M&C Web Exclusive: Glittering in Abu Dhabi -- Emirates Palace
Oil-rich Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, has
been growing in name recognition and tourist development -- but it's
still overshadowed by Dubai, with its "seven-star" hotels (the
sail-shaped Burj-al-Arab) and earthworks projects (the manmade Palm
Jumeirah islands). Abu Dhabi's crown hotel jewel, the Emirates Palace (
emiratespalace.com), receives much less press.
The $3 billion Emirates Palace looks like it cost twice that much. This
Kempinski-managed 302-room, 92-suite palace looms massively atop its
green hill, stretching more than half a mile from end to end. The hotel
is all gold domes (114 of them) and arches, with a color scheme that
evokes the Arabian Desert's many shades of sand. Inside are acres of
marble, more than 1,000 Swarovski chandeliers and soaring rotundas.
Guest rooms match the public spaces in their opulence, though with
techy notes like 51-inch plasma TVs and touch-tablet controls. Each
room has its own private terrace.
Behind Emirates Palace is a nearly mile-long beach and two pools. The
hotel's Anantara spa has seven treatment suites and features regionally
themed treatments called "journeys," including "Natural Wonders of the
Dead Sea." Emirates has 11 restaurants and bars, Mezzaluna (Italian)
among them. For meetings, the resort has more than 75,000 square feet
of event space, including the Grand Ballroom, with seating for 2,400,
and 32,000 square feet of space for outdoor events.
What sets it apart: Emirates Palace's arch entrance is for use solely
by dignitaries, including current U.A.E. president Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Each room at the Emirates Palace has, in a closet drawer, a prayer mat
with compass, for finding the direction of Mecca -- a U.A.E. equivalent
of the Gideon Bible. -- H.R.S.
In today's rough economic climate, it's important to be cautious about unnecessary spending -- or even giving the impression of excess. But that doesn't mean planners must scrap the idea of organizing a high-end meeting experience. Rather, they can consider low-key luxury resorts, such as the following relatively unsung properties that deliver on the posh while still appearing judicious.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa
Cary, N.C.; (866) 877-4141; theumstead.com
The third-largest city in the Research Triangle conurbation, Cary, N.C., is home to the 123-room and 27-suite Umstead Hotel and Spa, an understated luxury property next to a three-acre lake and surrounded by tall, long-leaf pine trees. The Umstead is a seven-minute drive from Raleigh/Durham International Airport, which not long ago added direct flights from London's Heathrow.
The hotel, which opened in January 2007, is the only North Carolina member of the Leading Hotels of the World and caters to high-end business and leisure travelers. (Famed talk-show host Dick Cavett was staying there when M&C visited.) Its hushed geometric opulence -- all rectangles and clean lines -- recalls the innovative design ethos of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Umstead Spa is a 14,000-square-foot facility with 10 treatment rooms, each of which has a private balcony with views over either the lake or the hotel's manicured lawns. The spa also features a eucalyptus steam room, a coed lounge, a sauna, a whirlpool and a terrace.
Meetings at the Umstead can use 10,200 square feet of airy meeting space, including a 4,015-square-foot ballroom that can be divided in two. Both the ballroom and salon (1,606 square feet) have indoor prefunction space, and both connect to an outdoor terrace that overlooks the lake and lawn.
What sets it apart: The Umstead's restaurant, Herons, has a tempting menu featuring Southern flavors, as well as herbs from its own herb garden.
Throughout the property are more than 80 paintings, sculptures and vases by artists including Dale Chihuly, the famous glass sculptor, and potter Ben Owen.
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa
Taos, N.M.; (800) 828-8267; elmontesagrado.com
Northern New Mexico's Taos Valley was discovered in 1540 by a member of the Spanish expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. The valley was then home to Taos Pueblo Native Americans, who lived in adobe dwellings. That tradition carries on today at El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa, a Native American-inspired, 84-room resort.
In October 2007, El Monte Sagrado, which sits at the base of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, completed an expansion that more than doubled its number of guest rooms and brought total meeting space up to 7,000 square feet. The resort has three types of guest rooms: Taos Mountain Rooms, Native American suites and casitas. All have walls hand-painted by local artists; private patios, courtyards or balconies; and Southwestern-style kiva fireplaces. The 48 Taos Mountain Rooms are done in "mountain chic" décor, with pillow-top beds and flat-screen TVs.
The two largest meeting spaces are the 2,385-square-foot Rio Grande Ballroom and the 1,450-square-foot Sandoval Room. The latter is decorated with artwork by Ed Sandoval, a Taos-area artist who creates colorful yet somehow wistful scenes of his native New Mexico.
What sets it apart: El Monte Sagrado's eco-friendly Living Machine wastewater reclamation system rehabilitates the property's "gray water" by sending it through a series of cleansing wetlands.
