No longer bland and boring, many new hotel meeting areas are on the cutting edge of cool. In response to the success enjoyed by W hotels and the wave of high-style boutique properties cropping up in many urban centers, hotels are staying competitive by featuring public areas and event spaces that are anything but generic.
Corporate groups, especially those from high-tech companies, are especially enthusiastic about this trend, according to Heather
Keenan, president of USA Hosts/Key Events, a San Francisco-based DMC.
“The attendees get a sense of place,” she says. “High-tech companies always looked for hip meeting space, and the hip hotel is typically where they look. Now corporate clients want to make their meetings more of a draw.”
On the Roof
One of the most noticeable trends in hotel meeting space is for rooms that showcase—not shut out—the outside environment. Instead of windowless meeting rooms, hotels are increasingly offering rooms with windows that frame the essence of the surrounding area.
“Downtown hotels that play up their location have function rooms on the top floors of their buildings with fabulous views,” says Matt Robbins, CMP, president of The Event Team, a Los Angeles-based DMC.
Among properties taking this approach is San Francisco’s St. Regis Hotel, which made its debut in 2005 with a ballroom that has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a spectacular terrace overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens that accommodates 600 for a reception.
Another example is the rooftop garden at the new Orchard Garden Hotel, near San Francisco’s Union Square, which offers sweeping views of the city skyline. The 86-room hotel, which was built according to the strict environmental standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, caters to small groups.
In warm-weather destinations, the trend for outdoor function space has really taken off, according to Robbins.
“The trend in Los Angeles is to be outside as much as possible. All the new hotels have pool areas that become nightclubs or event areas for groups,” Robbins says, adding that his favorite local gathering spot for groups is the Mondrian hotel’s Skybar, an ivy-covered rooftop pavilion with sweeping city views.
Among other hot new spaces in L.A. is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza’s X Bar, which can handle receptions, corporate parties and new product launches. X Bar has an outside screening wall, indoor and outdoor lounge areas and outdoor circular fire pits surrounded by banquettes that invite mingling.
The Hyatt’s waitstaff offers baked crab dip with vegetable crudites, warm camembert and pesto fondue and ahi tuna wonton stacks. Edible flowers float in specialty cocktails inspired by organic ingredients. Indoors, a huge structural-steel “X” is the focal point as well as the 28-foot bar with a backlit green glass front and a backdrop suspended from the ceiling.
In San Diego, the 235-room Hotel Solamar’s rooftop pool deck, which offers an adjoining bar, fire pit and views of Petco Park and downtown, is a popular spot for evening receptions for up to 200 people. The contemporary-style hotel, which also features a 3,400-square-foot ballroom with windows, eschews the usual wrapped peppermints and instead puts art supplies and bowls of salt water taffy on its conference tables.
Living Space
Another trend is for meeting and lounge areas to give road-weary business travelers a sense of being in a luxurious living room.
As part of a three-year, $1 billion investment and renovation effort to propel its hotels into the hip arena, Marriott Hotels & Resorts has launched the great-room concept. Lobbies and public areas will become mixed-use lounges with mood music, memorable scents, flat-screen TVs, free wireless Internet, and specialty menus.
Modular furniture allows the hotel to fashion a multifunctional space and mix in a lot more elements, according to Marriott spokesperson Laurie Goldstein.
“Attendees will have little nooks where they can gather in small groups for more-private side meetings.” Goldstein says. “Long tables have built-in computer access so attendees can log-in once their meetings break out or get a bite to eat.”
The lobby bar will convert from a coffee bar in the morning to a cocktail bar in the evening. The great-room concept will debut at the Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square this fall, Goldstein says.
Kathleen Glenn, vice president of Southwest Conference Planners, a DMC based in Scottsdale, Ariz., says that meeting attendees really appreciate a home-like atmosphere at hotels.
“Sofa-type furnishings, the living-room look, are really in right now,” she says. “People don’t want to be stuck in a ballroom, but would rather have dinner in someone’s home.”
Glenn notes that new Scottsdale properties such as the Mondrian Scottsdale are offering hip alternatives for meetings.
“The [Mondrian’s] Red Bar is outrageously cool as a pre-dinner area, with signature hand-passed hors d’oeuvres,” she says.
Glenn also likes Scottsdale’s recently reopened, retro-chic Hotel Valley Ho, which has 25,000 square feet of function space that includes the Sky Line Rooftop. With panoramic views of Camelback Mountain, the rooftop space accommodates 250 people for a sunset cocktail reception. The hotel also has an event lawn with palm trees and a cactus garden, harkening back to its days as a hot spot for Hollywood celebrities.
