There are certain moments throughout the year that remind me why what we have created at Lifestyle is about so much more than resorts, destinations and vacations, and for me, The Event has always been one of those moments. From September 18–20, The Event 2026 brought our members, partners and teams together at LHVC for three days filled with entertainment, activities, celebrations and, most importantly, the opportunity to spend time together.
For our members, The Event is a chance to enjoy everything Lifestyle has to offer, reconnect with familiar faces and create new memories. From my perspective, it also provides an opportunity to see the enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes and appreciate the people responsible for turning months of preparation into three very special days.
Long Before The Event Begins
For our members, The Event begins when they arrive in Puerto Plata, but behind the scenes the journey starts many months earlier. An event of this scale brings together almost every part of our organization, with ideas to develop, entertainment to coordinate, menus to plan, venues to prepare and hundreds of individual details that need to come together at exactly the right time.
Transportation, security, guest services, housekeeping, food and beverage, entertainment, technical production and resort operations all have an important role to play. As the weekend approaches, months of planning gradually become visible as stages appear, equipment arrives, venues begin to transform, rehearsals take place and our teams move throughout the resort making their final preparations.
I particularly enjoy this period because it gives me an opportunity to see another side of Lifestyle. There is an incredible energy behind the scenes as people solve problems, make last-minute adjustments, support their colleagues and concentrate on details that most guests will never know existed. Many of the people responsible for making The Event successful will never stand in the spotlight, but their contribution can be seen and felt throughout the entire weekend.
When the first members begin arriving, all of that preparation suddenly has a purpose and the atmosphere across the resort begins to change.
Three Days of Lifestyle
Within a short space of time, familiar faces return, friends reconnect, music fills the venues and the resort takes on the energy that has become such an important part of The Event. Throughout the three days, there are experiences taking place across Lifestyle, from the opening evening and activities around the resort to entertainment, dining and the celebrations that bring everyone together.
Some of my favorite moments, however, happen away from the scheduled activities. Having the opportunity to move around the resort and spend time talking with our members gives me a perspective that is difficult to find anywhere else. I hear stories about first visits to Lifestyle, favorite vacations and friendships that began here many years ago, while others tell me about bringing their children when they were young and now returning with those same children as adults, sometimes with another generation of the family alongside them.
There are anniversaries that have been celebrated here, friendships maintained across different countries and traditions that have developed around returning to Puerto Plata. Hearing those stories reminds me that what we have created over the years cannot simply be measured by the number of accommodations, restaurants, beaches or destinations we have developed. It can also be measured through the relationships, experiences and memories that have grown around them, and The Event provides a unique opportunity to see so many of those stories come together in one place
Behind the Experience
Naturally, The Event has its major highlights, from the opening celebrations and entertainment to the activities and final evening, but behind those moments another story is unfolding continuously. Throughout the weekend, I see team members noticing something that needs attention and dealing with it before a guest ever realizes there was an issue. I see colleagues from different departments stepping in to help one another and teams finishing one experience while others are already preparing for what comes next.
Those individual actions may appear small, but collectively they are what great hospitality is built upon. Our members should be able to enjoy the experience without thinking about the planning, logistics and coordination taking place around them, and making something as complex as The Event feel effortless requires experience, teamwork and an enormous amount of attention to detail.
Watching our teams deliver that experience throughout the three days made me extremely proud. There are long hours involved and inevitably challenges that need to be resolved quickly, but what stands out is the way people come together with a shared understanding of what we are trying to create for our members. It is in those moments behind the scenes that you really appreciate how many people contribute to making a weekend like this possible.
More Than Three Days
Although The Event takes place over three days, what it represents has been built over many years. Lifestyle has grown and evolved considerably, but alongside that growth a community has developed around it, bringing together members, families, friends, partners and team members who have all become part of the story in different ways.
During The Event, you see long-standing members reconnecting with team members they have known for years, different generations of families experiencing Lifestyle together and new friendships beginning that may continue long after everyone has returned home. There is a sense of history in those moments, but there is also a feeling of looking forward and thinking about how we continue to develop the experience for the future.
By the time we reach the closing celebration, there is always a mixture of excitement and reflection. Months of preparation have led to these three days and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by members, friends, partners and colleagues enjoying the final evening together. It gives you an opportunity to appreciate how far we have come while also thinking about what we want to create next.
We can continue developing our resorts, introducing new experiences and evolving what Lifestyle offers, but the character of our organization will always come from its people and the relationships that have developed around it.
To every member who joined us in Puerto Plata, thank you for continuing to be part of this journey and for bringing your energy and friendship to The Event 2026. I also want to thank our partners and every member of our team who worked before, during and after the weekend to make the experience possible.
When I look back at The Event 2026, I will remember the entertainment and celebrations, but I will equally remember the conversations with our members, the teamwork taking place behind the scenes and the many small moments throughout the weekend that demonstrated what Lifestyle is really about. Those three days brought together people, experiences, friendships and memories in a way that reminds us why The Event continues to be such an important part of our year.
