Larimar City & Resort at Revista Mercado's The Best of DR 2026

Pedro Romero and Laurent Cassvan took part in a new edition of The Best of DR, the Mercado Media Network gathering that brought together leading figures from the business, cultural, sporting and creative worlds of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo.

On 13 August, Larimar City & Resort was present at The Best of DR 2026, one of Revista Mercado's annual events dedicated to recognising people, companies and initiatives that stand out in the Dominican Republic.

Representing the project were Pedro Romero, CEO of CLERHP in the Dominican Republic, and Laurent Cassvan, Senior Sales Executive of Larimar City & Resort, who shared the evening with entrepreneurs, professionals and representatives from different sectors.

The celebration took place at Portazul, in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, and brought together more than 40 recognised figures in categories linked to business, gastronomy, entertainment, art, culture, fashion, sport and services.

A night that made it possible to take the pulse of many of the initiatives leaving their mark on the country today.

An edition with sport in the spotlight

One of the big themes of the night was the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026.

Their presence at The Best of DR carried special meaning. Organising a sporting event of this magnitude requires infrastructure, coordination, services, investment and logistical capacity, while once again placing the country before a regional and international audience.

The gala recognised several of the people and organisations linked to the Games. Among them were the Reinas del Caribe, honoured as Ambassadors of Sport; Luisín Mejía Oviedo, for his International Sports Leadership; José P. Monegro, for Sporting Event of the Year; and Alberto Zayas, for Production of the Year for the opening ceremony.

The Santo Domingo 2026 torch was also present during the celebration, becoming one of the symbols of this edition.

For Pedro Romero and Laurent Cassvan, the conversations around the Games also left an interesting takeaway: the Dominican Republic is taking on challenges that require thinking and executing on a grand scale.

A reality that feels especially close for those working on long-term projects in the country.

Different journeys brought together in the Dominican Republic

The night also left another interesting image: the diversity of the people actively taking part in Dominican business, professional and cultural life today.

In the same room, Dominicans coincided with professionals of different origins who have built an important part of their careers here.

For Laurent Cassvan, that multiculturalism was precisely one of the most remarkable aspects of the gathering.

Behind many of the stories brought together at The Best of DR are people who arrived from other countries and found in the Dominican Republic a place to work, start businesses, build teams or develop new initiatives.

That combination of local and international talent is also experienced within Larimar City & Resort, whose team brings together professionals of different nationalities and backgrounds around a single project in Punta Cana.

It is not just about cultural diversity. It is different ways of understanding business, service, construction, sales and life in the Dominican Republic sharing the same workspace.

Recognitions that tell different stories of the country

The 2026 edition brought together recognitions in gastronomy, fashion, services, sport, business, art, culture and entertainment.

In gastronomy, honours went to Vuelve a La Vida, Grupo Raya, Taconazo, Casa Diccia and McDonald's Dominicana; while in fashion and shopping, recognitions went to Jenny Polanco and stylist Joselo Franjul.

In services, the night recognised Azul, Servex Dominicana, MAPFRE Dominicana, journalist Jean Suriel, Casas del XVI and Casa de Campo.

The sporting and business worlds were represented by Cap Cana, Jorge Rolando Bauger, Jorge Allen Bauger, Avelino Cuadra and Dámaso García, along with the Leones del Escogido. Philip Morris was also honoured for its IQOS Zyn initiative, together with Fundación Alberto Cruz and Fundación Sinfonía.

Culture and entertainment also took centre stage, with recognitions for William Ramos, Jochy Fersobe, Dominicania, Tomás Pichardo for "Olivia y las Nubes", Tania Báez for "Sin Pedir Permiso", Frank Ceara for "El Saborcito de tu Amor", Festival Presidente and Alfonso Quiñones, who celebrated 55 years of work in journalism, writing and the production of film, radio and television.

The edition also reserved a special section for the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, honouring the Reinas del Caribe, Luisín Mejía Oviedo, José P. Monegro and Alberto Zayas for their respective contributions to sport and to the celebration of the Games.

Punta Cana within that conversation

The presence of Larimar City & Resort at The Best of DR also connects with the role Punta Cana currently plays within the Dominican Republic.

The area is known worldwide for its tourism leadership, but its daily activity increasingly incorporates residential, commercial, gastronomic, educational, healthcare and business components.

Larimar City & Resort is being developed precisely within that scenario.

Its approach starts from an urban scale: integrating residences with services, areas for sport and wellbeing, nature, dining, leisure and meeting spaces.

That is why taking part in an event like The Best of DR makes it possible to step outside the real estate world for a few hours and meet those working on other pieces of that same ecosystem.

Hospitality. Gastronomy. Services. Sport. Culture. Business.

All of them end up influencing, in one way or another, the experience of those who visit the Dominican Republic and also of those who decide to make it their home.

An occasion to celebrate and come together

Beyond the recognitions, The Best of DR was a night for conversation.

Pedro Romero and Laurent Cassvan had the chance to meet professionals from different industries and share perspectives on projects, investment, sport and the Dominican business landscape.

From Larimar City & Resort we congratulate all the winners of The Best of DR 2026 and thank Mercado Media Network and Revista Mercado for the invitation to this edition.

Gatherings like this allow us to pause for a few hours to recognise the work that many people carry out every day across very different sectors.

And they also allow us to discover something the numbers sometimes fail to show: different stories are coinciding in the Dominican Republic today.

From Larimar City & Resort, we celebrate being able to add ours.