Innisbrook, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort—part of the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida—sprawls over 900 wooded acres in Innisbrook, Florida, near the St. Petersburg–Clearwater area and just 30 minutes from Tampa International Airport. Long known for its outstanding golf experience, the natural beauty of its lakes and rolling hills frames 72 holes of championship play with moss-draped cypress trees, towering pines, colorful hibiscus, and Southern azaleas.
Sheila Johnson bought the icon in 2007 with the goal of establishing Innisbrook as the west coast of Florida’s premier resort. In 2009, Johnson’s Salamander Hotels & Resorts completed a dramatic transformation of the property. Along with a top-to-bottom renovation of the meeting spaces, the project added two new restaurants, a spa, and a fitness center. The $26 million project also upgraded the 550 spacious villa accommodations (with full kitchens); six swimming pool complexes; tennis center; and four golf courses, including Copperhead, host to an annual PGA Tour event, and the Island Course, site of the LPGA-sanctioned Legends Tour Open Championship.
Meeting planners hold events for larger groups in three conference halls—flexible ballrooms with built-in stages, projection booths, and the latest in fiber-optic technology. In addition, for breakouts and more intimate gatherings, the resort offers two new boardrooms for up to 20 delegates and landscaped patios for outdoor events. The resort’s flexible venue options and ability to help planners achieve their goals have lead to a host of industry awards, ranging from Successful Meetings magazine’s Pinnacle to Meetings & Conventions magazine’s Hall of Fame Gold awards.
Planner Reviews
From our planner community
Average Planner Rating
9.8
Arrival Experience:
10.0
Meeting and Function Facilities:
10.0
Accommodations:
9.5
Activity or Recreation Options:
10.0
Food & Beverage:
9.0
Conference Services Staff:
10.0
Guest Service Experience:
10.0
Recommendation to Planners:
10.0
We always had our annual sales meeting at our headquarters in Chicago but we thought that doing it offsite would make it more productive. We decided on Florida because the meeting is in January, and we wanted the warm weather. And we ended up at Innisbrook because of a referral from a friend of mine, and because I love Southwest Airlines, which flies into Tampa. The 2½ day event involved two solid days of meetings — and wound up with a half day of golf for some of the attendees. It worked out really well. The meeting room opened onto an outdoor porch, and people could go out and check messages. Also, we liked the fact that it wasn’t a high rise so it didn’t feel like a hotel; salespeople get tired of being in hotels. We could take a nice walk to and from the meeting room.
Mike Garrow, Innisbrook’s director of sales, was very helpful, especially when we were there. One night, he found us a restaurant on the beach, and they sent a Mercedes van to pick us up and take us back. Bottom line: We got much more out of the meeting than we have in the past. Most of the group asked if we could go back there. And if I get approval, we will go back next year.
Overall Rating: 9.8/10
Peter D. Morningstar Investment Management Meeting Planner
The staff at the resort was remarkable. They were professional and efficient and always available to make sure every event was handled to my expectations.
Sue G.
Our meeting went so well our attendees have voted to go back again next year.
When we sited the property we were originally concerned about the tramming but they have got it down pat and it worked great. Honestly the attendees liked the feel of being around such lush a property.
The campus style layout worked great and was a nice change from the high rise type properties.
The renovations are fantastic and the service was flawless.
Overall Rating: 9.9/10
Meeting Planner
Elite RatingAverage Planner Rating
This property has been certified Elite Platinum and meets at least 25 of Elite Meetings Criteria.
This endorsement is an independent unbiased determination granted only to the
hotels meeting the standards set by the Elite Meetings Advisory Board.
Elite endorsement is never sold or licensed.
