Smart Meetings

Formula Free

Author: Lisa Mann
November 2008

Features

Give your meetings a fresh perspective

Meetings attendees are faced with a mind-numbing choice of events, and the field just seems to be more competitive every year. Creating an event that stands out from the cookie-cutter crowd can mean the difference between mediocrity (or worse) and success. There are dozens of ways to make your event memorable, but the foundation of the event—the venue—is the obvious place to start, and independent hotels offer an obvious place to look.

While many planners think of independent hotels primarily for small groups, independent hotels can range from train cabooses that hold six people to hotels like The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, whose event-center complex (at 185,000 sq. ft.) rivals the space at many chains.

“The trick to [independent] hotels is they vary in style, amenities and ratings. You always have to make sure the property has the most important amenities and requirements for your particular group,” says Jill Hankee, an independent event consultant in the Greater Chicago area.

“What’s great with a boutique hotel is you can really have success in pushing the envelope to give guests a unique and very cool experience they may not have otherwise found,” she says. “You have to know the appropriate
level of these limits, however. You don’t put your most conservative corporate client in a rocking, young, trendy and a little more risqué hotel. But if the destination is a city like L.A. or New York, the right amount of cool could make them feel more a part of the ‘in’ crowd.”

On the other hand, she says, finding a ranch-type independent property that has customized team-building activities may be the way to go, depending on the business at hand. “You have to know your clients well to
gauge this,” she says.

But with a little creativity—and a dash of flexibility—an independent hotel may be just what you need to make your event stand out in the crowd. “Independent properties have a great deal to offer planners in providing a unique experience and, therefore, offer more value,” Hankee says. “However, I absolutely recommend a site visit before
contracting so there are no surprises.”

Undivided Attention
One advantage of working with an independent hotel is they often only have one or two events occurring in the hotel at one time—which means your event gets undivided attention.

“Depending on the size of the group, you can get a little lost in a big chain hotel,” says Gary Pearson, director for corporate meetings for Aon Services Inc. “Boutique hotels step it up and take care of you because you may be
the only meeting, or one of two, there.”

Planning an event in an independent hotel that books fewer events may also give you some clout in pricing or having problems addressed.

“One of the things you consider is how important the business is to the property and, therefore, it usually reflects the personal service your group will receive,” Hankee says. “Take an extreme example: 10 rooms in a Las Vegas property probably don’t mean much in revenue, but take 10 rooms in a property with only 40 to 50 rooms, and
your business really means something.”

Nicole Ravlin, a partner at PMG Creative in Burlington, Vt. agrees. “I have worked in many hotels, and I think that the training of the staff and attention to detail are superior in independent hotels. You don’t have to work your way up too many levels of management to actually get to the top decisionmaker if you have to.”

Of course, choosing an independent hotel may work against you as well; if there is more than one event being held on the property at the same time, the hotel may lack the staff to handle both efficiently.

“A boutique hotel will have a smaller staff than a larger, chain hotel, so your event coordinator may be handling all of the hotel’s events and may be less accessible or responsive,” says Tarin Wilson, owner of the event planning company, Plan A.

Exclusivity
When your group makes up a large part of the hotel’s guests, even elevator rides can be bonding experiences,
and it can create a sense of exclusivity.

CEO Summit is an invitation-only event, limited to 100 CEOs or chairmen a year. “Exclusivity is very important to our attendees; part of the reason they come is to associate with other very high-level executives. They don’t want to be hemmed into an elevator by attendees of a dental conference,” says Ellen Seebold, conference director of CEO Summit.

And, Seebold points out, the cachet of some luxury independent hotels is higher than chain hotels, even with similar facilities. She holds the CEO Summit at the Inn at Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach, Calif. because, she says, “it’s a draw” for potential attendees.

Sara Allen Abbott, manager of major gifts for the Kennedy Center, selected the Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe for a recent event. She chose the hotel for its reputation for exclusivity and for its proximity to the square in the center of Santa Fe. But, she admits that “there are no big hotels or resorts in Santa Fe—no Four Seasons, no Ritz, nada.”

The upside, however, is the Inn “caters to high-end travelers and promotes a sort of ‘home away from home’ that can be a challenge for larger hotels and resorts,” she says.

Making It Memorable
Chain hotels often have a consistent design from one geographical location to the next, which provides a blank slate for the event planner, but which may also lend a certain blandness to the event itself (was that Anaheim or Salt Lake City we were in?).

