The St. Regis San Francisco

San Francisco, California

In a world mired in cookie-cutter design and ho-hum aesthetics, The St. Regis San Francisco won us over with its artful approach to hospitality. Clean lines and sophisticated interiors by Toronto-based firm Yabu Pushelberg, plus a gallery’s worth of art adorning both public and private spaces, establish a mood of creativity throughout. What’s more, its superb proximity to a dozen cultural institutions, including the adjoining Museum of the African Diaspora, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, places the greater art world at guests’ feet. Union Square, with its cable-car access and high-end shops and designer boutiques, waits just five blocks away. For meeting professionals planning off-site events or looking to make the most of participants’ downtime, the hotel’s SoMA-district location is a sure bet.

The same can be said of the St. Regis San Francisco’s event staff. Their top-notch team of professionals is all about customization, consistently dreaming up new ways to host events in the hotel’s various venues. The Yerba Buena Terrace, for example, offers a private perch above the fray for open-air (or tented) events and receptions. Luxury car manufacturers often entrust their product launches to the hotel, in part for “easy” crane-access to the fourth-floor venue. A work by local artist Raymond Saunders, digitized onto glass, adds an inspirational focal point to the space.

Indoor meeting facilities, including the ballroom, build in lots of natural light and whimsical touches—such as tree-branch chandeliers. Other artistic touches that set a highbrow tone include the Lobby Lounge’s paintings “Love” and “War,” perhaps best appreciated while sipping a Bloody Mary, a St. Regis bartender’s invention dating to 1934.

Even cuisine here has an artistic edge. Ame (pronounced ah-may) is the brainchild of chefs Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumaniand, the team that brings you the much-acclaimed Terra restaurant in Napa Valley.

Pan Pacific Vancouver

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Y

ou often hear of great urban hotels described as
cities within cities. In the case of the Pan Pacific Vancouver, it’s more like a grand land-based ocean liner—endlessly gracious, multifaceted, and guaranteed to provide smooth sailing for any visit to Vancouver.

Part of Canada Place, Vancouver's harbor-front heart, the hotel rises from the Vancouver Convention Centre and a cruise-ship terminal serving luxury liners. The complex itself resembles a giant seagoing vessel with its long, low-slung midship area, 23-story hotel tower like a ship's bridge, and "hull" holding the cruise-ship terminal. Five fiberglass "sails" billow from one level of the roof—an iconic sight with a definite sense of place. Happily, the hotel, which starts on the eighth floor, offers views above and beyond any ships that happen to be in port.

While the harbor area generates a buzz of activity (and first-rate people watching), inside the mood remains calm, cool, and collected. The theme of smooth sailing extends throughout the hotel and includes a 400-person staff that speaks some 60 languages. Café Pacifica anchors at least two of the weekend’s highlights: an Opera Buffet with live music and the Sunday morning Market Brunch.

With its proximity to the convention center, a seasoned and loyal staff, and 23 years of experience, you can bet Pan Pacific knows how to treat a group. We like the event space for groups—all 21 rooms’ worth, with 70 percent flooded with natural light and city, harbor, and North Shore Mountain scenery. Plus, now that Canada’s only rapid transit system has opened, navigating one’s way from the airport is a breeze. The SkyTrain takes riders from Vancouver International Airport to the Waterfront Station, just a stone’s throw from the hotel.

Vancouver's high-end businesses, shopping, nightlife, marina, and Stanley Park all wait within steps of the entrance as well—as do sailing, rowing, and strolling along the 12-mile harbor-front seawall. Or your group members can take a different tack and dive into the Pan Pacific Fitness Club, the eighth-floor seawater pool, or Spa Utopia on the cruise ship level. What more can we say but bon voyage?

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

Los Angeles, California

Awicked sense of humor meets uncommon beauty in SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. And that’s one reason we find it irresistible. Each of the 297 guest rooms, the group space, and even the new Ciel Spa has been exclusively rendered by the iconic French designer Philippe Starck. How else would the high-design decor of teak and leather, polished marble, and etched glass coexist with framed portraits of monkeys in dress uniform…and actually work?