Scandinavian Surprise
Stockholm, Sweden, has neither a Ritz-Carlton nor a Four Seasons. What it does have is the Grand Hôtel Stockholm (011-46-8-679-35-00;
grandhotel.se), a 130-year-old, five-star property that recently joined the InterContinental Hotels Group.
The Grand Hôtel Stockholm is a wedding cake of a property, set on the banks of the Strömmen River in full view of the Swedish Parliament buildings and the Royal Opera House. Its 376 rooms (42 of which are suites) come in a range of sizes and styles, all tastefully decorated in a luxurious European style.
Twenty-four unique meeting rooms (for a total of 31,619 square feet of space) make the Grand Hôtel the largest in Scandinavia in terms of conference facilities. The biggest meeting space is the 8,600-square-foot
Vinterträdgården (Winter Garden), which once served as a stable for horses. The two-story room, with vaguely Italianate décor, can seat 800 for a banquet. Last year, the Grand added four new meeting rooms, including the 216-seat Stockholm auditorium and the glass-ceilinged New York room, which can accommodate 95 people.
The most unusual meeting space in the area is not part of the hotel at all. Launched this past May, the SeaLounge is a floating conference center — a 61-foot yacht that can hold up to 44 passengers. -- H.R.S.
Ocean Edge Resort & Club
Brewster, Mass.; (800) 343-6074; oceanedge.com
Cape
Cod luxury resort options are somewhat thin on the ground. One good
choice for a meeting with Cape cachet is the 429-acre Ocean Edge Resort
& Club, in the quaint New England town of Brewster, Mass.
Ninety
of the resort's 334 guest accommodations are near the property's
96-year-old landmark Nickerson Mansion, which is on the National
Register of Historic Places. The remaining 244 are villas, either
behind the mansion (and within walking distance of the beach) or in the
Villages at Ocean Edge, where many overlook the golf course. Shuttle
buses run year-round between the resort's two sections.
The
"mansion side" is set on a bluff overlooking Cape Cod Bay and has a
private 700-foot beach. Recreation options include a fitness facility,
two pools and the Bay Pines Tennis Complex, with five clay courts. But
the highlight of Ocean Edge is the 18-hole, par-72 Nicklaus Design golf
course, which reopened last June after an $8.5 million renovation.
Ocean
Edge's meeting space currently is being doubled with an investment of
$10 million. Adjacent to the Nickerson Mansion, a new 5,000-square-foot
ballroom is scheduled to be completed in March 2009, while the
2,500-square-foot Linx Pavilion, next to the Linx Restaurant and
overlooking the scenic 18th hole, is now welcoming players.
What
sets it apart: The Cape Cod Rail Trail, a scenic 22-mile pathway, runs
through Ocean Edge Resort as it follows an old railroad track through
forests and cranberry bogs.A spa is in the design phase.
The Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; (800) 688-5253; cdaresort.com
Luxury
is probably not the first word that comes to mind when people think of
Idaho. Nevertheless, the Gem State has a number of high-end resorts,
including the 338-room Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort, just 30
miles east of Spokane International Airport.
Coeur d'Alene is
named for the Native American tribe that lived here in the late 18th
century. The resort is next to the 30-mile-long Lake Coeur d'Alene, the
setting for an over-the-water driving range and a floating golf green.
This green, No. 14 of the 18-hole Coeur d'Alene Golf Course, has
players make their tee shot across the water to the man-made island.
After teeing off, golfers board a wooden boat for a ride to the green.
The
$10 million, 30,000-square-foot Spa Coeur d'Alene opened in June 2006.
It has 21 treatment rooms (many of which overlook the lake) and a menu
of treatments that incorporate indigenous Idaho flora such as spruce
and cedar. For men, the spa has a barber shop with a red-leather
Italian barber's chair and a mirror with built-in TV -- a great place
to relax and get a hot-towel shave and a haircut. The shop also offers
sports massages and men's manicures/pedicures.
All 338 rooms at
the resort feature free Wi-Fi, sofas, flat-screen TVs, CD players, and
great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Meeting space is
similarly expansive at Coeur d'Alene: The property has 25,000 square
feet of space and 25 meeting rooms, including a 15,000-square-foot
ballroom. The pavilion at the golf course, with views of the floating
14th hole, can be used for a dinner or reception, as can the resort's
private fleet of boats.
What sets it apart: Countless
only-in-Idaho activities are on offer at Coeur d'Alene Resort,
including huckleberry-picking trips and the Double Barrel Ranch clay
shooting range.
The Spa Coeur d'Alene was designed by spa
architect Tag Galyean, who has designed spas at West Virginia's
Greenbrier and Colorado Springs' Broadmoor, among others.