When the temperature rises, these destinations offer great weather, along with everything else gaming hotspots are known for.Gaming destinations are an irresistible lure for many potential delegates. The excitement can extend to meeting planners, who will find that many gaming destinations are both surprisingly affordable and offer a temperate environment even in the dog days of summer.
Westward ExpansionA long-time favorite of visitors to the American West is Lake Tahoe, the crystal-clear alpine lake shared by California and Nevada. In winter, Tahoe is a prime destination for skiers and snowboarders. In summer, Tahoe is for hiking, biking, fishing, river rafting, parasailing or just smelling the pine trees and enjoying the view.
Harrah's & Harveys Lake Tahoe, with 1,400 rooms on the Nevada side, offers over 42,000 feet of flexible meetings space. "Meet in your own backyard and we'll throw the party," says Stephen Lowe, director of sales. "With Europe so expensive, many companies are looking for luxury, quality, and value domestically."
Lowe says summer is their biggest tourist season, but the hotel does offer discounted group rates. "We do 30 percent group business in the two hotels," he says, adding that midweek rates can be particularly appealing.
"But it's not just about rates, dates, and space, but also about listening to the planner," Lowe says. "In Vegas, you have 300 rooms, you're nothing; here you're a big player. "We developed a number of themed events, such as an ultralounge, based on different generations; from the music to the food of the 25- to 40-year-olds, the baby boomers, and the forgotten generation, born in the 1930s and 1940s." This means providing music from Elvis to Everclear and food from milkshakes and "sliders" (tiny hamburgers) to sushi from the property's 19 kitchens.
Lowe says planners can also get access to private yachts and beaches and Edgewood Golf Course for golf, clubhouse, or beach parties. "Gaming is part of the experience but we have created an environment where you never have to touch the casino."
Convenient to San Francisco and Sacramento by car, the resort is served by the Reno/Tahoe airport with flights by Southwest, American, and Continental. Lowe says, "You're in and out of Reno airport in 10 minutes."
And in Reno, don't miss the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, with nearly 2,000 guest rooms and 200,000 square feet of meeting and event spaceincluding a pavilion with ceilings high enough to host a pole-vaulting event. With a Nikki Beach nightspot and 10 dining outlets that include a Charlie Palmer Steak, Charlie Palmer Fin Fish, and Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante, attendees may not even need to venture outside during their stay.
Yankee ClassicsDespite its name, the Mohegan Sun's southeastern Connecticut location is about 10 degrees cooler than nearby New York in the summer. And even when it's over 90, "It's 72 degrees [inside] here every day of the year," said Christopher Perry, Mohegan Sun's vice president of sales and marketing.
"We're the 'anti-casino resort,' " says Perry. "At Mohegan Sun, you walk straight from the lobby into the convention centera recommendation from our advisory board of meeting planners."
But if gaming is your thing, there are the Native American-themed Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Sky, and Casino of the Wind, which arrived last August, complete with a 42-table poker room. Then there's Mohegan After Dark, a 22,000-square-foot complex of themed clubs like Lucky's Lounge, The Dubliner, and Ultra 88.
Non-gamblers may enjoy the shopping at high-end shops like Coach and Tiffany & Co., while golfers can hit the Mohegan Sun Country Club. Other escapes include the Mystic Seaport area for the aquarium or antiquing, and wine tasting at the Jonathan Edwards winery.
On site, hungry delegates can pick from Bamboo Forest, the Longhouse steak house, Pompeii and Caesar, SolToro Tequila Grill, Jasper White's Summer Shack for seafood, and Michael Jordan's Steak House. "We can accommodate all palates, all budgets and all desires," boasts Perry. The newest addition to the dining scene is Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, with an outdoor deck and event space overlooking the Thames River.
If you've picked up any excess poundage, you can work it off at Elemis, the 20,000-square-foot spa with an indoor swimming pool, 20 treatment rooms, and an aerobics studio.
With 1,200 guest rooms, the Mohegan Sun offers meeting planners 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the 38,000-square-foot Uncas Ballroom, which can be divided into 10 separate meeting rooms. There are 30 conference and breakout rooms, and if you're planning an outdoor event, a 17,500-square-foot sun terrace.
