The wide-open spaces of Montana have captivated Americans since settlers first laid eyes on Big Sky Country. And while the state is tremendously appealing in the abstract, the reality is a bit of a mystery and people aren’t entirely sure what they’ll find. Cowboys? Dude ranches? Brad Pitt fly-fishing the Blackfoot River?
Montana has in fact managed to walk the line between respecting and revering its wildlife, through both the national park system and impassioned residents, and developing sophisticated offerings that appeal to the discerning visitor. And perhaps the biggest draw in the state for the meetings and incentive crowd is The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough. Set among 37,000 virtually unspoiled acres — yet a mere 30 minutes from the Missoula International Airport — this property has rustic luxury nailed.
With the recent unveiling of the 10,000- square-foot technologically top-notch Bull Barn meeting and event space (constructed in the property’s actual cattle barn, which long housed Black Angus bulls), Paws Up has a total of 100,000 square feet of indoor meeting space for groups. Other spaces include a 16,000-square-foot exhibit hall designed to accommodate the likes of automotive exhibits, a 200-seat auditorium, and a 10-seat boardroom in a turret with views of the property.
“Most of our groups are looking for something different — not unusual, necessarily, but something they haven’t done in the past,” says John Romfo, the property’s director of sales and marketing. Which was precisely the case for Jenna Paseka, director of key accounts for JNR Incorporated, who coordinated an incentive for a luxury automotive group at the property largely because it offered something unexpected.
“The client challenged JNR to offer a destination experience that engaged their workforce to be highly motivated, which in turn would deliver outstanding sales performance results,” says Paseka. “They wanted a unique location that [neither] the group nor their competitors had been to before.”
The group of 100 — 25 winners, along with spouses and children — ended up having not only a motivational incentive trip, but what many participants remarked was “the best family trip they had ever taken because they explored and participated in outdoor activities together,” says Paseka. “The winners work very hard to earn the incentive reward, often spending extra hours away from loved ones, so to have a four-night trip in a luxurious wilderness estate, bonding with loved ones among the diverse landscape in Montana, is one they will cherish for years to come.”
This particular group was right in the sweet spot for Paws Up, which Romfo says is between 50 and 100 attendees — a figure that allows them to maintain a feeling of intimacy.
Paseka’s client rotates events among beach, mountain, and cruise destinations, and was particularly impressed with the accommodations at Paws Up, which include two- to four-bedroom homes and one- or two-bedroom luxury tents.
“On the site inspection I could see that the resort was well-appointed and that the service and operation levels were similar to what our winners and guests have come to expect in other four- and five-star hotel brands we have chosen previously for the incentive program,” explains Paseka, who ultimately determined that the Paws Up “commitment to luxury aligned with the client’s brand identity, which is why I thought it was a strategy for success all around.”