Mexico - Business in Monterrey

My company (well, not *my* company, the company I work for) is buying a small company in Monterrey and I will be going down there a lot over the next 6+ months to do training and what-not.

How is Monterrey for business? It seems easy enought to get to. Sheraton ok? Lanugage skills for drivers and employees? Crime?

Thanks!

Monterrey is perhaps the technological and industrial capital of Mexico, as well as the location of Mexico's MIT, the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey. It is easy to get to, it is largely a modern and clean city, and you will find the Regiomontanos friendly. Crime is low, particularly compared to some areas of Mexico City, which has been impacted by masses of poor, uneducated and largely unemployable people to that city. By contrast, Monterrey has many jobs in technology, assembly, etc. and has the second highest GDP of any Latin American city according to some.

The Sheraton Ambassador Hotel and Towers is located on Avenue Hidalgo 310 Oriente. Hilton Garden Inns are popular and there are several. You will find a full host of modern hotels to accommodate you.

A place to start learning more about Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico is is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey

I would also recommend going to Amazon and looking for books on customs (not border formalities, but cultural dos and donts.) Though Regiomontanos are more like Americans in terms of being on time, being business-oriented, etc. there is still a culture of relationship building.

Two available books include: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Latin America: How to Do Business in 18 Latin American Countries; and, Doing Business in the New Latin America: A Guide to Cultures, Practices, and Opportunities.

Jdiver -

Thanks, that is very reassuring in terms of being able to get there, get the job done, and make everyone successful..

But I'm still not drinking the water!

Jdiver -

Thanks, that is very reassuring in terms of being able to get there, get the job done, and make everyone successful..

But I'm still not drinking the water!

I do not drink the tap water out of habit rather than safety. I do brush my teeth and have never had a problem.

There is bottled water available for free at the Sheraton.

What I did when I had a lot of business in Monterrey was to befriend one of the Taxi Drivers at the Sheraton and then hire him on the side at about $10 USD per hour. I would also tip.

My suggestion is to Find a driver that you get along with and propose this to him. It will save you money over the usual rates and he will make more money in that he does not have to pay the hotel a commission.

I would not recommend driving yourself around in that it is fairly chaotic and you need to know where you are going or you will get temporarily lost. In Monterrey and other parts of Mexico, there are no signs to warn you that such and such exit is coming up next. Also, sometimes you exit from the right and sometimes you exit from the left. People do not let you in, you just move and they avoid you (hopefully). So you will need to find a daily driver until you get comfortable.

Now I really learned the city driving around at 4 in the morning when I had insomnia. That way there is no traffic and you can memorize your routes better.

Good suggestion re: Driver.

I have done that in Bangalore with great results for all concerned. In BLR it's $1/hour, but same idea.

Thanks for the good advice!

Monterrey was my first Mexican city away from the border and not Cancun. I was really impressed as it struck me as somewhat cosmopolitan. There's a pedestrian zone (closer to the Doubletree) that was pretty cool. The old town is really neat. There was an area (going toward Saltillo I believe) that was like being back in Houston...it had a Wal-Mart, H-E-B, and some other American stores.

On that pedestrian zone there was a roasted corn stand that we passed up. I'm still dying to go back and try it.

On that pedestrian zone there was a roasted corn stand that we passed up. I'm still dying to go back and try it.

Corn is fine to eat but do not get the mayo which is traditionally served with it.

In Nuevo Laredo (which has bad water), I was getting my shoes shined in the park early in the day. I noticed a person setting up his food stand and he used tap water to mix a powdered red salsa to put on the corn. That turned me off of street food in Nuevo Laredo for a while.

In Monterrey, they are actually licensed and the water is fine, so it is safer to eat at food stands.

I use to eat right a cross the street from the Sheraton and the food stand infront of the parking lot. Not bad and really cheap for lunch. (Like 2$)