Large groups and exhibitions, events and dinners can also be accommodated in the 10,000-seat arena when the likes of Beyonce, Rod Stewart, and Bon Jovi aren't playing. The smaller Cabaret, dark from Monday through Thursday, is available for buyouts.
Because the Sun claims nearly 100 percent occupancy during summer, Perry says July and August have the lowest group volume. But he notes that the hotel can still offer planners excellent rates, especially when booking groups for midweek dates. In October 2010, availability should increase with the new 920-room Earth Tower.
Nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino offers the same mix of options for gamblers and non-gamblers alike, as well as a variety of accommodation options. Planners can choose from the Grand Pequot Tower, the Great Cedar Hotel, or Two Trees Inn, as well as the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. In addition to fine and casual dining, Foxwoods now offers grab-and-go treats at a brand-new Dunkin' Donuts that opened in January and a new outlet for Connecticut-based Munson's Chocolate.
The MGM Grand features the G Spa, which opened in June of 2008 and is owned by television personality Gretta Monahan. G Spa offers a health and fitness club and 12 treatment rooms where guests can partake of traditional spa services as well as Native American-inspired treatments like a red clay mani/pedi, raindrop massage, or maize body scrub, in a nod to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, who started it all when they opened a high-stakes bingo hall here in 1986Foxwoods still operates the world's largest Bingo Hall.
The MGM Grand boasts the largest column-free ballroom in the Northeast, at 50,000 square feet, and the whole of Foxwoods offers planners 160,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Foxwoods is the largest casino in the U.S.arguably the world, although the Venetian in Macau also claims the titlewith 340,000 square feet of gaming space in a complex covering 4.7 million square feet; it includes six casinos with more than 7,000 slot machines and 400 tables for 17 different types of table games, including 100 for poker.
The Mighty MidwestThe Motor City is the home of the Motown sound, which emerged here when the Supremes, Temptations, the Jackson 5, and many more defined cool. So it's no surprise that Detroit is a cool spot for a summer meeting.
One destination choice for meeting planners is the almost brand-new Detroit MGM Grand, which opened in October 2007. The hotel offers five different lounges and highly rated restaurants like Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina. Mina also created Saltwater (with such dishes as lobster pot pie), which was named "2008 Restaurant of the Year" by the Detroit Free Press. The Wolfgang Puck Grille offers 24-hour room service.
Delegates and spouses alike will appreciate the 20,000-square-foot full-service spa as well as the casino's proximity to area icons like the Detroit Institute of Art.
Guests will find the rooms comfortable and inviting, modern but warm, with accent tones like chartreuse. Meeting planners marvel, "I can't believe I'm in Detroit," said a spokesperson. With both wired and wireless Internet access available, the rooms are also business-friendly.
The convention center boasts 30,000 square feet of functional event space. For smaller meetings and sessions, there are three meeting rooms of 1,600 square feet each, which can be divided in half. Boardrooms feature teleconferencing services, built-in multiple video plasma displays, and high-speed Internet access.
In the heart of the Midwest on the mighty Mississippi River, is Iowa's newest convention space, the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center. Located in downtown Bettendorf, the convention center has more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space, including a grand ballroom, boardroom, and smaller meeting rooms. The convention center, which can accommodate more than 1,400 guests, can be partitioned off in a variety of ways to allow for smaller meetings and events.
The convention center is connected via skywalk to Isle Casino Hotel, which offers more than 500 luxurious hotel rooms, an additional 15,000 square feet of meeting or event space, multiple dining venues, 24-hour casino gaming action, and live entertainment. With more than 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space plus convenient dining and accommodations, the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center and Isle Casino Hotel offer a complete package for groups.
Lumiere Place is more than just hotelsand a casino, it's a gaming, nightlife, anddining hotspot in the heart of historic St. Louis. Located in the center of it all, Lumiere Place is connected by the LumiereLink pedestrian walkway to the Edward Jones Dome, America's Center, and the central business district so weather be damned.
HoteLumiere is a 294-unit all-suite hotel that is seconds from downtown St. Louis and the famous Gateway Arch. The hotel, connected to the casino at Lumiere Place via skywalk, features suites outfitted with two flat-panel TVs, iPod docking stations, refreshment centers, and amenities from Wolfgang Puck and Gilchrist & Soames.
