Puntacana RESORT & CLUB is the brainchild of Dominican businessman and hotelier Frank R. Rainieri and Theodore W. Kheel the prominent New York attorney and labor mediator. Both pioneers of Punta Cana tourism, their vision was to create a resort community that respects the natural habitat of Puntacana while offering visitors a world-class vacation experience. Co-developers of Puntacana RESORT & CLUB are celebrities Julio Iglesias and Oscar de la Renta who have made Puntacana RESORT & CLUB their home.
Currently, Punta Cana is the most highly visited Caribbean destination and is easily accessible from all over the globe. Puntacana RESORT & CLUB developed the Punta Cana International Airport, a modern convenient and architecturally exciting facility.
Frank R. Rainieri
Frank Rainieri has received numerous awards. These include the Presidential Citation Award presented to him by Ronald Reagan in 1985 and the "Hotelier of the Year" award by the Caribbean Hotel Association in 1998. Mr. Rainieri served as First Vice President of the National Council on Private Enterprise of the Dominican Republicas, Chairman of the Caribbean Association for Sustainable Tourism and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Hotel Association. He is also the President of the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the environment in Punta Cana. He has dedicated his life to Puntacana and is committed to developing a community with outstanding standards towards nature and comfort.
Theodore W. Kheel
Mr. Kheel received his Bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1935 and graduated from Cornell Law School in 1937; afterwards becoming a member of the New York Bar. In the early sixties Mr. Kheel ventured into a Caribbean resort investment as a co-founder of Puntacana RESORT & CLUB.
A master at conflict resolution, Mr. Kheel was appointed by President Johnson to serve on a mediation panel for racial disputes and later by President Kennedy to resolve labor controversies. He has also served under Governors Rockefeller, Carey and Cuomo in resolving transportation discrepancies and newspaper disputes, and served under New York Mayors O'Dwyer, Impellitieri, Wagner, Lindsey and Beame as a general mediator.
Mr. Kheel is also an accomplished author and has half a dozen publications under his belt. He is the founding father of the Institutes of Collective Bargaining and of Mediation and Conflict Resolution, which are now part of Cornell University and the Earth Pledge Foundation which promotes economic growth within environmental protection. He is a founding member and president of the Foundation on Prevention & Early Resolution of Conflict ,as well as the American Foundation on Automation & Employment which has since become the TASK Foundation.
Julio Jose Iglesias de La Cueva
Julio Jose Iglesias de La Cueva was born in Madrid Spain on September 23rd 1943 to the eminent physician Julio Iglesias Puga and his wife Maria Del Rosario de La Cueva y Perignat.
Julio's education steered far from music. He studied law in hopes of becoming a career diplomat even though his first true love and ambition lied on the soccer field. A remarkable athlete, he later landed his dream job as a goal keeper for the professional team Real Madrid. These dreams however were soon shattered when a near-fatal car accident left him partially paralyzed and unable to walk for almost two years.
During his recuperation at Madrid 's Eloy Gonzalo Hospital, Julio would listen to the radio and write poems, many of which were sad and romantic verses questioning man's mission in life.
Slowly he began to dress his poems with music as he strummed away on an old guitar his father's assistant had given him as therapy to exercise his fingers and pass the time. He soon discovered a new passion that took over his life.
In 1968, Julio surprised everyone including himself by winning the most prestigious song festival in Spain called The Benidorm, where he won with his own composition "La Vida Sigue Igual". This event marked the beginning of a serenade to the world that has never ended.
From that point on, Julio continued to compose music and establish himself as an international superstar. By 1971 he had sold his first million records. Shortly after in 1973, he broke the mark of awards won by any music artist in Spain and Latin America.
Equal to the numerous awards won were the number of times his concerts broke box office records. In Chile, more than 100,000 people attended his concert at the National Stadium of Santiago in 1977.
Throughout the '80's, Julio's career continued to reach unprecedented heights. In 1983, he received the first and only Diamond Record Award ever given to a performer by the Guinness Book of World Records for selling more records in more languages than any other musical artist in history. His first English release in 1984 "1100 Bel Air Place," immediately went multi-Platinum and formed an all-important bridge between European and American Music. In 1985, a star with his name was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In addition to these honors in 1989, UNICEF appointed Julio as Special Representative for the Performing Arts; a title he holds dearly to this date.
He points out that UNICEF supplies an outlet for him to impact the lives of so many he is otherwise unable to reach. "The World has given me so much it's important to give something back," he says.
