Gaylord Redux: The storied Nashville resort is reborn
In Nashville, the 2,881-room Gaylord Opryland reopened in November 2010
after historic flood waters shut the place down last May. The resort
underwent a massive $270 million cleanup and refurbishment that
included a renovation of 700 rooms and a revamping of its 600,000-plus
square feet of meeting and event space.
Because Opryland's meetings and conventions business accounts for
roughly 80 percent of its revenue, catering to planners is a priority,
says Michael O'Connor, CMP, vice president of conference management at
the resort.
"During the renovation, we invested a lot of resources to enhance the
meeting experience, from creating a grand sense of arrival to the
check-in process and the revamped restaurant offerings," says O'Connor.
The Opryland now has five new food and beverage options on hand:
• Ravello serves Southern Italian fare in a business casual
environment. Menu options range from grilled lobster with a blood
orange butter sauce to hearth-fired meatballs.
• Serving Mexican cuisine to be paired with margaritas and
house-infused tequilas, Solario features casual dining with an outdoor
patio option under the Opryland's Garden Conservatory atrium. The
restaurant's famous guacamole de aguacatre appetizer is prepared
tableside using a traditional molcajete, the Mexican version of a
mortar and pestle.
• Adjacent to the resort's man-made waterfall, the Falls bar and lounge
also offers a tapas-style menu, desserts and coffee drinks.
• The Conservatory Bar serves premium wines on tap in addition to cocktails and an extensive beer list.
• Cocoa Bean Coffee, the resort's new coffeehouse near the Cascades
lobby, offers baked goods, sandwiches and café-style beverages.
For entertainment, attendees will find myriad options within the
property, including the 20,000-square-foot Relache spa and the Las
Vegas-style Fuse nightclub that serves up cocktails and tapas around
its chic lounge, while partygoers hit the dance floor.
Off-property, other Gaylord attractions include the 18-hole Gaylord
Springs Golf Links, the Grand Ole Opry music hall, and the
66,000-square-foot Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville that features
a dance floor and stage, along with rentable space for private events
for up to 5,000 people. Be sure to sample the saloon's famous fried
pickles.
The four resorts showcased here are all new, U.S.-based and state-of-the-art from stem to stern, including guest accommodations, meeting space, dining and recreation options.
Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, at Ko OlinaOahu, Hawaii
resorts.disney.go.com/Aulani
Opening: August 2011
Guest rooms: 358 (plus 481 villas)
Meeting space: 50,000 square feet
In August, Disney's first resort not attached to a neighboring theme park will open on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Aulani will feature 358 guest rooms and 481 two-bedroom villas across its 21 oceanfront acres. As part of the Ko Olina resort area, Aulani is adjacent to an 18-hole golf course designed by Ted Robinson (available to guests for a greens fee), the 43-acre Ko Olina marina and more than 1.5 miles of beach, all accessible via a one-mile walk, public bus or short taxi ride.
Unlike Disney's other resorts, Aulani's design and overall atmosphere come from the established traditions of an indigenous culture (albeit with a dash of Disney panache). "When you step onto a Disney property, you're stepping inside of a story, as if it were a movie, a play or a poem," explains Joe Rohde, senior vice president and creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering. "The difference this time is that it's not our story. It's a Hawaiian story."
Indeed, Aulani prides itself on the way it incorporates Hawaiian culture, tradition and history into the guest experience. "We know that this is a resort, not a school, but for those inclined to learn about the real Hawaiian culture, they can talk to our expert staff, go on an guided excursion or just walk around the property," says Rohde.
A massive collection of Hawaiian art is displayed around the resort, with native designs also incorporated into carpets and even light fixtures. Interactive games based on Hawaiian folk tales are scattered around the property, and depictions of Hawaiian legends are subtly embedded within the landscaping, public spaces and guest rooms.
Even the presence of well-known Disney characters are employed to redirect the focus back to Hawaii, notes Rohde. Here, Mickey and Goofy are not so much attractions as they are fellow tourists, clad in T-shirts and lugging baggage while wandering the property and sightseeing.
Included in the property's circa 50,000 square feet of meeting space are a 4,640-square-foot ballroom, a 2,875-square-foot junior ballroom that can be divided into four meeting rooms, and 3,520 square feet of prefunction space. To take advantage of Oahu's climate, Aulani features nearly 35,000 square feet of outdoor event space, including three lawns with ocean views and a courtyard adjacent to indoor meeting space.
