Spas as Event Spaces

Inner Peace, Outdoors

Sometimes a property's setting is so beautiful, it's best to take spa-inspired concepts outside. At the 166-room Caneel Bay (rosewoodhotels.com/en/caneelbay), a Rosewood Resort on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, there's no formal spa, and the M'Ocean Studio, which features yoga and meditation, accommodates only about 10 people. But there are plenty of yoga mats to go around if a group of up to 50 wants to conduct a guided morning meditation with a refreshing breakfast outside. -- S.B.

Massage-chair stations, smoothie breaks and other wellness components have been a staple at events for years. Now, a new trend is bringing groups into the spa itself, rather than taking spa elements to the meeting room. Beyond welcoming guests for individual appointments, resorts are recognizing that their wellness havens can double as unique event facilities.

"We're seeing the spas really partner with the groups that are in the hotel," says Lynne McNees, president of the International Spa Association in Lexington, Ky. "They're hosting everything from book clubs and having an author in for a book signing to conducting cooking demos, nighttime yoga and Zumba classes after dark."

Even a small reception in a spa lobby can be a calming experience for attendees. "The number-one reason people go to a spa is to learn how to handle their stress," says McNees, citing research from PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Taking any event to the spa, whether there's a treatment or not, even just walking through the doors, the smells start the relaxation process. So any part of the meeting you can put into the spa helps."

The following properties have hosted a number of creative events in their luxurious spa facilities.

Kohler Waters SpaThe American Club Resort
Kohler, Wis.
americanclubresort.com

The incredible golf courses at the 241-room American Club Resort are an undeniable draw, but the 25,000-square-foot spa here is equally attention-worthy. In 2005, the facility added a rooftop room featuring a coed whirlpool, a 16-foot fireplace and a deck -- ideal for group events of 20 to 30 people.

"In the winter, when it's dark early, it's a lovely space," says Linda Machtig, marketing manager of the Kohler Waters Spa. "We move the chaises out and do wine tastings there, complete with a wine educator."

Another popular group activity, called Yogi and Toes, involves guided stretching and mini pedicures. "For a corporate group, we could easily customize the event," says Machtig, "putting everyone in loose casual clothing and picking movements that the group is comfortable with."

Tucked away on the main level of the spa is the relaxation lounge, where aestheticians can teach groups how to create the perfect bath, for example, or vendors of the spa's skin care and makeup lines can provide mini treatments. The facility's director of wellness businesses, Jean Kolb, has done presentations on the link between wellness at work and wellness at home, and a vodka vendor once held a martini tasting in the room. When the spa is closed, the space can hold 200; when it's open, the room accommodates about 30.

In May, the American Club reopened the 55-room Carriage House above the spa, following a renovation. The property offers six top-notch golf courses, including Whistling Straits, site of the 2004, 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships and the 2020 Ryder Cup. For meetings, there is a resortwide total of 27,000 square feet of space.

Spa DjangoHyatt Lost Pines
Bastrop, Texas
lostpines.hyatt.com

Set next to the 1,100-acre McKinney Roughs Nature Park (and only 30 minutes from vibrant Austin), the Hyatt Lost Pines is an oasis on the Colorado River, and the 18,000-square-foot Spa Django helps underscore the quiet beauty of the surroundings.

The Texas climate makes any season perfect for an evening event at the spa, but it's especially inviting in summer, when the sun lingers. Director of sales Kim Britton recalls two events that incorporated the facility's outdoor pool and can be duplicated elsewhere. The first was held at the spa's outdoor pool for a group of 25. Moroccan-inspired tents were decorated with white-leather furniture; glow balls floated on the pool, and Moroccan food was prepared to order. For entertainment, musicians seated on the floor played traditional Middle Eastern tunes, while belly dancers moved through the crowd in a blur of spangled scarves.

For a larger corporate group of 150, "metropolitan chic" was the theme. Tables glowed white on the patio, and white lights illuminated the pool. The sophisticated menu included sushi, cosmopolitans and martinis, and a Sinatra playlist entertained the crowd -- all under a starry sky.

