During the famed Gilded Age, Newport served as an exclusive summer playground for socialite families, whose oft-toured mansions have been one of Newport’s main tourist attractions for decades.
Today, planners are encouraged to treat their groups like the Astors or the Vanderbilts by incorporating the many high-end properties that are available for buyouts, according to Tim Walsh, vice president of sales at the Newport County CVB.
“Newport offers multiple smaller properties that are available for meetings and are well-suited for buyouts,” he says. “Most properties will sell out for companies looking to take over the property. We are fortunate to have such a large number of great facilities in Newport.”
This isn’t to say Newport doesn’t also welcome budget-conscious groups.
“We’re a high-end destination, but also very affordable for government and military groups that require per diem rates,” he says, citing January, February and March as particularly good months to nail down “incredible” deals.
No matter the group makeup, Walsh emphasizes that when meeting in Newport, where the largest hotel is the 317-room Newport Marriott, groups will undoubtedly feel like a big fish in a small pond.
Exclusive Opportunities
Newport, an island with wonderful neighbors, including Providence and Boston, is a treasured gem along the East Coast that enjoys an accessible locale for regional drive-to meetings, as well as favorable year-round weather.
“We’re lucky,” Walsh says. “You get to the top of the [Newport] Bridge and it’s like you walked through a door—the climate drops. It’s not as severe in the summer and it’s milder in the winter.”
Regardless of the time of year, Walsh says planners interested in a buyout scenario that gives groups the red carpet treatment shouldn’t hesitate to ask.
“One group recently bought out both The Chanler [at Cliff Walk] and the Francis Malbone House,” Walsh says, adding that delegates said it was a memorable experience.
The Chanler, beautifully situated on the water at the start of Cliff Walk on Memorial Boulevard, is indeed a property meeting attendees won’t soon forget, as is the Malbone House, a bed-and-breakfast property with guest rooms featuring fireplaces and which is a stone’s throw to historic Thames Street—bursting with shops, galleries and fine restaurants.
The stunning, 25-room Ocean Cliff Hotel, another Newport standby for social and corporate gatherings, is currently offering exclusivity for meetings that arrive on Sundays and depart on Fridays, according to Walsh.
Other properties that are available for group buyouts and that will certainly wow groups are the new Pelham Court Hotel, located in downtown Newport steps away from restaurants, shopping, beaches, and boating and tennis opportunities; the 100-year-old, 33-room Vanderbilt Hall, a centerpiece of Newport’s Historic Hill; the 1854 Stone House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located in Little Compton, which is part of Newport County; the 18-room Admiral Fitzroy B&B, also built in 1854 and situated in the heart of Newport’s bustling waterfront district; and the Castle Hill Inn & Resort, set on a 40-acre peninsula at the west end of Newport’s Ocean Drive.
Diverse Newport
Newport’s position on the water, tops among its distinctive attributes, provides picturesque settings for group gatherings. Joining the already-mentioned oceanfront properties that accommodate groups are a handful of waterfront venues available for smashing off-site events.
Easton’s Beach Rotunda Ballroom is a “blank slate,” according to Walsh, that planners can decorate to fit any mood or theme. Belle Mer, Regatta Place and Glen Manor House, which is located just minutes from Newport in Portsmouth, R.I., are all majestic options available for group functions. As is the Hyatt Regency Newport, which has a beautiful pavilion adjacent to the hotel.
“They do great lobster bakes,” Walsh says.
From its maritime heritage to its Gilded Age and colonial history, Newport is a destination that celebrates diversity. According to Walsh, a number of Gilded Age mansions are available for both group tours and private corporate events. Among them are Rosecliff, Marble House, Belcourt Castle and the Astors’ Beechwood Mansion, where tours are facilitated by professional actors, who are also for hire to mingle with guests during receptions at Beechwood.
Newport’s dining scene is also diverse, Walsh adds.
“We’re an international destination and we represent all cuisines,” he says.
Among Newport’s numerous eateries are Norey’s Wine Bar and Grille, Puerini’s Restaurant, Newport Tokyo House and the Barking Crab Restaurant.
Much like it boasts an array of restaurants, Newport’s calendar of events is a veritable rainbow of activities, from the Newport Music Festival, celebrating classical music, and the annual Newport Jazz Festival, to tennis tournaments and the Newport Kite Festival.
“It’s incredible all there is to do here,” Walsh says. “Groups can take advantage of our calendar of events; it’s rare that a group won’t find something going on when they’re in town.”
Groups can also visit Newport’s three vineyards, including Newport Vineyards, which offers tours and tastings and has function space.
Team-building activities in Newport include golf tournaments at local courses, scavenger hunts facilitated by local DMCs, and round robin tournaments arranged at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which features the only grass court in the U.S.
“They also facilitate croquet tournaments,” Walsh says, adding that an outing complete with a boxed lunch or afternoon tea is a favorite with groups.
In keeping with its maritime heritage, sailing lessons or team-building events are huge in Newport.
“The No. 1 event in Newport is re-creating America’s Cup,” Walsh says. “You bring everyone out on a boat and add an awards dinner—some corporations do this every year. If group attendees aren’t coastal people, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Two standby Newport-based outfitters for sailing excursions are America’s Cup Charters and Seascope Yacht Charters.
New and Improved
Standby group-friendly properties in Newport include the Hyatt Regency Newport, with 257 rooms and 27,000 square feet of meeting space; the Newport Marriott, offering nearly 25,000 square feet of event space; the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina, featuring 133 guest rooms and meeting space for up to 100 people; and the historic Hotel Viking, with 209 guest accommodations and 13,000 square feet of function space.
“Newport’s portfolio is well-established, so it’s just a matter of keeping our product fresh,” Walsh says, citing ongoing renovations and upgrades at area properties, including those mentioned above.
The Newport Marriott, for instance, recently renovated and opened a 4,500-square-foot spa, a favorite amenity among meeting attendees. Overlooking the marina, the spa is the largest facility of its kind in downtown Newport.
The Hyatt Regency Newport also significantly enhanced its facilities with a $34 million renovation, and the hotel features a premier spa.
The venerable Hotel Viking was recently renovated and reconfigured as well, including rooms in its original wing, built in 1926. The property, a member of Historic Hotels of America, has one of the city’s best spas.
Newport’s latest hotel addition, the Pelham Court Hotel, opened last year with one-, two- and three-bedroom suite accommodations. Each unit features marble bathrooms with oversized tubs; full kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite counters; pillow-top mattresses; large-screen, flat-panel televisions with high definition and full cable lineup; and wireless Internet access. Most units also have fireplaces.
Additionally, downtown Newport is on track to welcome 24 eco-conscious guest rooms to Forty 1º North Resort and Marina in early 2010. With more than 3,500 square feet of waterfront special event space, Forty 1º North Resort and Marina is ideal for all types of events and gatherings, including private parties, corporate events and banquets. Plus, enrollment in Forty 1º North’s guest program allows access to the property in full, with house-charging privileges, dinghy dockage and special events access.
Even Newport’s favorite attractions renew themselves from time to time. The Breakers, otherwise known as the historic Vanderbilt summer “cottage,” now offers an updated interpretation of its place in American architectural, social and cultural history via a new audio tour based on 10 years of research into the house and the lives of the people who lived and worked there.
Meanwhile, about 15 miles north of Newport in the town of Bristol, the Bristol Harbor Inn is an ideal spot for corporate retreats, with views of Bristol Harbor and Narragansett Bay. An integral part of the inn, which is part of the Thames Street Landing complex, is DeWolf Tavern, located in a restored 1818 warehouse. The atmospheric space is available for meetings.