For R & R, the resort offers some unique water features, including the Waikolohe Lazy River, which lets guests float in tubes along a winding adventure course; the Rainbow Reef, a saltwater lagoon for snorkeling among Hawaii's richly varied marine life; and the Conservation Pool, a reservation-only attraction where guests can pet and interact with stingrays and other sea creatures. All proceeds from the latter support local research and conservation efforts around the Hawaiian Islands through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Also on-site are two sizeable swimming pools and four whirlpool spas.
Aulani's 18,000-square-foot spa features 15 treatment rooms, offering traditional Hawaiian therapies using native herbs and other ingredients, and a fitness center.
For dining, the resort's Makahiki and ‘ama‘ama restaurants offer Hawaiian-inspired fare, seasonal, sustainable ingredients and line-caught seafood. The ‘Olelo Room features tropical drinks, fruit-infused sangrias and Hawaiian beer flights.
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & SpaSan Antonio
jwsanantonio.com
Opened: January 2010
Guest rooms: 1,002
Meeting space: 265,000 square feet
Set on 600 acres of rolling hills, lush meadows and bubbling streams, the 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa opened in January 2010, just 20 minutes from San Antonio International Airport and downtown San Antonio.
Here it's all about the great outdoors, given a rugged landscape and a humid subtropical climate that rarely goes below 60 F. Groups large or small can enjoy a 100-acre bird sanctuary on-site, several miles of hiking trails, guided excursions through the countryside, GPS-driven team-building activities and a rugged five-mile mountain-bike ride.
The resort's River Bluff Water Experience encompasses everything from a leisurely inner-tube ride along a lazy river to a 275-foot plunge down one of two Acequia Tube Slides.
Golfers can enjoy two 18-hole courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman, with views of a 750-acre nature preserve next door. Practice facilities include a driving range and a short-game area where PGA professionals can help groups and individuals with their swing.
After some time under the sun or on the trail, guests can find a moment of respite at the 26,000-square-foot Lantana Spa, featuring 26 treatment rooms
The resort has 265,000 square feet of meeting and event space that includes a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 21,000-square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet across 19 breakout rooms.
Among several outdoor event spaces are a 23,000-square-foot lawn adjacent to the conference rooms and, at the heart of the resort, a 30,000-square-foot lawn that has waterfall and golf-course views.
The JW Marriott's epicurean offerings include two main restaurants: Cibolo Moon features casual fare like chicken fried steak sliders and bison meatloaf with Brazos Valley macaroni and cheese, while the Rivertop Grill offers regional flavors in items such as fish tacos on freshly made tortillas or frito pie with Texas chili and salsa fresca. Other options include the sports-bar fare of High Velocity and the fresh organic flavors of the Crooked Branch lobby bar.
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The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek RanchSaratoga, Wyo.
brushcreekranch.com
Opened: October 2010
Guest rooms: 21 cabins, 13 lodge rooms and a large communal bunkhouse
Meeting space: 9,000 square feet
Originally
the private retreat of hospitality magnate Bruce White, the Lodge &
Spa at Brush Creek Ranch opened to the public last October. The
expansive 13,000-acre, all-inclusive resort sits in the heart of nature
between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain ranges in Wyoming's North
Platte River Valley, next door to the million-acre Medicine Bow
National Forest.
The property offers plush guest
accommodations amid a humble backcountry locale. Each of nine log
cabins come with two or three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a dining area,
a living area with a potbelly stove or fireplace, a washer/dryer and
two bathrooms. Smaller accommodations include 12 restored one-bedroom
cabins (for up to four people each) that date back to the original
homestead's founding a century ago, 13 rooms within the
36,000-square-foot main lodge and a two-level bunkhouse for communal
stays of up to 26 guests.
Given the resort's relatively small
guest-room count, complete buyouts accommodate up to 125 people and
trigger discounts of anywhere from 15 to 60 percent off the rack rate,
depending on the season.
Brush Creek Ranch offers 9,000 square
feet of function space, though nearly anywhere on the property could be
turned into event space, says Mike Williams, the resort's executive
vice president and COO.