Wilson uses independent hotels in L.A., like the Figueroa and the Roosevelt, because, she says, “One of the hallmarks of our events is that we seek out interesting, hip venues. They have a high level of design aesthetic and ambience. They offer a notstandard cookie-cutter hotel experience but still provide some of the effi ciency and amenities of a [brand] hotel event.” Some event venues only provide the location and everything else has to be
brought in, she says. “But at independent hotels, one still can take advantage of a property’s infrastructure, like catering, parking, janitorial and sound systems, and realize cost benefits,” she says.

According to PMG Creative’s Ravlin, “Independent properties off er a truly unique experience for guests, which is part of the ‘wow factor’ for things like incentive programs, which we do a lot of.”

Any well-chosen venue can enhance the ambience of the event. If you’re looking for a luxurious, exclusive ambience for a group of well-heeled CEOs, you might choose a “name” golf resort. If you want team-building experiences, you might go for something more casual that off ers adventurous activities. Or, if you have a group of high-tech entrepreneurs, you might want to choose something hip, sleek and full of modern art, or alternatively,
something quirky and summer camp-like with GPS treasure hunts and water fi ghts. But either way you’ll want something with the ubiquitous wireless access. Although you can find all those things in a chain property, you’ll often find the independent hotels have a wider range of unique features that, if chosen carefully, can play into the
theme or mood you are creating for your event.

“As an independent property, we have the flexibility to organize whatever events the planners have in mind. We are not restricted by any corporate ‘rule book,’” says Josée Laflèche of the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. “A few years ago, we were hosting a medical company that wanted to do a team-building event for their employees, and we
offered them the chance to build children’s bikes. They had a specific time to put the bikes together as a team, but the teams did not know that, at the end of their program, 30 children would be walking on stage to receive the newly built bikes. When the children were led on stage by NHL legend Claude Lemieux, and the ‘bike builders’
realized what was happening, there were plenty of teary eyes in the audience. It was really an amazing experience to witness.”

Points to Consider
One of the biggest drawbacks to many independent hotels is the lack of meeting space (or rooms) for large groups. Finding spill-over hotels nearby can be diffi cult; the proximity factor limits your choices, and because you’re booking fewer rooms, you may have less fl exibility with price. Even if the independent hotel has a meeting space big enough for your group, if there is only one space and you have multiple events, you’ll have to plan for additional turnover time.

“The downside to small [boutique or independent] hotels is that they aren’t always the best equipped. Audiovisual issues and space in general were our biggest problems,” says Abbott, of the Kennedy Center. “The Anasazi only had one room large enough for us, so we had to turn over the same room after every meeting. Normally there is
a seamless turnover because we have access to multiple rooms and can meet in two while the third is being cleaned up for the next meeting.”

Independent Hotels that Make an Impression
There are thousands of amazing independent hotels in the West. Here is a sampling of meetings-oriented properties to consider when researching your next event.

California
Los Angeles: The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel—former home of the Academy Awards— dates back to the mid 1920s. Then, young Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe were dazzled by its luxurious Spanish style. The Blossom Ballroom holds 500 guests reception-style or 300 seated; the pool area can hold groups of
600; and they’ve held group events in the lobby and restaurant for up to 2,000. (hollywoodroosevelt.com)

Monterey: Hotel Pacific is across the street from Monterey Conference Center, but their on-site meeting space is limited to groups of 40. For an event that your attendees will talk about, they offer a blindfolded kayaking package: After a scenic tour of Monterey Bay in two-man kayaks, the guides test the teams by blindfolding one kayaker and taking away the paddle from the other. While one navigates, the other paddles—the kayakers have to work together to get anywhere. (hotelpacific.com)

Napa: Set in an 8-acre vineyard, the Meritage Resort has a grand salon that fi ts up to 1,000 people, an outdoor terrace with seating for 340 and an Estate Wine Cave that holds 240 guests. (themeritageresort.com)

Pebble Beach: Golf, golf and more golf is the reason The Inn at Spanish Bay attracts highlevel executives, although the resort has a renowned spa and panoramic views, plus a kilted bagpiper who strolls the terrace, playing, at dusk. (pebblebeach.com)

San Francisco: The elegant Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill has a lot of old San Francisco charm, and meeting facilities for up to 50 people. It also features an alluring spa with an indoor infi nity pool. (huntingtonhotel.com)

