Stone Brewing, one of San Diego's favorite craft brewers, this month unveiled plans for the first microbrew hotel. Stone Hotel, slated to open in early 2018 and costing $26 million, will occupy a 13-acre site in Escondido, CA, and boast an 8,000-square-foot ballroom and 10,000-square-foot rooftop garden and pool deck, ideal for beer-loving meeting groups. It will also offer amenities such as Stone Brewing bars of soap, cabinets sized for growlers of beer, and a complimentary pint of hotel-exclusive beer upon checking in.
But while Stone Hotel will be the first microbrew hotel, it's hardly the first property to embrace the local craft beer scene. A number of hotels offer beer-themed amenities or specials that can enhance a meeting or event, leveraging Americans' thirst to create memorable experiences that drive attendee satisfaction higher than the head on a poorly poured pint.
Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center (Denver, CO)
The brand-new Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center in Aurora, CO, offers 249 guest rooms and over 36,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 11,750-square-foot grand ballroom. For beer lovers, however, the hotel's most exciting offering is its partnership with Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora's first craft brewery. Opened in 2005, the award-winning brewery is best known for its signature Dry Dock Amber Ale, which groups can sample at Dry Dock's North Dock space, called "The Dock." Located just five miles from the Hyatt Regency -- which has partnered with Dry Dock to host groups seeking a unique offsite venue -- The Dock is one of two production facilities maintained by Dry Dock. It includes a 40-barrel brewhouse that groups can tour; an outdoor 18-hole Frisbee golf course and nine-hole Frisbee green disc golf course for teambuilding experiences; and taps dispensing 10 rotating varieties of craft beer for meeting attendees to sample at all times.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Several Kimpton properties around the country showcase local breweries during happy hours every day from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Because of its location in San Diego County -- home to a whopping 117 breweries -- the 211-room Kimpton Hotel Palomar San Diego makes notable gestures to promote local beers. The hotel offers a "venture out" add-on to meeting packages that sends meeting attendees on their own private version of San Diego's popular "Brothels, Bites, and Booze" tour, a 2.5-hour walking tour through San Diego's famous red light district that includes food and beer tastings from some of downtown San Diego's best restaurants and microbreweries. The hotel's sister property, the 235-room Hotel Solamar, offers the same option.
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)
Although Mexico is best known for its tequila, anyone who's enjoyed a Corona on the beach or a Modelo Especial with fish tacos knows that Mexico also deserves props for its cerveza. Among the many meeting venues that pay homage to Mexican beer is the 67-room Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in historic downtown San Miguel de Allende. The hotel recently launched an Artisan Beer Tasting program that takes guests on a citywide tour of local breweries, including Cerveza Allende and Cerveceria Dos Aves. Afterwards, the hotel's chef treats attendees to a special meal showcasing local ingredients alongside specially selected craft beer pairings.
JW Marriott Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids, MI)
You don't just have to drink beer to enjoy it. Case in point: the 340-room JW Marriott Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids, MI -- named "Best Beer Town" and "Best Beer Scene" by USA Today for its Beer City Ale Trail, which boasts more than 40 breweries -- celebrates the city's favorite beverage not only at its bar, but also at its spa, where meeting attendees can choose from two spa treatments inspired by local brewers Brewery Vivant and Founders Brewing Co. The 50-minute Brew Pedicure includes a beer footbath, a hops and barley scrub, hot towels, a cooling mask, a massage, cuticle and nail care, and a beer to enjoy during the pedicure. The 80-minute Brew Polish & Massage includes a beer-inspired body scrub, an aromatherapy massage, and a gift card for a beer of the guest's choosing.
Empire Farmstead Brewery (Cazenovia, NY)
For a different kind of beer experience, check out Empire Brewing Co.'s recently opened Empire Farmstead Brewery in Cazenovia, NY, outside Syracuse. Along with a 60-barrel brewhouse where meeting attendees can learn about and sample beer, the 22-acre property -- the largest farm brewery on the East Coast -- features working fields where Empire grows hops, barley, rye, wheat, vegetables, herbs, and fruits for use in the brewing process. Groups can tour the fields and brewhouse alike to learn about the entire beer supply chain; enjoy a meal at the Backyard Beer Garden, with farm-to-table food featuring produce grown onsite; and hike or bike the Burlingame Trails, consisting of 216 acres of woodland adjacent to the farmstead. For accommodations, the recently opened Hampton Inn & Suites Cazenovia -- Cazenovia's first major-brand hotel and conference center, with 80 rooms and 5,000 square feet of meeting space -- is just two miles down the road.
Sentinel (Portland, OR)
First built in 1909, the historic, art-infused Sentinel hotel has introduced an offering that combines Portland's famous microbrewery scene with one of its best-known landmarks: Powell's Books, the largest independent bookstore in the U.S. Through the end of the year, attendees are invited to secure a "Books and Brews" package, which includes a pair of all-day light-rail passes, a map of the city's Brewery Block, a $20 gift certificate to Powell's Books, and a turndown service that includes a six-pack of local beer. In addition to this package, the property offers 23,000-square-feet of event space, the top-notch restaurant Jake's Grill, and a stunning collection of original art and black-and-white photography.
Alyeska Resort (Girdwood, AK)
Hidden in a tree-covered valley in this small Alaskan town just a few miles south of the bustling meetings-ready city of Anchorage, the 304-room Alyeska Resort includes more than 9,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, as well as an additional 15,000 square feet of special event space. It's F&B offerings aim to match its natural surroundings, with a number of dining spots, including casual Aurora Bar & Grill, Sakura Asian Bistro, and the AAA-Four-Diamond Seven Glaciers, arguably the best restaurant in the state. The resort has now partnered with local King Street Brewing Company to create exclusive seasonal "Alyeska Brewskis." This summer saw the introduction of the Hopfenweizen, a German-style Hefeweizen with the citrusy hops more characteristic of an IPA.