For receptions, the ranch's
2,165-square-foot Cowboy Chapel and Dance Hall is a converted hayloft
featuring a built-in stage and 10 rows of church pews that can be
pushed aside to create a dance hall. Additional spaces include two
boardrooms, several outdoor decks, a 4,000-square-foot recreation
center that can be transformed into a meeting hall, and the
1,245-square-foot Homestead Room.
Groups can hold events around
a campfire or in any of five 700-square-foot, comfortably furnished
yurts pitched in the nearby wilderness, accessible via horseback, wagon
or snowmobile and ideal for candlelight dinners.
Dining is
strictly family-style on communal tables, just as activities are
group-oriented, whether paintballing or hiking. "Everything we do here
is team building," says Williams. "The communal nature of the ranch and
the resort's all-inclusive format cultivate a unique collective spirit
for groups."
Guests can fly-fish in the North Platt River and Brush
Creek or take part in sporting programs that include clay shooting,
skeet shooting and archery. Winter sports include snowmobiling,
snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, while less strenuous activities
include sledding, tubing and ice skating.
The property's
900-square-foot Trailhead Spa features two indoor treatment rooms, an
outdoor tepee, a steam room, a sauna and an outdoor hot tub. Treatments
incorporate indigenous ingredients from the American West that include
heated basalt stones to alleviate stress, and essential oils from the
ylang ylang and sandalwood plants for massages. (Note: Spa sessions are
the only activities not included in the package.)
Meals
alternate between the Timber Hearth Grill in the main lodge and the
open-air Chuck Wagon log structure, with dishes running the gamut from
smoked chicken to barbecued ribs to Rocky Mountain summer squash and
foraged mushroom lasagna. The resort's wine cellar offers some 2,800
bottles.
Next door to the Chuck Wagon, the Saloon offers a
take on the old-fashioned western watering hole, complete with swinging
doors, a fireplace, billiards and a piano, updated with a jukebox and a
50-inch plasma TV used in karaoke.
The closest airport is
Laramie Regional, which is a 90-minute drive away, while Denver
International takes three hours to access. Private air options are
available at facilities in Saratoga, Wyo., just 13 miles away.
Montage Deer ValleyPark City, Utah
montagedeervalley.com
Opened: December 2010
Guest rooms: 220
Meeting space: 50,000 square feet
A
40-minute drive from Salt Lake City International Airport and perched
atop Utah's Empire Pass, Montage Deer Valley opened this past December.
All 220 guest rooms come lavishly equipped with gas fireplaces,
private balconies and stone bathtubs. Strategically positioned, the
property offers ski-in/ski-out access to Deer Valley, the number-one
ranked ski resort by Ski Magazine for the last four years.
In
addition to skiing Deer Valley's slopes, guests can traverse the
starkly beautiful landscape via snowcat, tube, ice skates, snowmobile
or dog sled. It's also fun (and instructive) to watch world-class
athletes train in Nordic jumping, bobsledding, luge and skeleton at
nearby Utah Olympic Park.
During the summer, activities include
kayaking, canoeing, river rafting, water skiing or sailing along the
3,000-acre Jordanelle Reservoir. The nearby Provo and Green rivers
provide prime real estate for fly-fishing, while golfers can access
several championship-caliber courses for a fee. The resorts's
35,000-square-foot spa with 29 treatment rooms is open year-round.
Montage
Deer Valley offers more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor
meeting space, including two lawns with mountain and valley panoramas.
Indoor space includes two ballrooms spanning 4,300 and 2,500 square
feet, respectively, a 1,100-square-foot function space and a
575-square-foot boardroom, in addition to four smaller meeting rooms.
Apex,
the signature restaurant on-site, offers farm-to-table fare, including
pan-seared sustainable Chilean sea bass with chive potato gnocchi, and
marinated loin of venison served with goat cheese, beets, pearl onions
and huckleberry sauce.
For a more casual setting, Daily's Pub
& Rec is a mountainside gastro-pub featuring pool tables, darts,
vintage arcade games and bowling. Dishes range from brick-oven pizzas
to chicken pot pie and can be paired with a selection of beers from a
local microbrew menu.
Featuring handcrafted cocktails and fine
wines by the glass, the Vista Lounge and Terrace offers a concise food
menu that includes free-range chicken croquettes and roasted tomato
soup, along with live music.