The man who wrote his first hit over thirty years ago has gone on to garner over 2,600 platinum and gold certifications and sold over 200 million records around the world.
A perfectionist at heart, he is his own worst critic and is always striving to improve his abilities. A record breaker as well as a record maker, Julio delves deeply into his heart and soul with each new project.
In 2003 with the release of Divorcio, Julio Iglesias continued to bring us new ways of looking at and dealing with romance, while also continuing to perform hundreds of concerts in multiple languages around the planet. It is in both this energy, and his capability as the world's foremost singer in matters-of the-heart, that Iglesias will never be equaled, not just in the number of albums sold, but even more so, in the number of lives he has touched around the globe.
Throughout 2004, combined with his promotional tour, Julio conquered the world traveling with Divorcio and his new albums; Canciones de Amor and Love Songs. His world tour began in the United States then led to Paris, Portugal, Denmark and concluded this great tour with completely sold-out concerts in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia.
Julio Iglesias' love toward music and his unconditional bond with the public, gives him strength to remain on stage and continue traveling between continents carrying him to last for ever.
Currently, Julio is beginning his tour in the United States passing through the French Antilles continuing with Latin America and again finishing in Europe and Asia.
Oscar De La Renta
Oscar de la Renta, left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. While living in Spain, he became interested in the world of design and began sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses, which soon led to an apprenticeship with Spain’s most renowned couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga. Later, Mr. de la Renta left Spain to join Antonio Castillo as a couture assistant at the house of Lanvin in Paris. In 1963, he came to New York to design the couture collection for Elizabeth Arden. In 1965, Mr. de la Renta began his signature ready-to-wear label.
To complement the signature Oscar de la Renta ready-to-wear designs, the Fall 2001 runway show marked the debut of Oscar de la Renta Accessories; which include bags, belts, and shoes. The world of Oscar de la Renta also includes cosmetic cases, eyewear, furs, jewelry, lingerie, scarves, and sleepwear. For men, Mr. de la Renta licenses products, including hosiery, sport coats, suits, and trousers. In South and Central America and Mexico there is a Sportswear line for men and boys and OSCAR JEANS, for men and women.
In the fall of 2004 Oscar de la Renta debuted O Oscar, a moderate women’s sportswear line. Most recently, bags, shoes, and sunglasses have been added to the brand. O Oscar is the only designer label of its kind available in the moderate tier.
Mr. de la Renta now also designs for the home. Oscar de la Renta Home debuted a furniture collection and home fragrance collection in 2002. Since then, tabletop, decorative fabrics, wallpaper, bedding, rugs and decorative accents have been added to this prestigious collection.
Oscar de la Renta launched his first perfume, Oscar, in 1977. Today, Oscar is a bestseller in over 70 countries and winner of the 1991 Fragrance Foundation Perennial Success Award. In 1980, he created a fragrance for men, Pour Lui. In 1995, Oscar de la Renta was the recipient of the Living Legend Award from the American Society of Perfumes. In the fall of 1999, Oscar de la Renta introduced Oscar for Men and 2002 marked the debut of Intrusion. In 2004, Oscar de la Renta introduced Rosamor, his latest fragrance for women.
Oscar de la Renta’s talents receive continual international recognition. Among many other honors, Oscar de la Renta received the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2000. In February 1990, he was honored with the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. From 1973 to 1976, and from 1986 to 1988, Oscar de la Renta served as President of the CFDA. He is also a two-time winner of the Coty American Fashion Critic’s Award and was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame in 1973. From 1993 to 2002, Oscar de la Renta designed the haute couture collection for the house of Pierre Balmain becoming the first American ever to design for a French couture house. Oscar de la Renta has been awarded the French Legion d’Honneur as a Commandeur.
The Dominican Republic has also honored its best known native son as one of its most distinguished citizens with the order al Mérito de Juan Pablo Duarte and the order of Cristóbal Colón. In 1996, Mr. de la Renta received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Heritage Society and in 2000 he marched down Fifth Avenue as Grand Marshall of New York City’s Hispanic Day Parade. Also in 2000, Mr. de la Renta received the Gold Medal of Bellas Artes from the King of Spain. Oscar de la Renta has also helped build a much needed school and day-care center in the Dominican Republic for 1,200 children.
Oscar de la Renta is a tireless patron of the arts. He serves as a board member of The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Channel Thirteen/WNET. He also serves on the boards of important institutions such as New Yorkers for Children, the Americas Society, and is presently chairman of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute.
