Whether it is a board meeting to brainstorm a strategy for the coming year, a retreat to generate a creative solution to a problem, or a trip to pump up the sales team, there are remarkable destinations throughout the United States and just off shore that fit the bill.
Nothing inspires, invigorates, and motivates more than a beautiful change of scenery. And right here in the U.S. we are surrounded by distinctive, glorious locales -- enticing and close at hand, offering the perfect combination of service and setting.
The setting for your next meeting doesn't have to be exotic or far-flung to have maximum impact. The experience need only incorporate some key components. "Some of the hot destinations these days for high level meetings are places like Las Vegas, Southern Florida, Arizona, Palm Springs, and The Bahamas," says Jerry Janove, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Orlando-based Resort Meetings Consortium, a buying group for corporate and association meetings. "They are hot because they have the right combination of assets: Ease of access to really high quality resorts and plenty of activities."
Impeccable Facilities and Service
Another ingredient these elite corridors have in common is a devotion to establishing an environment where serious business can be accomplished. Often this means elegantly appointed boardrooms on the club level, providing both privacy and safety for VIPs. And the latest in technology is a crucial component, but with equal emphasis on aesthetics. Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts' new "Art and Tech Design" concept typifies the blend of high tech and high touch elements that flow throughout the guest rooms and meeting space.
At Marriott Hotels and Resorts, meeting rooms and guest rooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access, offering unprecedented levels of connectivity and productivity. Perfect for real-time, interactive training sessions, posting event schedules, and conducting secure chat sessions, the availability of STSN connectivity is a tremendous advantage. Marriott's technology support staff will even shed new light on product displays and speaker lecterns with Lights Fantastic, a computer-generated collection of dazzling lighting effects.
Whether it's a meeting at the White House or a creative brainstorming session by the sea-access and location are key. With more than 110 independently owned luxury hotels and resorts that provide the highest standards of quality and service, Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide offers a range of properties perfect for both business and pleasure. Six blocks from the White House, the newly-opened Washington Terrace Hotel features ergonomic chairs, data ports and personal workstations while the Montage Resort and Spa, another Preferred Hotels and Resorts property in Laguna Beach, offers an on-staff marine biologist who is available to introduce guests to the history and natural habitat of the adjacent coves.
Business in Paradise
Strictly leisure destinations are turning on the charm for meetings, building and renovating resorts to cater not only to vacation travelers, but to the needs of meeting groups. Not so long ago the Caribbean wasn't on the short list for high level meetings, but that has changed over the past several years as the various islands have come to realize the value of meetings business to their economy. One recent board of directors meeting chose a luxurious golf resort in Puerto Rico not only for its renowned service and sporting pursuits, but because it had an Internet-ready convention center and guest rooms. Teleconferencing capabilities made it possible for speakers unable to attend the meeting to be in the midst of the action and the executives, known for their constant need for e-mail, were able to stay in touch with the office.
It's All In the Details
A customized approach to both service and amenities throughout a meeting is a vital component to making those attending feel special. The range of possibilities in tailoring the meeting experience to individual likes and dislikes is as far reaching as the imagination. Janove often asks each person to fill out a form when they register for the meeting, which gives him a profile of each meeting participant to use throughout the meeting program. The guest room is then personalized to the individual's tastes and needs prior to arrival. That could mean anything from stocking the fridge with favorite drinks and snacks, to placing preferred toiletries in the bathroom.
Sometimes the entire focus is to create something the well-heeled attendees wouldn't do on their own. Even corporate favorites like Hilton Head Island, replete with luxury enclaves laced with golf courses, provide new adventures that complement the classic meeting pursuits. Outside Hilton Head offers half-day, full-day, and overnight programs on a private island that incorporates hiking, kayaking, a ropes course, and other nature-based team-building exercises.
Exclusive Access
Included among the myriad entertaining options possible in the destinations popular with high level meetings are incomparable experiences exclusively available to groups. Taking over a private mansion to make it their own, corporations can tailor a special event to the tastes of their group. Vizcaya, a vast Mediterranean-style villa built of coral rock in Coconut Grove in 1912, is one Miami's most sought-after settings for private parties. The bachelor who built it brought in furnishings from all over the world, such as 11th century doors and intricate tapestries from Europe, so the mansion has a stately historic feel even older than its 100 years. Groups can use acres of formal gardens, expansive terraces overlooking Biscayne Bay and the lights of Miami, and a variety of more intimate areas.
One recent group of 350 dined out on the terrace, then created the unexpected element of a gentlemen's club in the courtyard. Leather chairs and sofas were brought in and cordials, cigars, and martinis served. Guests could linger over dinner outside and listen to the band or come into a clubby atmosphere in the courtyard.
Spectacular Spas
An increasingly important component of the destination where discerning meetings convene is the spa. Far beyond the basic massage and facial "for the ladies" of days past, these new generation facilities spread forth an amazing variety of holistic and customized experiences. The new Spa at Sundance, at Robert Redford's Utah resort, opened with treatments inspired by Native American traditions and products incorporating ingredients grown at Sundance Farms. At Le Meridien Cancun's Spa del Mar, everything from an exotic fruit and honey body wrap or a "beach moonlight" massage, to Tai Chi and Tae-Bo classes are available. Groups meeting at Loews Coronado Bay Resort can actually arrange for the spa experience to extend to the guest room. A staff member creates an experience from the resort's "bath menu," such as Rejuvenation, which includes a botanical balancing Epsom salt bath, scented candles, eucalyptus lotion, and a strawberry banana smoothie.
It is even possible to design a spa program to complement the outdoor activities of the group. At the new Ritz Carlton Beaver Creek, just outside of Vail, a day of white water rafting can end with a hydrotherapy treatment aptly named "The Roaring Rapids." Aching muscles are soothed in a jacuzzi tub, as the water jets simulate class one, class two, and class three "rapids" similar to the river. And after a day of snorkeling or hiking, groups at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows on the Kohala Coast can experience Hawaiian healing methods using volcanic ash, hot stone therapies, and Thalassotherapy with seaweed wraps and baths.