There are over 8,300 wineries in North America, with more than 3,200 in the West. Along with this popularity comes wine-focused lodgings with unique meeting spaces that allow groups to experience conferences and events that feel like a true getaway. Here’s a look at some of the very best.
Carmel Valley Ranch
Carmel, Calif.
carmelvalleyranch.com
Nestled in the Santa Lucia mountain range, Carmel Valley (in Monterey County) was granted an official American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation in 1983 and was recently ranked as a top 10 global wine destination by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The 181-room Carmel Valley Ranch features more than 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and over 35,000 square feet of outdoor space with function areas that include three lawns—The Redwood Terrace, Oak Courtyard Vintner Terrace and Clubhouse Patio—that are easily accessible by the main indoor venues.
Groups can, and should, take advantage of the resort’s scenic setting. Exploring the on-site organic gardens or hiking the nearby mountain trails are common activities for all guests. The resort also offers more specialized programs, ranging from cooking demonstrations and mixology teambuilding courses to an Amazing Race-style, activity-driven scavenger hunt and photography excursions.
One popular group program is Message on a Bottle, where participants start by becoming winemakers. The group splits into teams and each work together to blend grape varieties to create their own wine. From there, the new vintners become a marketing and design team, creating a label for their wine and presenting that label to the group in a 30-second commercial. Teams are scored and awarded based on teamwork, creativity, time management and following directions; winning factors can also be customized for any group.
Hotel Corque
Solvang, Calif.
hotelcorque.com
Anyone who has seen the film Sideways is familiar with Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley as a premier wine region in California. Hotel Corque is located in the heart of it with over a hundred wineries and vineyards within 15 minutes of the property.
The hotel features 122 guest rooms and the newly renovated 3,675-square-foot Harvest Ballroom can accommodate up to 250 guests and be broken into three smaller rooms.
According to Stormie Strickland, the hotel’s director of sales, groups can participate in an array of area activities with assistance from the local DMC, which will help organize the behind-the-scenes logistics. Walking wine tours—there are 12 tasting rooms in town—wine blending programs and painting classes in a winery or vineyard are all popular options. The nearby Wandering Dog Wine Bar offers group classes like their Blind Tasting Excursion, during which guests learn how to evaluate wine by sight, smell and taste and then guess its varietal, region, vintage and even alcohol percentage.
The Allison Inn & Spa
Newberg, Ore.
theallison.com
The Allison Inn & Spa opened in 2009 in the Willamette Valley. Located less than an hour from both Portland International Airport and downtown Portland, this property is a convenient group getaway in the heart of Oregon’s wine region.
All 85 guest rooms offer fireplaces and a terrace or balcony. With over 12,000 square feet of meeting and function space on one level with its own entrance, the hotel can accommodate groups from 10 to 250.
“It is refreshing for meeting and event guests to be part of what our wine country and garden-to-table environment offers,” says Lori Louis, The Allison Inn & Spa’s director of sales. “It is a relaxing, stress-free [environment] and the fresh air here does wonders for our guests!”
The resort’s “Oregon wine country cuisine” and 800-label wine list received the Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator. Louis explains that Allison Inn has the ability to incorporate wine tastings, food and wine pairings, and teambuilding activities involving wine and local products into the overall event experience.
The wine theme carries over to The Allison Spa, where the “pinotherapy” treatment, which uses pinot-inspired botanical and biological therapy treatments produced by wine and grape seed extracts derived from the property’s vineyard.
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The Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center
Walla Walla, Wash.
marcuswhitmanhotel.com
Thirty years after Lewis and Clark came through Walla Walla, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman built a mission in the area and their name became widely used in the city, from Whitman Street to Whitman College. In 1927, the people of Walla Wall named their new hotel after Marcus in his honor. Today, the 133-room hotel is home to six wine tasting rooms, The Marc Restaurant and over 13,000 square feet of meeting space.
The hotel takes the farm-to-table movement seriously with a rooftop garden that provides ingredients used in the restaurant, lounge and banquet events as well as partnering with local growers for fresh and in-season produce not grown on-site.
Delta Grand Okanagan Resort & Conference Center
Kelowna, British Columbia
deltahotels.com
On the shore of Okanagan Lake sits the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and Conference Center, offering 390 rooms with city, lake or mountain views. This area is British Columbia’s premier grape growing region, occupying more than 80 percent of the providence’s total vineyard acreage.
With over 34,000 square feet of meeting space, the property is well suited for groups of all sizes, intimate events and board meetings to receptions for 2,000. Groups can also take advantage of the location and visit one of the over 100 wineries. Wine tours, tastings and lessons in winemaking are perfect for teambuilding or events before or after meetings.
Popular in this region are the wine festivals. The Okanagan Wine Festivals began as an annual event to create awareness of the wine industry among local residents. Now, with a festival for each season, the events create a tour of the area’s wineries under one roof and have expanded to include intimate wine dinners to old world grape stomps.
Wine Country Inn
Palisade, Colo.
coloradowinecountryinn.com
A state perhaps better known for its beer than wine, Colorado is actually home to a number of impressive wineries. Nestled in the Grand Valley, Wine Country Inn is family-owned and operated and located adjacent to two wineries and a short distance to a dozen more. The valley makes up two-thirds of Colorado’s vineyard acreage and includes more than one-quarter of Colorado’s wineries.
“Our main focus is on a laid-back wine experience that also happens to include an introduction to and appreciation of our rich agricultural environment,” says Jean Tally, owner of the property. “What we can do very well is cater to smaller meetings and retreats with a unique kit of opportunities to help any business achieve its goals.”
Sitting on 21 acres, guests can take a walk through the working vineyards surrounding the 80-room Inn, which are crushed and bottled as their signature label wines. The Victorian-style buildings can accommodate a variety of indoor and outdoor events. The Vineyard Ballroom can seat 120 or can be divided for smaller banquets. The Vintner’s House features two Club Rooms with kitchens, living and dining rooms, and lock-off guest areas, and the smaller Rose Room is idea for breakout meetings. The on-site Caroline’s Restaurant can also be used for meetings or small dinners, wine receptions or formal afternoon teas.
“Our Club Rooms in the Vintner’s House suites are popular for corporate planning sessions, private dinners and other small group activities,” Tally says. “With our emphasis on the happy marriage of wine and fine cuisine, we have utilized our culinary staff to conduct cooking demos as a group activity in our Club Rooms.”
Group activities go beyond wine tastings and tours to include hiking, cycling tours of the vineyards, river rafting on the nearby Colorado River or viewing the wild mustangs atop the Little Bookcliffs flattop mountain. In the winter months, the hotel partners with nearby Powderhorn Ski Resort. “Our goal is to encourage guests to slow down and relax, to unwind in the vines,” Tally says. “With our vineyard setting, that is a pretty easy task.”
Hotel Encanto
Las Cruces, N.M.
hotelencanto.com
Another lesser-known fact is that New Mexico has been producing grapes for over 400 years, making it America’s first wine country. Starting with mission grapes brought by Spanish colonists, including monks, they needed wine for their daily mass, which lead them to plant a variety of wine grapes in the area. Today, wine is grown throughout the state across the low and high deserts.
Surrounded by about a dozen wineries in southern New Mexico, Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces reflects Spanish and Mexican colonial history and tradition. The hotel offers over 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, including the 5,000-square-foot San Andreas Ballroom that opens to the newly Jardin Sagrado Event Garden. Overall, the property has 25,000 square feet of newly renovated garden space. Groups can also use the pool area for receptions.
Groups can arrange for an excursion to the nearby Rio Grande Vineyard and Winery for on-site wine tastings and seminars.
