Set between the white sand beach facing the Caribbean Sea and Cancun’s Nichupte Lagoon, Secrets The Vine is a luxurious 495 room, adults-only hotel and part of the AMResorts line of quality hotels. On August 19th the resort celebrated its 2nd anniversary. Amstar was there to tell the story.
I had the privilege of attending the hotel’s second-anniversary celebration. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never been to Secrets The Vine, and while I had heard many good things about the hotel, and it has a great guest review rating on TripAdvisor, I admit to being a bit skeptical as to what the hotel would be like and whether or not the evening would be any fun. By the end of the celebration, however, I left extremely impressed by the installations of the hotel, but above all by the level of authenticity and hospitality that guests find at Secrets The Vine.
Celebrating Success
The night’s activities began with a humble yet impressive champagne toast. Jean-Pierre Sorin, General Manager at Secrets The Vine, opened the ceremony thanking all of the staff and guests for making the hotel the successful and well-lauded resort that it is. Then, like a Samurai of lore or the infamous pirates that once ruled over the Caribbean Sea, Cecilia Lara, Secret The Vine’s Head Butler, removed a saber from its sheath and then proceeded to expertly remove the corks from the champagne bottles with a swift flick or her blade. The ritual, known as the Sabrage, has its origins in France and used to be performed by Napolean to celebrate and motivate his army. It definitely motivated the crowd.
Great Food, Live Music & Fireworks
The anniversary celebration took place in Secret The Vine’s main pool area, located between the lobby and the white sand beach that leads into the Caribbean Sea. A colorful stage was set up in front of the dining area, where expert performers shared some of Mexico’s wonderful folklore through costumes, song, and dance. Secrets The Vine offered guests a delicious and generous Mexican-style buffet with a variety of soups & salads, beans & rice as well as numerous tasty meat and vegetable dishes. To cap off the fun activities, a local mariachi band went from table to table to sing some of Mexico’s most cherished ballads.
Sharing the Passion
Krystal Martinez has been with Secrets The Vine since the hotel’s inauguration in 2012. Before that, she worked for another AMResorts hotel, Dreams Tulum. One of the hotel’s competent concierges, Krystal’s job is to be the guest’s advocate, ensuring that their travel experience exceeds even the most demanding expectations.
“I feel like I am an ambassador for my country, for my people, and I love sharing it with the guests,” said Krystal.
When asked how she felt about working at Secrets The Vine, Ms. Martinez expressed what several other colleagues said throughout the course of the celebration:
“It’s a friendly place to work that inspires confidence. I have seen a lot of people move on to other areas or better positions. They really let you grow here,” she added.
Karen Tum, Secret The Vine’s pastry chef explained that the friendly environment is what it is because of the hotel’s philosophy: “Share the satisfaction, happiness, and love for what you do with your clients.”
“Welcome Home”
For Taffy Diaz Cruz, who has come to Secrets The Vine via Philadelphia in celebration of another anniversary—her daughter’s 20th birthday—this has been an incredible experience.
“With everything you hear on the news, I was initially scared to come to Mexico. But once you get here you realize that it’s not like that at all.”
“The people that work here, they’re genuine and sincere. They have their problems like everyone else, but they really are happy. For them, it’s about you and your vacations and they truly attend to your every need and desire.”
Like Taffy, many other guests that I spoke to expressed the same. While very happy and satisfied with the Secret The Vine’s anniversary celebration, talk always went back to the friendliness and professionalism of the staff.
Cheryl Zhou and Cindy Tan, on a visit to Secrets The Vine from Vancouver, Canada, said they were very happy to have been part of a special night.
“The whole atmosphere is great, and the service… you can tell they’re happy and that really influences you, too. The music, the fireworks, the food, everything is outstanding.”
Many More to Come
It is clear by the high level of guest satisfaction with Secrets The Vine as well as the commitment and quality of the hotel’s 879-member that these are just the first two years of what will be a very successful resort in Cancun’s Hotel Zone. With the many events and special amenities for guests that Secrets The Vine has to offer, I have no doubt that the best is yet to come.
Happy Anniversary, Secrets The Vine!
