One of the nation's first resorts, The Greenbrier, in White Sulphur Springs, WV, offered fishing, sleigh rides, horseback riding, and a spa from its earliest days; a gun club, golf, and indoor swimming arrived early in the 1900s; and now there's even falconry and kayaking. Trend-spotters notice new resorts following suit and similarly providing a surfeit of alternatives.
"When you take people away from their families and ask them to be in a meeting, the bonus is giving them wonderful recreation options," says Cheryl Dewland, director of sales and marketing at the Resorts at Crystal Springs, including the nearly complete 250-room Grand Cascades Lodge, in Hardyston, NJ. An hour from New York City, the mountain-ringed property offers golf on six courses, tennis, horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, hiking, and fishing among other sports. The new Adirondack-style lodge, with full conference center, has three-season pricing: Summer is peak; April and August are shoulder; November through March is "the softer season," says Dewland.
Planners generally don't allow much time for recreation, says Dewland. Typical is a financial company that will do a teambuilding event on the golf course and an evening event around the fire pit. Even so, available activities include bald eagle watching and wine appreciation. Next month the Reflections Spa opens; and the unique "Biosphere" pool offers year-round indoor/outdoor swimming, as well as event space.
Suncadia is another example of this trend. Located on 6,400 acres in Cle Elum, WA, 80 miles east of Seattle, it consists of an 18-room inn (with a location that will make golfers' fingers itch), and a lodge (opening next month) with 254 privately owned suites and penthouses, of which some 230 can be booked.
Guests pursue flyfishing and tubing on the river that runs right through the property, as well as biking and hiking on 50 miles of trails. In winter, miles of groomed cross-country trails beckon, as does a tubing hill with a rope tow. An 18,000-square-foot swim and fitness center is operating, and the spa opens in June. As for golf, there are two courses open, and another in the offing for 2010.
"The real 'wow' for planners is the scope of things to do," says Jack Schmidt, vice president, regional director of sales and marketing. He says group rates in the winter midweek run $159-$169 for the same accommodations that command $300 in peak summer.
Years ago, the Mount Washington Resort, in Bretton Woods, NH, was closed in the winter. "They put the sheets on the furniture," says Pat Corso, president. But since the 1990s, when the resort bought a nearby ski area, it has been "in the four seasons business."
However, not many meetings book in the winter. Corso is betting that will change when Mount Washington unveils 20,000 square feet of new meeting space in December, along with a 25,000-square-foot spa. A highlight of a winter meeting could be a sleigh ride or guided snowshoeing along the Zeeland Overlook. There are 100 kilometers of groomed trails for skiers and great downhill skiing too.
The Adventure Center offers activities from geo-caching to rock climbing. "We're a teardrop inside the White Mountain National Forest," says Corso. Much of the activity is conducted by the Appalachian Mountain Club, whose mission involves educating visitors about the weather, the geology, and the forest.
"Just like golf was an incredible boom back in the late '80s and early '90s, I think eco-tourism and engaging the outdoors is the beginning of a long-term trend now," says Corso. "Hopefully we can play a role in creating awareness and helping educate" meeting attendees.
According to Suzanne Fanch, co-owner of the Devil's Thumb Ranch, "100 percent of groups do some type of recreationsnowshoeing, snow rides, hayrides, hikingoften to start the day or during afternoon breaks."
Situated on 5,000 acres 70 miles from Denver and eight miles from Winter Park Ski Resort, the ranch has been busy adding a 52-room lodge and a spa (with eight treatment rooms) that's like a delightfully overgrown log cabin. With a picture-postcard view of the Continental Divide, Devil's Thumb, whose niche is "sustainable luxury," attracts incentive groups, financial meetings, strategy meetings, and eco-conscious nonprofits. "Almost every group has some kind of custom experience," says Fanch.
The resort area of North Lake Tahoe has been gradually becoming a year-round destination, says Jason Neary, director of sales for the area's VCB, GoTahoeNorth, and now has a plethora of activities, from full-moon Parka Parties at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe's fire pits to year-round ice skating at the Squaw Valley Olympic hockey rink. And the fabulous scenery makes the area appealing, no matter what the season.
Neary says savings are 40-percent to 60-percent off winter rates in spring and fall.
For a full slate of activities try the Hyatt (which has just completed a $62 million renovation and added the Stillwater Spa) and the Resort at Squaw Creek (which has put $55 million into renovations).
Originally published April 01, 2008
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