The 491-room Hyatt Lost Pines features more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space and 230,000 square feet of outdoor function space. Among its amenities are the Wolfdancer Golf Club; hiking, biking and jogging paths; an equestrian center; and canoeing, kayaking and rafting on the Colorado River.

Well & Being at Willow StreamFairmont Scottsdale Princess
Scottsdale, Ariz.
scottsdaleprincess.com

The desert sanctuary at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, the 44,000-square-foot Well & Being at Willow Stream, is made for pampering, but it also has areas created with events in mind.

The atrium, for example, includes a full demonstration kitchen, complete with video monitors, perfect for a group of about 100 people in rounds. "It's like filming at the Food Network," says Pam Gilbert, the property's director of sales and marketing. "Our executive chef, David Morris, has a passion for making nutritious food taste good, and he does a lot of the demos."

The spa also makes a great place for a post-meeting event. "Sometimes a core group of organizers who have worked on the conference do a recovery after-party for about 50 people," says Gilbert. Chair massages and mini-treatments are offered and healthy cocktails served. "It's a nice way to unwind and say thank you."

When the group needs to get to know each other, a novel ice-breaking exercise combines Laughing Yoga (striking poses while actively laughing) with Aerial Yoga (where participants form positions with the help of Cirque du Soleil-like ribbons hanging from the ceiling). "It's hard not to feel upbeat and focused on the moment," says Gilbert. "It's a great way to start the meeting."

A rooftop pool with cabanas is often the site of more traditional evening cocktail events for 35 to 50 people.

With the opening of the property's new Palomino Conference Center last year, the 648-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is now the largest meetings resort in the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts portfolio, with a total of 156,000 square feet of event space, including two 23,000-square foot ballrooms, 47 meeting rooms and 50,000 square feet of outdoor space.

LaniwaiAulani, a Disney Resort and Spa,
Ko Olina
Oahu, Hawaii
bit.ly/13S9Wwd

From the moment Aulani opened in August 2011, groups have been using the Laniwai spa as a spot for evening events. The draw here is the 5,000-square-foot Kula Wai Hydrotherapy Garden, with its frangipani tree and other native Hawaiian flora, and the adjoining 500-square-foot relaxation room.

After spa hours, the facility welcomes private events for up to 150 people. Most popular is the "Afterglow" dessert event accompanied by fresh juices and "healthy" drinks, such as the Anti-oxidant Cocktail, made with Absolut Berri Acai Vodka, Rain Organics Red Grape Hibiscus Vodka, fresh lemon juice, pomegranate and lychee flavoring, and KonaRed Hawaiian Superfruit Antioxidant Juice.

With traditional Hawaiian music helping to set the mood, lights suspended in the trees, and the whirlpools and outdoor treatment spaces lit by flickering candlelight, the relaxation vibe is strong, enhanced by Laniwai staff available for foot massages and neck-and-shoulder rubs.

Last September, Disney began enhancing the resort even further, adding a new kids' splash zone and two quick-service dining spots. Work is expected to finish up this summer, along with the final build-out of the property to its ultimate total of 840 rooms, suites and villas. A new, larger lawn for events is among the planned additions. Aulani currently offers a total of 50,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Spa & SalonFour Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas
Irving, Texas
fourseasons.com/dallas

The 431-room Four Seasons got into the spa game long before terms like "hot stone massage" and "aromatherapy" entered the meetings lexicon, opening in 1986 with the first full-service spa in the Four Seasons portfolio.

Lately, the spa, with its 16 treatment rooms, has catered to many women-only events -- executive retreats that start with a morning meeting, followed by lunch and an afternoon at the spa. Creative activities round out the agenda, such as "Croquet and Chardonnay," with wine and hors d'oeuvres set out on the pool deck and a  game taking place on the lawn.

The pool deck is ideal for meetings or meals at a long table, and the deck also has been used for evening events incorporating a cigar roller and a tropical mojito bar.
The Four Seasons features two golf courses -- the TPC, which hosts the PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship each May, and Cottonwood Valley. The property also has approximately 34,000 square feet of meeting space, plus 12 tennis courts, four pools, a 6,000-square-foot fitness facility, two restaurants and three lounges.