Venues: New Meeting Options

Spas, team-building and beautiful scenery may be just what your clients want

Despite a couple of years of a tight economy, new and expanded venues are being developed in a number of places around the country. The owners and managers of these venues are optimistic about the future—and the need for face-to-face professional meetings and personal events.

Sundance Turns a Parking Lot into Meeting Space

This summer, an environmentally friendly building with nearly 3,500 square feet of meeting space will open on what has been a parking lot for staff members at Sundance Village in Utah. “The Redford Conference Center is a necessary addition to the Sundance Village,” says Chad Linebaugh, general manager. “This new building will offer additional opportunities to groups that want to experience the serenity of Sundance for their retreats, conferences and weddings.”

The conference center will include meeting space, reception areas, wrapping patios, a large group fireplace and a full-service catering kitchen.

With the opening of the new conference center, Sundance also did a multi-million dollar renovation to its lodging rooms, a collection of mountain suites situated across the slopes of a canyon. “Sundance’s unmatched natural beauty has always been its greatest asset,” says Linebaugh.
Actor and director Robert Redford bought the land for Sundance in 1969. Since then, the small onsite general store has become a multi-million dollar catalog operation and Redford’s regular get-togethers with friends and colleagues to watch new films has become the internationally recognized and influential Sundance Film Festival.

Redford is known for his concerns for the environment and the new conference center reflects that. The building will have geothermal heating and cooling and was built using every possible environmentally friendly building practice. Redford vetoed the original plan for the building when he saw that it would require taking out a line of trees. The building now is smaller and fits with the native pines.

Resort amenities include:
• Several dining sites, from elegant to casual—including picnic options.

• On-site planners to help clients host everything from business meetings to large parties to intimate gatherings.

• A spa that blends Native American traditions, natural products and human touch.

• A gallery, Sundance Art Shack, with seasonal displays and rotating workshops.

• A nature center, with field trips, lectures, guided hikes and workshops.

• Mountain recreation, including downhill and cross-country skiing.

• Arts activities, from the Sundance Film Festival to concerts and festivals throughout the year.

For more information about Sundance, go to www.sundanceresort.com

Balancing Work, Wellness and Wilderness

Trips to the spa, learning about nutrition, experiencing new wellness treatments or hiking through mountain meadows aren’t usually linked to corporate or business workshops but there is a new trend in planning corporate meetings. It’s about balancing work, wellness and wilderness. At Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel in Vernon, BC, clients can have it all.

Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel, which opens this spring, has meeting space for small to mid-size meetings in a variety of venues. More than 6,460 square feet is available for meetings and events. The Austria Ballroom can hold up to 250 guests. The Vienna, Salzburg and Wattens rooms can be configured in theater or classroom style. Each meeting room offers professional multimedia services.

A special feature is a wing of the hotel with 17 executive suites that have breathtaking views. It’s perfect for small incentive groups or corporate retreats. A private 20-person boardroom services the wing and offers the latest in meetings technology.

Besides the scenery and the accommodations, the Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel offers onsite services to promote the balance between work and individual health, from seminars or presentations on personal wellness to time in the pools saunas (seven of them!) and steam rooms. And then there’s the spa, which will have more than 100 treatments available. The resort also will offer consultations with physicians, nutritionists, physiotherapists and spa practitioners to enhance each guest’s stay.

A member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts, the resort is located in Vernon, a city of approximately 35,000 residents in the Okanagan Valley. The valley is recognized for its majestic mountains, refreshing waters, lush vineyards, world-class golf and skiing and one of the warmest climates in Canada. Sparkling Hill Resort is the neighbor of Predator Ridge Golf Resort, permitting guests to indulge in wellness, relaxation and championship golf during 
their stay.

For more information about Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel, go to www.sparklinghill.com

Secluded in the Heart of the City
Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego has a fresh new look this spring, following an extensive $20 million renovation of its 462 bungalow-style guestrooms and expansive bay front meeting facilities.

A pristine island retreat in the heart of San Diego, Paradise Point is known for its intimate residential-style bungalows. It has an exotic South Pacific-style motif, inspired by lush tropical gardens of hibiscus, palms and bougainvillea, set against a breathtaking waterfront backdrop.

The resort’s spacious accommodations range from the 5,000-square-foot presidential suite to the 450-square-foot standard guest rooms. Each room is outfitted with chic marble or granite bathrooms, flat-screen plasma TVs and wireless internet access, as well as private patios. Many suites also offer extensive wet bars and dining areas.

The refurbished meeting facilities have sweeping views of either San Diego’s Mission Bay or the lush tropical gardens of the resort. Design details of the meeting facilities include dramatic inlaid wood ceilings, natural slate and river stone flooring, mother of pear and walnut wall paneling, abstract light fixtures, carpeting in a curvilinear pattern, oversized chandeliers, rattan and bamboo accents and striking modern art—all with a subtle Asian flavor.

A popular destination since 1962, the resort was originally known as Vacation Village and built by successful Hollywood producer and real estate developer Jack Skirball. It became Paradise Point Resort & Spa in 1999. Secluded yet centrally located, the resort is just minutes from San Diego’s top attractions. The property is managed by Seattle-based Noble House Hotels & Resorts.

Resort Amenities include:
• Indoor and outdoor dining options.

• A serene and luxurious Asian-inspired spa.

• A fitness center and five swimming pools, among them a beautiful lagoon pool with a sandy beach area.
• More than one mile of sandy beach.

• A private marina.

• A freshwater lake.

• An 18-hole putting golf course.
For more information about Paradise Point Resort & Spa, go to www.paradisepoint.com