The sumptuous pool at the Salish Lodge
& Spa outside Seattle
As the nationwide competition for meetings business
heats up, more top-of-the-line hotels are turning up in
cities that sometimes fail to make the A list in planners’ site
selection itineraries. Indeed, some of the hospitality industry’s
best-kept secrets are luxe, lavish resorts tucked into beautiful
settings within an hour’s drive of better-known destinations. The
following pages feature some of these properties, all of which
prove that when it comes to accommodations, second-tiers can lay
out a first-class welcome mat.
Amelia Island Plantation
Amelia Island, Fla.
(904) 261-6161
www.aipfl.com
Built in the early 1970s’ flush of environmental awareness,
Amelia Island Plantation glories in surroundings of 1,350 acres of
live oaks, Spanish moss and salt marshes. Guests stay in one of 249
rooms at the Amelia Inn or in one of 411 additional rooms in a
“village” of one- to three-bedroom villas.
On-site meeting accommodations also take full advantage of the
resort’s natural setting. In addition to 48,000 square feet of
indoor event and pre-function space, the Plantation has a
10,000-square-foot tented pavilion for open-air functions.
Attendees can fly into Jacksonville International Airport and
take the half-hour ride to the resort with Jacksonville-based First
Coast Arrangements (www.firstcoastarrangements.com), which can
provide town car or limo service.
As with any island retreat, the recreational possibilities of
water are a big draw here. Guests can join a fishing expedition
that leaves from downtown Amelia Island, or go horseback riding on
a strip of unspoiled beach. Got a group with its feet planted
firmly on the ground? The resort offers shuttle service to the
downtown district, a shopper’s paradise with its quaint Victorian
collection of small stores and boutiques.
The Plantation added a spa in 2001, and the facility offers
treatments ranging from the decadent like a couples’ massage to the
esoteric. The signature treatment, Watsu, is a form of massage
during which the bathing-suit-clad subject floats in a pool of
water alongside the therapist.
Attendees also can unwind on three well-manicured 18-hole golf
courses as long as they don’t mind sharing the fairway with
majestically nonchalant herons and egrets.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Atlantic City
(866) 692-6742
www.theborgata.com
The fabulous Borgata, which opened last July, channels the
spirit of Atlantic City’s storied past. Everything at the
2,002-room property, from the retro-glitzy 125,000-square-foot
casino to a steak house the Rat Pack would relish, is designed to
impress, and that includes the 70,000 square feet of lavishly
appointed meeting space.
The property offers a wealth of recreational options to help
guests unwind after the day’s business is done. The spacious casino
features Las Vegas-style table games and a variety of slot machines
for high rollers and novices alike. Non-gamers can sit back and
take in the nightly parade of shows, many featuring dazzling
headliner acts.
For those who develop slot-machine elbow, soothing relief can
be had in the plush 50,000-square-foot spa. Rev up your energy for
more work or play at any of the Borgata’s 11 different dining
options, offering a selection of cuisines that spans the culinary
globe.
The signature Old Homestead Steakhouse offers the thrill of the
absurd, with a $19 Kobe beef hot dog and other indulgences for
carnivores who feel flush, while the Suilan eatery tempts the taste
buds with eclectic Asian-French fusion fare.
Elms Resort & Spa
Excelsior Springs, Mo.
(800) 843-3567
www.elmsresort.com
This 153-room retreat has had its share of famous and infamous
guests over the years. President Harry Truman spent the fateful
election night of 1948 here; heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey
trained here; alternative businessman Al Capone likely placed bets
here while relaxing at the pool; Rockefellers and Roosevelts also
have graced the historic hotel’s guest register.
The existing property is actually the third incarnation of the
Elms, which originally opened back in 1888. After the first two
buildings burned down, the current edifice was constructed of more
durable native Missouri limestone and opened in 1912.
