Remember back when an inviting pool area and a decent restaurant were all the lures we expected at a resort?
While traditional amenities like splashy swimming pools and lobby bars maintain their popularity, a new wave of on-site activities and experiences are entertaining guests in decidedly different and exciting ways.
From ziplining and surfing to bowling and bocce ball, resorts are offering a wide variety of pursuits ideal for teambuilding, de-stressing or just a whimsical reprieve from the office grind.
The Great Outdoors
“The mountain scenery and altitude seems to bring out the best in people,” says Mark White, director of sales for Wintergreen Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains above Charlottesville, Va. “People really get into our activities and there are lots of teambuilding options.”
For nature thrill-seekers, Wintergreen has several adrenaline-rush activities. Among the more popular are The Plunge, a 10-story-high tubing ride that sends riders downhill at speeds up to 30 mph; The Zip, a 900-foot zipline ride that reaches speeds up to 40 mph; Bungee trampoline, a hybrid trampoline/bungee apparatus that enables jumpers to reach heights of 25 feet and higher; and a 25-foot-high climbing wall.
For ziplining enthusiasts, Historic Banning Mills Resort in Banning, Ga., 45 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, has the world’s longest continuous zipline canopy course.
Designated by Guinness World Records, the Screaming Eagle at Banning Mills has six levels and stretches almost 10 miles with several giant sky-bridges over forested gorges.
Historic Banning Mills, which has five meeting venues and can accommodate up to 150 people for functions, specializes in corporate retreats, teambuilding programs and leadership courses. Accommodations include a 52-room Country Inn as well as Tree House Rooms, Creek Side Overlook Rooms and Pine Log Cabin Rooms.
After ziplining, attendees can enjoy other adventures at Historic Banning Mills such as the world’s tallest freestanding climbing wall, the GPS Adventure Challenge, the Aerial Adventure Challenge Park, a ropes course, a falconry program, kayaking, horseback riding and hiking trails.
“Getting a group out into an adventurous outdoor setting helps encourage fun and creative problem solving, team collaboration and communications skills of the group in a stress-free and fun environment,” says Donna Holder, founder of Historic Banning Mills.
The “Inside” Story
If you really want to get the ball rolling at your meeting, the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., has a luxury bowling alley at its Crush Ultra Lounge.
The six bowling lanes are the feature activity in the innovative sports bar/lounge, which also has a pool table, multiple TVs and a full bar.
These aren’t your grandfather’s lanes, either. Bowlers roll multi-colored balls and there’s a big-screen TV in the middle of the lanes. “The open and relaxed nature of the space provides the perfect ambience for colleagues to socialize and participate in fun teambuilding activities like bowling,” says Michael Palmer, general manager of the Meritage Resort and Spa.
A multifaceted property, the 332-room Meritage Resort and Spa has 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, which includes a vineyard deck and covered patios.
Other resorts with bowling alleys and meeting space include Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs, N.Y.; French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind.; The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, W.Va.; The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va; and The Omni Homestead in Hot Springs, Va.
Culinary Magic
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Resort near Jacksonville, Fla., has created quite a buzz with its Honey Break activity.
Four years ago the resort constructed a nesting area for honeybees and today there are six colonies and more than 60,000 bees, so there’s a lot of honey.
“People are fascinated with bees and our program is entertaining and educational,” says Andrew Yeo, executive chef for The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. “Our beekeeper presents a honeycomb with bees in a display case, and guests are very engaged.”
Included in the presentation is the sampling of fresh honey pastries such as the popular Rosemary Honey Cake. Groups can also incorporate a honey and cheese pairing.
“People are amazed at how flavorful fresh honey is and they can really taste the difference,” Yeo says.
Situated on a stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline, the 446-room Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has 48,000 square feet of meeting space.
To add flair to its stargazing experience, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Arizona has a “Stargazing Dessert” station with treats like Black Hole Brownies, Lemon Moon Pies and Milky Way Cupcakes.
For the more culinary adventures, the 105-unit Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., offers hands-on, Asian-inspired cooking lessons; the 503-room Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan has group cook-offs using ingredients indigenous to Puerto Rico; and the 299-room Costa Rica Marriott San Jose, which is set on a coffee plantation, has an on-site coffee curator who teaches latte design classes. Another great choice is the famed Essex Resort in Burlington, Vt., hosting a number of cooking courses and interactive dining opportunities.
Water Wonderlands
Surf’s up! Are you ready to hang 10?
Situated with direct beach access, the 517-room Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., is an ideal resort to surf. It’s just a few steps to the waves and attendees can receive surf lessons from a professional instructor in a small-group setting.
“Authentic experiences inspire and connect travelers, even when traveling for work,” says Peter Rice, general manager for the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. “Learning to surf is the perfect way for people to build trust as they challenge themselves physically and mentally to be part of the Southern California surf culture, while having a lot of fun.”
If you want to mix business with pleasure, you can move your meeting session to the sands. The resort provides beach chairs, notepads, pens and surfboards and wetsuits for breakout sessions. More than 110,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space is available at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.
In the Florida Keys, the Hawks Cay Villas and Marina gives groups a wide range of opportunities to take advantage of its oceanside location. Popular activities include “Lunch with Dolphins,” a gourmet lunch by the on-site dolphin facility, a private sunset cruise aboard the resort’s 63-foot catamaran and a “Hook and Cook” teambuilding program where groups dine on their own fresh catch from a full- or half-day of fishing.
Amazing Adventures
Ladies and gentlemen, start your armadillos!
A popular group activity at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, is armadillo races.
Utilized as a pre- or post-dinner activity, the event is part of a themed Texas Hill Country experience.
“The 15-foot track typically has three to five lanes and participants wear gloves when they race the armadillos,” says Terasa Rivera, director of conference services for Omni Barton Creek Resort. “Everyone really gets into the races, especially the spectators, who are cheering their friends to victory.”
Elements used to enhance the experience are a mechanical bull and a live longhorn steer, which the president, CEO or VIP of a company can ride in on, providing a unique photo-op for attendees.
For meetings, the 309-room Omni Barton Creek has 43,000 square feet of function space.
In Hawaii, on Oahu’s North Shore, the 410-room Turtle Bay Resort has a plethora of exciting on-site adventures such as horseback riding and mountain biking along the ocean, eco-kayaking and helicopter tours of the North Shore, valleys and waterfalls.