Oregon
Portland: The Ace Hotel has a hip event space called The Cleaners, a renovated dry cleaning shop that can now host events for as many as 160 reception-style or 70 seated. (acehotel.com) Hotel deLuxe (which used to be the Hotel Mallory) has a Hollywood-noir theme. A 13-foot screen in the lobby shows changing B&W photos from Hollywood’s Golden Era, and the meeting spaces are named with film terms: the Screening Room holds 10, the Editing Room holds 15 and the Green Room can accommodate 25. The property can host groups up to 300 in the rooftop outdoor space. (hoteldeluxeportland.com)

Washington
San Juan Islands: Rosario Resort and Spa is set on 30 waterfront acres on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, with meeting facilities for up to 300 guests. Th ey have outdoor areas for events of up to 250, and an intimate meeting facility in the historic Moran Mansion for 100. For some team bonding, Rosario can arrange a high-tech GPS-led treasure hunt. (rosarioresort.com)

Seattle: The Seattle Art Museum suite at the Alexis Hotel is decorated with art from the noted museum. The KMTT suite is decorated with blown up behind-the-scenes photographs of DJs at work, along with guitars signed by Coldplay and the Bo-Deans. Each suite holds 10 for a table-type meeting, or 25 for a reception. (alexishotel.com)

Winthrop: Sun Mountain Lodge has meeting space for groups up to 300, plus some unusual group activities—try the Wounded Pilot game (teams search the Sun Mountain trail system for a downed pilot in enemy territory and compete to be the team that rescues the pilot), a horseback ride followed by a Cowboy Camp Dinner, or steer-roping lessons. (sunmountainlodge.com)

Arizona
Greer: Hidden Meadow Ranch handles executive retreats and small corporate meetings of up to 60 people in a dude ranch-style retreat in the White Mountains. The ambience is Old West, but it’s fully wired. Attendees can fish, canoe and ride horses in the summer, or sled, snowshoe and take sleigh rides in the winter. (hiddenmeadow.com)

Phoenix: The Arizona Grand Resort has indoor meeting space for up to 2,600 people. They offer golf packages for groups, of course, but for something more unusual, your group (up to 1,000 people) can book their three-acre Oasis Water Park, featuring water slides, wave pool and relaxed river tubing. (arizonagrandresort.com)

Scottsdale: Scottsdale Plaza Resort has 21 different meeting rooms and an outdoor event area, and can handle groups up to 1,000. Only minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport, it is located on 40 beautifully landscaped acres. (scottsdaleplaza.com) Groups at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain can take a chauff eured trip to the local farmer’s market, where Chef Beau MacMillan (who beat Bobby Flay in Battle American Kobe Beef on The Food Network’s Iron Chef America) instructs on how to identify the freshest produce. Afterward, guests can join the chef in preparing a dinner, including wine pairings to complement the day’s fare. The Sanctuary at Camelback can host groups up to 200. (sanctuarycamelback.com)

Utah
Park City: Treasure Mountain Inn claims to be a 100 percent carbon-neutral hotel on the slopes in Park City, and has meeting space for up to 75 in three meeting rooms. (treasuremountaininn.com)

Colorado
Colorado Springs: Th e Broadmoor is a Five-Star, Five-Diamond, turn-of-the-century resort set in 300 acres against the foothills of the Rockies. But its meeting facilities rival most chains: it has 46 different meeting spaces for groups of up to 2,500 and banquet facilities for up to 1,250, in addition to the Broadmoor Hall, an exhibit-hall that holds up to 350 booths, 6,500 people and two smaller exhibit hall spaces. Construction is underway for The Broadmoor Cottages, six new lodging buildings that will bring the total guest accommodation space to 744; completion is scheduled for May 2009. (broadmoor.com)

Denver: The historic Brown Palace Hotel is Denver’s only Four-Star and Four-Diamond hotel. It features 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, holding groups of up to 500. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown, it’s six blocks from the Colorado Convention Center. (brownpalace.com)

Telluride: The ski-in/ski-out Mountain Lodge at Telluride handles small meetings (up to 30 people) on site, and larger meetings at the nearby Telluride Conference Center. They boast green transportation: a free, energy-effi cient shuttle and the world’s only free, energy-effi cient gondola, which provide continuous service between Telluride and neighboring Mountain Village. For those who do want to rent a car, electric-car rental is available (mountainlodgetelluride.com).