At Elite Meetings International, we keep close tabs on the hospitality scene. We're privy to details on the hottest properties and the coolest destinations for luxury incentive and meeting groups. Sometimes the news is just too good to wait until the next issue of Elite Meetings magazine. So we decided that from time to time, we'll comb through the best-of-the-best and report back to you.
For this, our first Elite 5 recommendation, we want to let you know about five of our favorite up-and-comers that will surely make your short list. These five resorts represent the crème de la crème in new hospitality arrivals for meeting and incentive groups. They caught our attention with their unique assets, exceptional locations, first-rate meeting amenities, promise of all-around excellence, and, in at least one instance, unabashed mystique.
new hospitality arrivals for meeting and incentive groups.
Our picks include four resorts debuting in 2008: Encore in Las Vegas, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Grand Velas All-Suites & Spa Resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya, and the InterContinental Montelucia in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. And next year, Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California, arrives on the scene. Read on to learn why these resorts made our Top 5 list of new favorites. We're confident they'll become your favorites, too.
Encore
Las Vegas, Nevada
For Steve Wynn's Las Vegas ventures, Act One came in the form of Wynn, his five-star, five-diamond award winner that redefined luxury on the Las Vegas Strip. Wynn's second act comes in the aptly named Encore. On track to open in late December, the resort will bring even more of a good thing to Vegas scene: 2,034 luxe suites, five signature restaurants, 11 designer boutiques, a European-inspired spa and salon, and a sizzling nightclub. By day, the social hub will be the Euro-style pool, highly visible from the casino. The atrium will showcase a lush landscape of palms and other foliage.
Meeting planners will have access to 60,000 square feet of custom meeting space—in addition to the more than 200,000 square feet of space already available at the adjoining Wynn Las Vegas. A column-free ballroom plus all kinds of high-tech audiovisual bells and whistles will be in place when Encore begins hosting meetings next February.
Since the same design team from Wynn Las Vegas is now working on Encore, planners can expect sophisticated surroundings with a casual-yet-elegant feel. Like the Wynn Macau, portions of the casino will use half-walls and cozy nooks to create a feeling of intimacy. Groups should also expect first-rate service performed by happy, knowledgeable staffers. And given Steve Wynn's penchant for surprises, you can expect a "wow" factor for meetings and incentives. For luxury meetings and incentives, we think Encore will surely deal planners a winning hand.
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
In Four Seasons' first foray into French Polynesia, it chose one of the planet's most dramatic settings. On a coral-fringed islet facing Mount Otemanu, the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora unfolds in spectacular style. The resort, slated to open September 1, includes 100 over-water bungalows that string across the lagoon like a Tahitian-pearl necklace. Each thatched-roof bungalow embodies the spirit of Polynesian culture with handmade art, teak furnishings, and wide-open views of the impossibly blue lagoon or sugar-white sand beach. Seven multi-bedroom villas with private pools wait on the beach for families or small groups. In fact, it's the amenities and offerings for groups and their families—combined with Four Season's flair for exemplary service—that make this newcomer one of our favorites.
Unlike other resorts that cater largely to honeymooners, Four Seasons ensured the comfort of groups with strategically placed facilities and features. An indoor meeting room, an open-air pavilion, outdoor terrace, a catamaran, and several beach areas will cater to groups without cramping the leisure set's style.
Like every Four Seasons resort, experienced meeting professionals will tackle all event details. Organized spouse programs may include spa days, Polynesian cooking lessons, and Mount Otemanu island tours with shopping for black pearls. Helicopter tours—launched from the resort's own heliport—offer a bird's eye view of the island's lagoon and forested interior. Beach volleyball, tennis, yoga sessions, swimming with sea turtles, windsurfing, Jet Skiing, deep-sea fishing, and lobster-bakes provide additional diversions.
The resort's crowning glory, its spa, rises above the trees to overlook the lagoon from one side and the Pacific Ocean from the other. Here, the pineapple and coconut exfoliating massage and other Tahitian-style treatments put the finishing touch on a trip to a French Polynesian paradise.
Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort, Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Few destinations rival the Riviera Maya for ensuring a well-attended meeting. With a reliable mix of warm hospitality, sun-splashed recreation, and unspoiled scenery, the Riviera Maya more than merits the enthusiasm. This November, Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort, Riviera Maya arrives on scene, bringing with it all-suite accommodations, all-inclusive dining (including domestic and international premium liquors), and all manner of fun-in-the-sun.
To begin, we like the resort's smart design. One wing houses the adults-only facilities: 92 oceanfront, super-sized suites (each with its own private plunge pool), restaurants, and check-in areas that offer a tranquil environment for execs traveling without their tots. On the other side of the resort, an additional 405 suites—199 overlooking the ocean and pools, 206 overlooking the peaceful mangrove jungle, welcome guests of all ages.
