Riviera Maya region. The resort will close for a complete renovation and upgrading in August 2007, to reopen under a new, yet-to-be determined name. Opening date is not yet set.

In May, Palace Resorts opened Cozumel Palace, an all-suite oceanfront hotel on the island of Cozumel, home to part of the second-largest coral reef in the world. Formerly the Hotel Plaza Las Glorias Cozumel, the property now includes 176 suites (each with double Jacuzzis), as well as renovated lobby, pool, and common areas.

In June, Palace Resorts announced the grand reopening of Xpu-Ha Place, an eco-centered resort in the Riviera Maya region that was closed since July 2005 for repairs after damages sustained in hurricanes Emily and Wilma. The resort features 144 rooms in bungalow-style buildings designed with thatched roofs and luxurious interiors.

In addition to adding and upgrading facilities, Palace Resorts is now offering association groups — traditionally reluctant to hold meetings in all-inclusive resorts — customized, all-inclusive packages, according to Vincent Elorza, regional director of sales, association market. Elorza says these packages allow planners and attendees to very affordably take advantage of the different types of properties in the Palace Resort chain (from adults-only to family-friendly properties), many of which have sizable meeting facilities in addition to five-star accommodations and amenities.