Today, the hotel offers 12,000 square feet of meeting space, as
well as the innovative, customizable Pathways team-building
program. From wall climbing to scavenger hunts, a variety of
options let each planner pick and choose the activities to best
motivate a specific group. For unwinding, there is a
10,000-square-foot spa and a fine-dining restaurant where guests
are encouraged to linger; a complete five-course steak dinner
easily can clock in at more than two hours.
In downtown Kansas City, within a 30-minute drive, groups can
pay homage to local jazz legends Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker
with a sojourn to the blocks surrounding 18th and Vine, the
renovated Jazz Age epicenter of creativity and nightlife. Here, the
American Jazz Museum (www.americanjazzmuseum.com) showcases the
creative talents of all the great musicians while offering an
atrium that can be rented out by private groups of up to 1,500.
Grand America Hotel
Salt Lake City
(800) 621-4505
www.grandamerica.com
After opening in March 2001, just in time for Salt Lake City’s
hosting of the Winter 2002 Olympics, the 775-room Grand America
quickly established itself as a larger-than-life retreat for
travelers of all stripes.
Salt Lake City is all about wide-open spaces, and in this
expansive property, standard rooms are a whopping 700 square feet;
a trio of presidential suites top out at 2,000 square feet
each.
Meeting space is plentiful as well, with 74,000 square feet,
some overlooking snow-dusted mountains. The view inside is just as
impressive. Old-World touches abound, from French cherry furniture
to Milanese chandeliers. Guest room bathrooms are outfitted in
Italian marble.
Outside on the equally brilliant mountains, guests can ski down
some of the same slopes as Olympics star Picabo Street; Salt Lake
City is a 45-minute drive from the Grand’s sister property, the
Snowbasin Ski Resort, where a number of the Winter Games were held
and where ski enthusiasts find the powder is first-rate.
Nonskiers can have an adventure tramping through the
backcountry on snowshoes or practice their footwork on the
ice-skating rink. After a day on the slopes, work out the kinks
with a massage or a rest in the sauna at the hotel’s three-level
Grand Spa.
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
San Antonio
(210) 647-1234
www.hillcountry.hyatt.com
Set on 200 acres and only a 20-minute drive from downtown San
Antonio, the Hyatt has come a long way from its former incarnation
as a working ranch some 100 years ago. The cattlemen of yesteryear
would hardly recognize their old stamping grounds, which today
offer 500 Southwestern-style guest rooms, including 57 sumptuous
suites, and 24,326 square feet of meeting space. Add to that a
four-acre water playground and a nearby 18-hole golf course (to be
expanded by nine holes this summer) ringed by groves of majestic
oak trees.
Windflower the Hill Country Spa is an on-site, Texas-sized
retreat with a down-home sensibility. In a nod to the state’s
storied frontier past, the facility is set in a replicated red
wooden barn, with a varied array of antiques adorning the 21
treatment rooms. The peach-pecan body scrub is just one treatment
that adds a dash of local color.
Arrange for an excursion to downtown San Antonio’s River Walk,
a waterfront collection of boutiques, galleries and eateries, many
of which feature locally popular Tex-Mex staples. Not in the mood
for chilies if the often-humid climate already has you sweating?
Then kick back with a margarita and watch the sleek sightseeing
gondolas glide by.
Hyatt Tamaya Resort
Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
(505) 867-1234
www.tamaya.hyatt.com
Although the Hyatt Tamaya opened in January 2001, the site is
steeped in more than 1,000 years of history as the homeland of the
Tamayme people. Set on more than 500 acres in a ruddy landscape,
with the Sandia Mountains as a backdrop, the resort is a mere
20-minute drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city.
A Southwestern influence is reflected in each of the Tamaya’s
350 guest rooms and 21,650 square feet of meeting space. Groups
that really want to embrace the region’s stark beauty can hold
special events in the hotel’s 8,000-square-foot outdoor tented
ballroom, which overlooks the mighty Rio Grande.
For post-meeting play, the Twin Warriors Golf Club has a
picturesque 18 holes amid cultural sites that include ancient caves
and archeological digs. In addition, the Tamaya Mist Spa &
Fitness Center offers yoga instruction for groups or private
sessions.