Beyond design that’s one part quirky, one part couture, the hotel touts some illustrious collaborations, including culinary star Chef José Andrés, celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, and the SoHo retail sensation MOSS. For groups, we also like the duality of design in public spaces, planned for moods ranging from sequestered to social. The Bazaar by José Andrés—an eclectic collective of fine dining and shopping—for example, bustles with local well-heeled hipsters dining at Rojo y Blanca, or sampling caviar and cocktails at Bar Centro (where you can finally catch the Fellini films you’ve missed, playing at each table). Guest-only areas such as the private lobby, Tres restaurant, and the Altitude Pool Deck provide a sense of privileged seclusion but may also complement the seven meeting rooms and 30,000 square feet of event space available to meeting professionals. If your C-level delegates need sanctuary, we recommend SAAM, Chef Andre’s private tasting room serving over 15 small courses and exclusive wine flights.

With all that SLS has to offer, you might forget that you’re right next door to the Beverly Center and a short stroll from Rodeo Drive and Hollywood’s A-list hot spots. But to us, the real strength of SLS as a host lies in the sense of community actively cultivated throughout. We love the pool tables on every guest room floor and communal seating options for cocktails and dining so you can enter or exit the party at any time. And the hotel’s visual wit in decor and details encourages everyone to lighten up and relax. In short, SLS represents serious sophistication without taking itself too seriously.

Trump SoHo New York

New York, New York

The sparkling 46-story Trump SoHo New York
tower that rises majestically above the vintage artist lofts of New York's SoHo district may bear “the Donald's” well-polished brand, but its hip contemporary vibe comes courtesy of his talented offspring. Two years ago, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Trump Jr. jumped into luxury inn-keeping with the Trump Hotel Collection. Success runs in this family, whose flagship Trump International Hotel & Tower on New York's Columbus Circle was already well encrusted with five-star and five-diamond ratings. Since then, the siblings have expanded their signature collection to Las Vegas, Chicago, and Waikiki's Beach Walk (opening mid-November), with Trump SoHo scheduled to open February 1.

We love that Trump SoHo has combined the sophistication of its uptown cousin with the chic SoHo aesthetic. Dark woods and atmospheric lighting by Rockwell Group create a warm and welcoming two-story conservatory lobby. A glass-walled, fireplace-lit library on the mezzanine level, stocked with art books by Taschen, will undoubtedly become a favorite spot to observe the lively lobby scene. The 391 luxury guest rooms, including 10 suites, feature furnishings by Fendi Casa, photography by Robert Curran, and spectacular views of lower Manhattan and the Hudson River.

Rare among Manhattan hotels, Trump SoHo features a wraparound pool deck with cabanas and bocce court adjacent the Bar d'Eau pool bar. The two-story, 10,000-square-foot Spa at Trump SoHo will feature Kate Somerville products and a luxury Turkish hammam experience. Quattro Gastronomia Italiana will mark the first foray out of Miami for KNR Restaurant Group.

Meeting planners may divide the 3,900-square-foot SoHo Ballroom to suit their needs, but for a truly unforgettable experience, it's hard to trump SoHo, a 2,000-square-foot rooftop event space with 15-foot ceilings and glass walls on three sides. At SoHo, you can truly take Manhattan.

Elysian

Chicago, Illinois

If Chicago's luxurious Gold Coast hotels were to
flaunt their finery on the catwalk, newcomer Elysian would be the charming ingenue, poised and confident in the perfect little black dress. At 188 luxury guest rooms and suites, this sleek 60-story hotel/residence designed by renowned Chicago architect Lucien Lagrange features half the number of rooms as its stately neighbor hotels—the better to offer its guests the larger quarters, small touches, and personalized service last seen in the Jazz Age. Its reinterpretation of luxury inn-keeping begins mid-November—and we simply can’t wait.

It’s clear that the past truly inspires the present at Elysian. The local residential design team of Simeone Deary channeled the haute couture of Coco Chanel into a classic palette of black, champagne, and platinum. Artworks by 30 artists from around the world grace the public areas, which include an awe-inspiring lobby and expansive motor courtyard with heated, snow-melting cobblestones. Not only do most of the boutique rooms and suites feature a cozy gas fireplace and furnished terrace, but even the smallest room includes a dressing salon and oversize Carrera marble bath.

We think your groups will love the residential feel of Elysian's leather-lined bureau drawers, integrated Bowers & Wilkins sound system that plays your iPod, minibar that works on the honor system, and room alarm clock that's so simple you could set it after a red-eye flight. A spa consultant will customize your treatment; no more choosing blindly from a phone book-size spa menu. Here, luxury works.

As befitting its proximity to the shops of Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Chanel, and Harry Winston, Elysian knows how to dress up a corporate event. Its two salons, boardroom, and ballroom will easily accommodate groups to 270. And just like that little black dress, its tailored silk walls and neutral color scheme make everyone look great!

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