Lumiere Place features 8,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes a 5,400-square-foot ballroom that seats up to 400 and divides into fourths. A garden atrium with a water feature holds cocktail receptions for up to 150, and the hotel also contains directors' and executive suites that seat up to 12.
Northern ExposureSurrounded by the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound, Tulalip Resort Casino is situated on 83 acres within the municipality of Quil Ceda Village on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, conveniently located between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Tulalip Resort Casino is the largest and most distinctive meeting, gaming, dining, entertainment, and shopping destination in Washington State. What began with a bingo hall established by the Tulalip Tribes in 1983 has evolved into a world-class resort destination that includes the Tulalip Casino, with 192,000 square feet of gaming; six dining venues; and the 3,000-seat Tulalip Amphitheatre. Tulalip Resort Casino also features a new 12-story luxury hotel featuring 370 guest rooms and suites, 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, and an elegant, 14,000-square-foot, full-service T Spa, which offers a variety of native-inspired treatments.
Headlining the culinary offerings are Tulalip Bay, featuring cuisine by James Beard House invitee Chef Dean Shinagawa, who blends island flavors with Northwest ingredients, and BlackFish Wild Salmon Grill & Bar showcasing Northwest seafood cooked with traditional Tulalip tribal techniques.
Entertainment options to complete the experience include gaming excitement, live performances at Canoes Cabaret, and the sleek, high-energy Impulse Lounge for enjoying expertly mixed cocktails. Name-brand retail shopping is a short drive away at the Seattle Premium Outlets.
LAS VEGAS WHEN IT'S HOTMany delegates may resist the thought of summer meetings in Las Vegas, where the temperature hit 117 in July, 2005. But the day is for meetings in air-conditioned hotel rooms. At night, temperatures drop into the 70s and make walking the Strip to shows and dining possible. Shopping is a daylong activity, and golfers who can withstand the summer sun have their pick of courses.
"The best deals in Las Vegas are often between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Larger conventions take place in the spring and fall months, which drives up room rates significantly," says Don Voss, vice president of hotel sales and marketing at Treasure Island (now rebranded as TI). "With softer demand during the summer months, room rates are set lower, and added values are available to maintain higher occupancy rates."
Voss echoed representatives from other gaming properties, noting that midweek rates are significantly lower than rates during peak times, with midweek in summer offering the best deals.
"We have seen in the last few years a real uptick in demand for the summer months, especially from the tech sector," says Richard Harper, vice president of sales and marketing at Mandalay Bay. "Still, deals can come in the form of a lower room rate or perhaps a reduced food and beverage minimum. If your dates are flexible, you are even more likely to save your organization money."
Mandalay's big summer draw are its beach and wave pool. The hotel recently completed a three-story Beachside Casino, which offers expanded dining, climate-controlled poolside gaming, and the Villas Soleil, reminiscent of a beachfront estate in Malibu. Says Harper, "With all the entertainment, dining, spas, and retail, you never have to leave and face the heat."
With 1.7 million square feet of meeting and event space, including a 100,000-square-foot pillarless ballroom, Mandalay Bay can handle big meetings. And when the sun goes down, the biggest news at Mandalay is eyecandy. No, not the models/actresses/whatever who make Vegas their second home, but the trendy sound lounge and bar named "eyecandy."
Nothing stays the same in Las Vegas, and the transition of Treasure Island into TI is an example. The hotel recently installed wireless Internet on the entire convention floor and will be adding digital reader boards and meeting room signage so meeting planners can display company logos and event schedules. Voss says TI's 18,000 square feet of meeting space is ideally suited for groups of 20 to 100. But meetings aren't ultimately about space, they're about people, and Voss points to the TI catering and banquets and audiovisual departments as "the main reason TI has received the Pinnacle Award for 10 consecutive years."
TI recently hosted the grand opening of Christian Audigier The Nightclub. Named for the fashion designer, the club features a VIP room with tattoo artwork and glowing jellyfish and an outdoor patio overlooking the Strip. Delegates can feel they're dining with celebrities at the Social House sushi and sake restaurant. And after a night of partying, they'll enjoy TI's new Elite Sensational pillow-top beds.
Originally published April 1, 2009For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events,
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