Hotel Valley Ho, which originally opened in 1956, plays up the resurging interest in mid-century modern design. The hotel staff wears retro bowling shirts and its Cafe ZuZu serves ahi tuna sliders, tuna casserole and chicken pot pie.
Napa Style
Another hotel putting a new spin on meeting space is Solage Calistoga, a just-opened 89-room luxury property in Napa Valley. The hotel takes an eco-chic approach in a barn-like meetings complex that accommodates 10 to 300 attendees and has large sliding glass doors on three sides.
“It’s hard not to feel as if you’re deep in the country and your eyes are naturally drawn to the Mayacamas Mountains,” says Mark Ley, the resort’s group sales manager.
Solage’s courtyard, terraces and event lawn provide 11,500 square feet of outdoor space that can be used for large welcome receptions, general sessions and team-building activities. It also lends itself to evening dinner functions, outdoor dances and wine blending parties.
The resort’s hip feel comes across with high ceilings, warm woods and natural stone.
“Solage is loft-inspired with clean, contemporary interiors,” says Ley, calling it wine country rustic with a dose of city sophistication. The all-natural furnishings are made from sustainably farmed bamboo and recycled cedar.
The property’s Solbar restaurant and bar has a social vibe and opens onto an outdoor terrace with seating, an outdoor fireplace and bocce court. Attendees can also enjoy the mud baths, private soaking tubs, geothermal pools, and other resort activities.
Vancouver View
A new hotel with a contemporary feel is opening in downtown Vancouver in August. Operated by the Kor Hotel Group, the Loden Vancouver will feature a 14-story tower that mimics ocean waves in curved glass, natural stone and copper.
The Loden will have 3,500 square feet of meeting space that includes a large penthouse suite with indoor and outdoor areas for entertaining that feature spectacular views of downtown Vancouver and the surrounding mountains.
Boise’s 43
Located in Boise, Idaho’s business district, Hotel 43 has the latest technology and expert catering. Two blocks from the Boise Centre on the Grove, the hotel hosts small business seminars, web conferences, and corporate conferences in four meeting rooms.
Recently reopened after a multi-million-dollar renovation, the hotel features a redesigned lobby with a 60-foot ceiling and “43” artwork designed by a local artist. The number is significant because Boise is on the 43rd parallel and Idaho is the 43rd state.
The hotel recently became a culinary destination with the opening of Chandler’s Steakhouse, which, like Chandler’s in Sun Valley, is known for quality and freshness. It has a premium wine cellar, martini bar and two private dining rooms, one of which seats up to 60. Attendees can try the Hotel 43 martini and signature dishes at a banquet or group lunch.
Denver’s Jet Set
Denver’s Jet Hotel appeals to young professionals with its lighting, shag rugs, lounge seating, and sound system. Accessories are a clever mix of retro and contemporary, in wine reds and chocolate browns. Jet Hotel has 19 unique guest rooms, with a mini-business center on each floor.
One floor below the lounge is a club much like a 1930s-era speakeasy, where guests enter with a “secret knock.” The club accommodates up to 65 people.
Japanese Pop
Recently opened by Joie de Vivre Hospitality Corp., San Francisco’s Hotel Tomo is a complete transformation of the former Best Western Miyako Inn. Located in Japantown, the 125-room boutique property features a contemporary design inspired by Japanese pop culture, with bright colors, modern artwork and amenities that include high-tech vending machines in the lobby.
The hotel’s innovative meeting areas include two “gaming suites” outfitted with bean bag chairs and six-foot LCD projection screens. Other areas include two outdoor “Geo-domes” equipped with wireless and audiovisual technology that can accommodate conferences and receptions.
“Tomo means friend or companion, and Hotel Tomo certainly offers a warm, inviting and friendly environment,” says General Manager Derek Banderas. “Our hotel is for the creatively inspired traveler looking for a practical yet unconventional hotel experience.”
Seattle Loft
Among Seattle’s hippest hotels for small meetings is the 119-room Hotel Andra, a boutique property located in the city’s trendy Belltown neighborhood. Originally built in 1926 and completely made over in 2004, Hotel Andra features a Scandinavian-inspired lobby living room with a granite fireplace, distressed plank floors and brightly colored chairs designed by Arne Jacobsen.
Overlooking the lobby, a loft with walnut coffee tables and light wood details is designed for casual meetings and receptions. Groups meeting in the hotel’s 1,280-square-foot ballroom can also mingle in a loft space overlooking the room. The hotel also offers a conference room and a luxury suite for private dining.
