WHERE TO PLAY, MEET, AND MINGLE
Mohegan Sun
Not only does Mohegan Sun have a luxury hotel, spa, pool, and golf offerings, but it features one of the largest casinos in the world. The casino boasts nearly 5,500 slot machines and 325 table games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, poker, and a state-of-the-art race book.
Connecticut Convention Center
The largest convention center between New York City and Boston, the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford has more than 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, and 25,000 square feet of meeting space. The Center's 110-foot glass atrium dramatically rises 10 stories above a grand public plaza and a tree-lined riverfront esplanade that overlooks the Connecticut River.
Sheffield Island
This location in Norwalk is great for off-site social events that can include New England clambakes, walks on the beach, and strolls through a nature preserve. A scenic 45-minute cruise takes guests from Norwalk along Long Island Sound coast to the island. Once there, the group can tour the 1868 Sheffield Island lighthouse that showcases 10 rooms of period furniture, offering a chance to see what life was like for the families of 19th-century lighthouse keepers.
For a peek at what Mohegan Sun's Executive Pastry Chef Lynn Mansel is creating, go to bit.ly/smManselVideo
When a group meets in Connecticut, it is a big fish in a medium-sized pond. That means a great deal of personalized attention. A compact state, Connecticut is located in Southern New England between New York City and Boston, with convenient access by car, bus, train, or air. More than 23.5 million people live within a two-hour drive of Hartford, the state's capital.
Connecticut has a wealth of historical and cultural attractions, most of which can be used as unique venues. The state also boasts two of the world's largest casinos: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. Situated on 185 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, the 1,175-room Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville offers over 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 38,000-square-foot, pillar-free Uncas Ballroom, and a 10,000-seat arena, both of which were designed with input from meeting planners. Foxwoods, in Ledyard, has 150,000 square feet of meeting space and 2,200 guest rooms across four hotels.
Hotel News
An EVEN Hotel opened in Norwalk in June. A green hotel, EVEN has 129 guest rooms. It was designed to help guests maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling, with an abundance of natural light and open space.
The 350-room Radisson Hotel Hartford, formerly the Ramada Plaza Hartford Downtown, is in the process of renovating its lobby, lounge, and guest rooms. The hotel has 13 meeting rooms, encompassing 8,815 square feet of space including state-of-the-art boardrooms.
The 82-room Saybrook Point Inn and Spa, overlooking Long Island Sound, added a new guest house in May. Located across the street from the main inn, it was formerly a family home built in 1890 and features eight guest rooms, a living room, dining room, and gardens.
The 193-room Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury has 15,000 square feet of meeting space and completed the second phase of its three-phase renovation in May. The revamp included all guest rooms, lobbies, and meeting rooms. The third and final phase, to include the restaurant, lounge, and fitness center, is expected to begin in January 2015 and will take no more than six weeks.
ESSENTIAL Tool Box
CONVENTION CENTERS & FACILITIES
Connecticut Convention Center (540,000 sf); XL Center (68,000 sf); Foxwoods Resort Casino (150,000 sf); Mohegan Sun (100,000 sf)
ROOM TAX
15 percent (includes CT's 6.35 percent sales tax)
READERS RECOMMEND
Pinnacle Awards Go To:
• Foxwoods Resort Casino
• Mohegan Sun
Front Street
The long-awaited Front Street entertainment complex in downtown Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut Convention Center, opened in 2012 and continues to expand. The complex includes a Spotlight Theatre, showing first-run and classic films, as well as a restaurant. Late last year, a Capital Grille Restaurant opened in the complex, joined by Ted's Montana Grill in May and Nixs Hartford, a branch of a popular Boston restaurant, which opened this summer. Infinity Music Hall & Bistro Hartford, a dining, concert, and entertainment complex, also opened this summer.
In airline news, JetBlue introduced nonstop service to Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in June, and United Airlines will introduce daily nonstop service to Houston-George Bush International Airport this month.
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This article appears in the October 2014 issue of Successful Meetings.