New Mexico’s 19 Native American pueblos and three reservations
give groups many opportunities to enrich their knowledge of this
historic culture. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (www.indianpueblo.com) in Albuquerque offers tours of
these and related sites, while the facility’s comfortable 260-seat
theater stages vivid demonstrations of Native American dance, arts
and other traditional rituals.
Miramonte Resort & Spa
Indian Wells, Calif.
(760) 341-2200
www.miramonte-resort.com
Although the 210-room Miramonte is a relative youngster, having
opened in 1998, the resort is designed in the same Spanish-colonial
style as much of neighboring Palm Springs, which has been on the
hipster map since nearby Hollywood’s 1930s golden age.
The sprawling Tuscan-village layout has room for 12,000 square
feet of meeting space, and an 8,000-square-foot ballroom is on the
drawing board for completion in 2005.
The Miramonte also has Old World relaxation built right in,
with softly bubbling fountains and terra-cotta roofs. Serenity is
mirrored in the new spa facility, named the Well, scheduled to open
this month. Among its signature treatments: the colorfully odd mud
bar, where guests can choose a therapeutic mud to paint on
themselves. Think of it as upscale bonding with your inner child.
Prefer divots to dirt? Nearby sister property, the Golf Resort at
Indian Wells, offers 36 holes of challenging play.
The Palm Springs Tramway (www.pstramway.com), hailed as an engineering
marvel when it first opened in the era of Sputnik, still carries
visitors up nearly 11,000 feet to the summit of Mt. San Jacinto. At
the top, enjoy a banquet while overlooking the beautiful Coachella
Valley. The facility also has small conference facilities for
groups of up to two dozen.
Salish Lodge & Spa
Snoqualmie, Wash.
(800) 272-5474
www.salishlodge.com
Although only 35 miles from Seattle, the upscale-rustic
sensibility of the Salish Lodge & Spa is a world away from the
hustle and bustle of the city. Chase away the rainy-weather chill
with a cozy fire (all of the resort’s 91 guest rooms come equipped
with fireplaces). Groups can get down to business in Salish’s 4,500
square feet of conference space.
The lodge’s Adventure Center is a great way to get attendees to
bond in the great outdoors. The well-trained staff coordinates a
variety of hiking, rafting, kayaking, fishing, mountain biking and
climbing excursions for groups of all ability levels. And if all
that unspoiled mountain air gives guests an appetite, they can
feast on local produce and free-range meat prepared with a deft New
American touch at one of the three on-site dining options. Order a
bottle of local Pinot Noir and enjoy the view of towering granite
mountains.
For an educational spin on wine, Salish offers an on-site
sommelier who can walk groups through the fine art of swirling,
sniffing and sipping different vintages during private tastings.
Off site, the state of Washington offers about 275 wineries ripe
for exploration.
Westin Diplomat Resort
& Spa
Hollywood, Fla.
(954) 883-4000
www.diplomatresort.com
This venerable resort, formerly called the Diplomat, was an art
deco magnet for stylish mid-20th century socialites. After a
decade-long restoration and expansion, the resort reopened to
general acclaim in 2002. A new sleek façade mirrors the resort’s
view of the Atlantic, a strip of beachfront away.
Only a 10-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood
International Airport, the property is as accessible as it is
aesthetically pleasing. And with 998 guest rooms and a total
209,000 square feet of meeting and function space, the Diplomat is
able to accommodate large groups with ease.
For VIP-level pampering, sister property Diplomat Country Club
& Spa offers 60 guest rooms, golf, tennis and an expansive spa
where guests can get pampered to their hearts’ content.
Connected by a pedestrian skybridge is the new Diplomat
Landing, a retail and dining development that made its debut in
late 2003 with a colorful array of high-end shops and
indoor-outdoor eateries. Diners can enjoy views of the Intracoastal
Waterway or head over to the adjacent marina for a dinner cruise or
a fishing excursion.