9.8
Arrival Experience:
10.0
Accommodations:
9.5
Food & Beverage:
9.0
Guest Service Experience:
10.0
Conference Services Staff:
10.0
Meeting and Function Facilities:
10.0
Activity or Recreation Options:
10.0
Planner-to-Planner Recommendation:
10.0
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Capacity Charts
Room Name
Edinburgh Ballroom
769
35.1 x 21.9
4
8,280
115' x 72'
15
500
1,100
660
800
0
0
0
48
Edinburgh Ballroom East
475
21.6 x 21.9
4
5,112
71' x 72'
15
300
600
400
400
0
0
0
0
Edinburgh Ballroom West
294
13.4 x 21.9
4
3,168
44' x 72'
15
200
375
250
250
0
0
0
0
Edinburgh Boardroom
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18.00' x 32.00'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Foyer
N/A
N/A
0
N/A
N/A
0
0
0
0
200
0
0
0
0
Edinburgh Salon II
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon III
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon IV
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon IX
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon V
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon VI
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
40
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon VII
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon VIII
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon X
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Edinburgh Salon XI
71
7.3 x 9.8
3
768
24' x 32'
9
45
75
50
80
25
35
0
0
Edinburgh Salons I+II
110
11.3 x 9.8
3
1,184
37' x 32'
9
80
125
80
80
40
32
0
0
Edinburgh Salons III+IV
110
11.3 x 9.8
3
1,184
37' x 32'
9
80
125
80
80
40
32
0
0
Edinburgh Salons V+VI
110
11.3 x 9.8
3
1,184
37' x 32'
9
80
125
80
80
40
32
0
0
Edinburgh Salons VII+VIII+IX
164
16.8 x 9.8
3
1,760
55' x 32'
9
120
175
120
175
60
52
0
0
Edinburgh Salons X+XI
125
12.8 x 9.8
3
1,344
42' x 32'
9
90
150
80
110
40
35
0
0
Inverness Ballroom
1,301
30.5 x 42.7
6
14,000
100' x 140'
20
1,000
1,800
1,200
1,200
0
0
0
0
Inverness Ballroom Green Room
58
8.2 x 7.6
2
625
27' x 25'
8
0
0
0
1,400
12
20
0
78
Inverness Ballroom Section A
808
30.5 x 26.5
6
8,700
100' x 87'
20
750
1,350
850
870
0
0
0
46
Inverness Ballroom Section A Stage
139
15.2 x 9.1
6
1,500
50' x 30'
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Inverness Ballroom Section B
492
30.5 x 16.2
6
5,300
100' x 53'
20
450
650
550
530
0
0
0
80
Inverness Phone Alcove Prefunction
114
10.7 x 10.7
0
1,225
35' x 35'
0
0
0
0
800
0
0
0
0
Inverness Prefunction
743
61 x 12.2
6
8,000
200' x 40'
20
0
0
600
800
0
0
0
25
Inverness Registration Booth
58
7.6 x 7.6
0
625
25' x 25'
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Stirling Ballroom
769
35.1 x 21.9
5
8,280
115' x 72'
15
500
1,100
660
800
0
0
0
48
Stirling Ballroom East
475
21.6 x 21.9
5
5,112
71' x 72'
15
300
600
400
400
0
0
0
0
Stirling Ballroom West
294
13.4 x 21.9
5
3,168
44' x 72'
15
200
375
250
250
0
0
0
0
Stirling Foyer
N/A
N/A
0
N/A
N/A
0
0
0
0
200
0
0
0
0
Stirling Salon A
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon B
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon C
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon D
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon E
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon F
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon G
71
7.3 x 9.8
3
768
24' x 32'
9
45
75
50
80
25
35
0
0
Stirling Salon H
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon I
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon J
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon K
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon L
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon M
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon N
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon O
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon P
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon Q
54
5.5 x 9.8
3
576
18' x 32'
9
32
60
40
60
20
24
0
0
Stirling Salon R
110
11.3 x 9.8
3
1,184
37' x 32'
9
90
135
120
80
40
32
0
0
Stirling Salons B+C
107
11 x 9.8
3
1,152
36.00' x 32.00'
9
65
110
80
75
32
36
46
0
Stirling Salons D+E+F
164
16.8 x 9.8
3
1,760
55' x 32'
9
120
175
120
175
60
52
0
0
Stirling Salons G+H
125
12.8 x 9.8
3
1,344
42' x 32'
9
90
150
80
110
40
35
0
0
Stirling Salons I+J+K
164
16.8 x 9.8
3
1,760
55' x 32'
9
120
175
120
175
60
52
0
0
Stirling Salons L+M+N
164
16.8 x 9.8
3
1,760
55' x 32'
9
120
175
120
175
60
52
0
0
Stirling Salons O+P+Q
164
16.8 x 9.8
3
1,760
55' x 32'
9
120
175
120
175
60
52
0
0
Property News
Salamander Hotels & Resorts offering new iPads
Posted March 27, 2012
iWin promotion incentivizes planners for group bookings
Middleburg, VA – Salamander Hotels & Resorts is offering meeting planners the opportunity to win one of Apple’s brand new iPads.
The luxury hotel company founded by Sheila C. Johnson has created an iWin promotion, which provides a new iPad for every $35,000 booked in guestroom revenue. For every $5,000 booked, a planner will also be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 of the new tablet computers.
The offer is applicable across the entire Salamander portfolio, including:
Grand Golf Resorts of Florida, which features Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, Reunion Resort in Orlando and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast. The collection includes 1250 suite accommodations and 200,000 square feet of meeting space.
Grand Resorts at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, which features the luxurious 176-suite oceanfront Sanctuary resort, and the 298-suite brand new Fishing Lodge resort, which overlooks Cap Cana’s spectacular marina.