Each of the three resort areas will provide a distinct ambience reflecting its location on the property. Those in the jungle, for example, provide a "sanctuary" kind of experience. Meanwhile, dedicated restaurants, pools, and other facilities mean that group members who want to bring their families can do so without hesitation. A culinary tour of moods and menus ranging from Mexican to Italian to seafood and steak—and more—ensure that even finicky kids can find something to love.
The 18,000-square-foot spa and 24,000-square-foot meeting facility stand in the leafy heart of the Yucatan jungle, a footpath away. Sited for privacy, the cutting-edge convention center houses 28 breakout rooms, two large ballrooms with car-sized elevator access, and a scenic terrace. An on-site audiovisual team fine-tunes everything from the state-of-the-art screen system to lighting, video conferencing, LCD projectors, and simultaneous translation. Meanwhile, a dedicated events expert for every group oversees each event from start to finish to ensure a seamless affair.
Unlike many resorts, butler service doesn't stop where the Club Floor does. At Grand Velas, every guest receives attentive butler service. High-tech gadgets, in-room Jacuzzis, and high-end everything come standard. Like its sister property in Nuevo Vallarta, Grand Velas is aiming for the AAA five-diamond designation. Early indications show promise, indeed.
InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Happily situated between Scottsdale and Phoenix, InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa will offer groups a glimpse of southern Spain when it debuts in September. The resort's well-traveled design team plucked inspiration from the whitewashed villages of Andalucía for its own intimate villages, where 293 guest rooms cluster around tranquil gardens or sun-dappled courtyards. Groups booking 50 rooms in the Oasis Village will enjoy the feeling of a corporate buyout with a pool and entire "neighborhood" all to themselves.
The evocative architecture finds a suitably dramatic backdrop in Camelback Mountain. It dominates views throughout the resort, and takes on a magical glow at night when backlit by the lights of Phoenix. The mountain's protective cloak, coupled with Paradise Valley's dark-sky policy, make Montelucia a perfect location for stargazing. A lifestyle director will head up a stargazing program, which includes constellation seminars and telescopes delivered to your balcony on request, plus such offerings as flamenco dance lessons, sunrise and sunset yoga, and rappelling off Camelback Mountain. For incentive travelers with their canines in tow, a doggie concierge has a full lineup of activities planned for pooches. The agenda includes behavioral workshops, a hike up Camelback Mountain with personal water packs, a swim in the pool, and of course, doggie massage.
VIP groups looking for the ultimate experiential offering can try a trip to the Grand Canyon. But not just any trip. This one involves a private jet for 16, luxury helicopters to land at the bottom of the canyon, and a champagne lunch while there.
Even though the resort feels far removed from the bustling pace, its location places it close to the high-end shops and restaurants of Scottsdale and just seven miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. That gives meeting planners the benefit of a convenient location with a faraway feel.
Terranea Resort
Palos Verdes, California
Terranea Resort won the location lottery when it secured a rare stretch of California coastline for its new development. The resort crowns a peninsula in Palos Verdes, California, a convenient 20-mile drive from Los Angeles International Airport. When it opens in summer 2009, the resort will treat groups to a front-row setting for sunrise and sunset during the year, thanks to its 270-degree views.
Given the commanding views and Southern California's year-round sunny disposition, planners will undoubtedly want to schedule some gatherings outdoors. The 75,000 square feet of outdoor space—including the Palos Verdes Meadows amphitheater and ocean-view lawns and terraces—allow groups to do just that. Much of the 60,000 square feet of indoor meeting space also capitalizes on the views from their centrally located facility.
The resort's Mediterranean-style architecture harmonizes with the natural contours of the land, while thoughtful design elements evoke a sense of history, as if evolved over time. Facility highlights include 582 rooms, an ocean-view spa, 9-hole golf course (plus Trump National just down the road), three pools (one with a 140-foot water slide), and eight food and beverage venues, including a stylish bar with stellar views.
But Terranea is more than just a pretty face. The Palos Verdes peninsula—a onetime channel island until it cleaved to the mainland centuries ago—supports rare flora and fauna. And the folks at Terranea plan to help visitors make the most of it. Hiking trails, on-site naturalists, art programs, even telescopes to spot the migrating gray whale will nurture an appreciation of the area.
Terranea also won our hearts with its environmental stewardship. They've demonstrated their commitment throughout the building process by recycling materials from the footprint of Marineland that once stood there, preserving mature trees from the site, building bioswells, treating storm water, and much more. Such a commitment in the development stage bodes well for planners seeking a likeminded partner in their greening efforts—or for those who simply like their luxury with jaw-dropping views.
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Susan Campbell spent more than a decade covering the luxury hospitality industry as senior editor of Meeting Traveler, Resorts & Great Hotels, and Destination Weddings and Honeymoons magazines before joining Elite Meetings International as Editorial Director of Elite Meetings magazine. |
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