Quail Lodge on Northern California’s scenic Monterey Coast was shuttered for three years during the economic downtown. It reopened this spring following a $28 million renovation with a renewed emphasis on meetings and groups. (The Golf Club remained open throughout.)
Traditionally a high-end luxury property, the Carmel hotel called in a taskforce and decided to reposition itself as a mid-range property, while still offering top-notch service.
Director of Sales and Marketing Max Schroeder describes how, by looking at visitor and group demographics and comparing them to the area’s existing hotel portfolio, they discovered that there was a glut of both high-end and budget properties, but that the area was lacking in mid-range offerings, despite high demand.
While Thursday through Sunday nights still primarily attract weekend leisure travelers, Quail Lodge fills its rooms on weeknights with groups from nearby San Francisco and the Silicon Valley.
“We’re popular for retreats, executive board meetings, sales incentive groups and more,” Schroeder says.
The renovation included major technology upgrades (necessary when catering to Silicon Valley clients), and the meeting spaces total 6,500 square feet, both indoors and out. The resort’s 90 guest rooms are scattered throughout small bungalow-style buildings.
“A big bonus for planners is that if you book rooms for 45 to 80 people, you will likely be the only group in-house. It’s very exclusive,” Schroeder says.
Quail Lodge is also the only property on the West Coast to offer the Land Rover Experience team-building program, with 180 acres and miles of off-road driving courses, teams work together to guide a blindfolded driver across the terrain.