Business and pleasure don't always mix. But when they do, the results can be magical. That's what successful meetings are all about: finding the perfect balance between functionality and fun, productivity and play, rigor and relaxation. These days, it takes more than a round of golf and a steak-and-cigars dinner to rally, inspire, and reward your high-performing team. And top resorts and destinations around the world are rising to the challenge, with innovative team-building activities, superlative service and facilities, dazzling cuisine, and luxurious accommodations that make doing business a pleasure.
Boutique Appeal
Just imagine holding your next event in an intimate, secluded hideaway built high on a mountain ridge overlooking the Sonoran Desert and four distinct mountain ranges.
That's the allure of Copperwynd Resort and Club, a European-style boutique property nestled between Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, Arizona -- within easy reach of Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, yet miles away from reality as you know it.
With Copperwynd's unique location and brilliant terraced design, each of the 32 guest rooms and eight two- and three-bedroom villas has the same spectacular view. From the moment they enter the serene, spacious lobby, all of your guests will be made to feel like VIP's, thanks to a three-to-one staff to guest ratio. And with every meal, activity, and service, that feeling will only grow stronger.
When it comes to meeting space, Copperwynd offers several options to suit your group's individual needs. For intimate conferences, training sessions, or retreats, the richly detailed Sonoran View Room and Executive Boardroom can comfortably accommodate groups of five to sixty-five, with old-world furnishings and a rustic stone fireplace to season your event with warmth and elegance. For slightly larger groups, the outside terrace can handle up to 25 five additional guests. And for memorable group dinners or festive outdoor gatherings in a breathtaking mountaintop setting, the 5,000-square-foot Event Lawn is without peer.
But the space is only the beginning of Copperwynd's attractions for elite meetings. This Gold List-rated haven is listed among the top 50 resorts in the western United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico by Meetings West magazine, and it's easy to see why. Copperwynd offers the kind of activities and special attractions that great meetings are made of, from its superlative tennis facilities -- headed by Hall of Famer Dennis Ralston -- to a unique Wild West Adventure Package, featuring cattle drives, jeep tours, and guided hikes. Alchemy, the resort's award-winning restaurant, serves up innovative cuisine in a lively atmosphere. But it's a different kind of alchemy your team will experience when they check into The Spa at Copperwynd, where there is literally something for everyone, from an invigorating Hot Stone Massage to loosen weary muscles to a ScenTao Total Body Treatment, complete with a "toe reading."
The Art of the Deal Meets the Art of Living
If your meeting or event demands an urban setting, choose a city venue that creates its own "away-from-it-all" ambiance. Sofitel gives you plenty to choose from, with properties all over the world -- including leading American business cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Each hotel exemplifies Sofitel's core brand values of generosity, responsiveness, and efficiency. Each adheres to the company's standards of design, ambiance, and art de vivre the French art of living. And each is equipped to bring that same level of artistry to your next meeting.
The sleek Sofitel New York offers luxuriously fitted meeting spaces for up to 220 people. And its convenient midtown location puts your event right in the center of the city's cultural heart, with Broadway theater, Carnegie Hall, great museums, and great shopping within minutes of your door. In its spectacular new building designed by the French architect Jean-Paul Viguier, the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower enjoys commanding views of Lake Michigan and sits adjacent to the fabled Magnificent Mile. This shimmering urban refuge can accommodate groups up to 400. And the Sofitel Lafayette Square Washington, DC, resides in a landmark building on the corner of the square bordering the White House. Just minutes from the museums of the Smithsonian, national monuments, and Embassy Row, this property is perfect for meetings of up to 200.
Tucked away behind Sofitel's glamorous facades and luxurious interiors lie vast resources of state-of-the-art technology and incredibly efficient staff. Never mind how much sensory pleasure they may provide; these hotels mean business when you need them to, with adaptable, innovative meeting rooms, top-notch equipment, and dedicated hosts who are tuned in to every detail. The professionals at Sofitel know better than anyone how important the right atmosphere is to success, so there is always a dedicated representative close at hand, anticipating your needs and making sure that your event runs smoothly from start to finish.
Land's End Luxury
The highest level of business service in a setting that suggests total retreat: that's the dream of every meeting planner. And you don't have to travel to the ends of the earth to find it -- just to the end of Mexico's Baja peninsula, where the twin towns of Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, are kissed by the waters of the mighty Pacific and the gentle Sea of Cortez. These two towns, combined with the seacoast "corridor" that links them, form one of the hottest and most rewarding destinations on the planet for sunshine, water sports, golf, sport fishing, ecotourism, nightlife, and more. And with the area's solid infrastructure and world-class hotel industry, you'll even be able to get some business done with complete confidence, thanks to state-of-the-art technology and superlative service. Visitloscabos.org is a great place to start your search for the perfect venue.
Wherever you land in Los Cabos, you'll be faced with a wealth of choices when it comes to activities. Five championship golf courses, designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Roy Dye, and Robert Trent Jones Jr., are set in some of the most spectacular scenery on the continent. Custom-fitted luxury fishing yachts are waiting to take your group out into deep-water canyons, where marlin, dorado, yellowfin, and wahoo await. Diving, snorkeling, and kayaking are as natural as walking here (and there's plenty of that to be done, too -- just be sure to bring your binoculars to spot the abundant wildlife). And if your event takes place from January through April, you can reward your group with an unforgettable treat: watching the majestic gray whales frolic along the Pacific Coast and in the Sea of Cortez, where they migrate every year to bear their young.
Scoring Points with AeroMexico
To reach Los Cabos -- and virtually every other Mexican hot spot you can think of -- in high executive style, you'll want to check out Aeromexico, which flies to more than 40 destinations south of the border. The airline is modernizing its fleet with the addition of brand new 737-700 Next Generation aircraft and offers Clase Premier, a business/first-class service to rival any in the sky.
Clase Premier provides incomparable personalized service that allows you to work or rest with the highest degree of comfort. You'll enjoy courtesy drinks, a special a la carte menu called "Suns and Spices," superlative in-flight entertainment, and many other special amenities, guaranteed to kick off your elite meeting before before you've even arrived at your destination -- and continue it after you've said "adios."
To top it off, with Aeromexico's Corporate Club Premier, a program specifically designed to thank and reward companies for selecting Aeromexico's services, corporations receive dual benefit: points for the company and miles for the employee. For more information about the Corporate Club Premier program, call 1-800-711-2271. For Aeromexico reservations, call 1-800-237-6639 or visit www.aeromexico.com