To inquire about availability or to book a group in Florida, call 727.942.5560. For the Dominican Republic, call 540.687.3710. For additional information, visit www.salamanderhotels.com.
Salamander also manages the 18-room Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC, and is developing the 168-room, luxurious Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA, which will open in 2013 and is just 35 minutes from Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.
The date of the drawing for the 10 iPads is Monday, July 2. The offer is applicable for new bookings only, the contract must be signed by June 30, 2012, and the meeting must be held before December 30, 2012.
About Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Salamander Hotels & Resorts is a privately owned and operated company based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila C. Johnson in 2005, the company has a portfolio that features the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida, a collection of three stellar golf resorts including the recently renovated Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, Reunion Resort in Orlando and the oceanfront Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast; Grand Resorts at Cap Cana, a collection of luxurious properties in the Dominican Republic including the oceanfront Sanctuary Cap Cana, the new marina-inspired Fishing Lodge Cap Cana, and the future Ocean Club Cap Cana; the Forbes Five-Star- and AAA Five Diamond-rated Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC; and the eagerly anticipated Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, a 340-acre equestrian-themed, ultra-luxury resort located near Washington, D.C. opening in 2013. For additional information, call (540) 687-3710 or visit www.salamanderhotels.com.
Winning Bid
Posted August 13, 2011
Forward Florida: Innisbrook is featured in this cover story about destinations that host major sporting events
Ask General Manager Lloyd Williams about the impact of the PGA Tour's Transitions Championship on his Innisbrook resort, and he has two simple words: “It's huge.”
Held annually in March, the 2011 event had a purse of $5.5 million and a winning share of $990,000, which went to Gary Woodland. Other pertinent numbers: Some 30,000 local spectators from Lakeland to Sarasota, along with vacationers, descended on Innisbrook's 900 wooded acres located about 20 miles from Tampa International Airport. The seven days of golf and related activities had a direct $20 million economic impact on the area. Plus, not counting this year, more than $9 million was raised for area charities to push the total since 1977 to approximately $25 million.
For the resort, which recently has undergone $26 million in improvements, there's a similar boon. Big picture, the PGA Tour stop helped “drive the Innisbrook brand into places that a single entity couldn't do,” says Williams. In terms of daily business, consider the scene in 2010, when a Sunday rain delay resulted in the resort's clubhouse restaurant, Packard’s Steakhouse, doing 580 lunches, with the dining room turning over almost six times that afternoon.
The exposure does come with a price. Preparation for the annual tournament is virtually a 12-month process, led by The Copperheads, a group of Tampa Bay community and business leaders that helps local charities through golf and that actually directs the tournament. Within three weeks following the event, a post-critique exercise reviews everything from operations and traffic flow to TV ratings and resort branding. And, throughout the year, every decision that affects the resort's famed signature Copperhead Course is influenced by the Transitions Championship.
Still, Williams leaves little doubt about his enthusiasm for enduring the rough. “We love having the event,” he says.
Innisbrook offers 'Cool Connections' this summer
Posted February 24, 2011
Florida resort offers special “cool” menus, activities and group meeting rates
INNISBROOK, FL – This summer, Innisbrook – a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort – is offering a “Cool Connections” meeting package featuring a new “Cool Foods” menu and rates beginning at only $99 per night. Only a short drive from the cooling breezes of Clearwater’s famed beaches, the recently renovated Florida resort features six swimming pools on its 900-acre shaded campus – in addition to 65,000 square feet of indoor function space.
Since completing its enhancement project, Innisbrook has become the “cool” place to meet and stay in Western Florida – hosting celebrities and high-profile groups, including a variety of Super Bowl XLIII functions. In addition to proving a popular spring training base for the stars of baseball, the world’s finest golfers stay and play at Innisbrook during March’s PGA TOUR’s Transitions Championship.
“Cool Connections” rates begin at just $99 per night, and are valid for groups of 10 or more from July 1-September 30, 2011. The rate is not applicable to previously booked groups.
The package also includes:
Specially priced “Cool Foods” menu, including gazpacho, salads and Innisbrook’s own brand of ice cream flavors
Complimentary meeting room rental
Guaranteed suite accommodations for each attendee
Complimentary on-site and beach transportation
Complimentary wired in-room and public wireless internet access
25 percent discount on “Cool Kids” activities, including dive-in movies
In addition, Innisbrook offers a variety of “Cool” group activities, including:
Amazing Race challenges, both indoors and outside
Wii competitions
Water Olympics, featuring pool volleyball and tug of war
To make reservations, call (800) 445-1713. For more information, visit www.visitinnisbrook.com.
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Bill McKay
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