New and Coming Soon to The Palm Beaches
The new Between the Sessions program from The Palm Beaches offers planners a wide variety of team-building exercises, exclusive visits to local attractions, sessions with industry thought leaders, and more in the following four categories:
- West Palm Beach Convention, Arts & Entertainment District, including more than 20 cultural institutions, restaurants, shops and live-music venues
- Boca Raton Meetings Collection, featuring the Bocawide meeting package encompassing 1,500 guest rooms, 150,000 square feet of event space, more than 100 restaurants and more
- Palm Beach International Airport, a convenient, relaxed facility with its own shops, spa and even an indoor putting green; plus a plethora of dining options
- Local Industries, proximity to many top corporate headquarters and sources for speakers and event tie-ins relating to the life sciences, information technology and financial service
The latest round of meetings promotions from The Palm Beaches includes the following:
- Planners can receive up to $2,000 toward a wellness experience (everything from aerobics to yoga) for groups meeting in the area.
- A planner referral program enables meeting organizers to earn a $5,000 event credit toward a subsequent meeting when they refer a new event to the destination.
- For meetings taking place in the West Palm Beach Convention, Arts and Entertainment District, planners can choose from bonuses including free meeting space rental, free transportation for attendees, free technology packages or a free outdoor reception, based on overall contracted room nights and other factors.
- Planners who bring their incentive programs to the destination can get assistance curating unique experiences supported by The Palm Beaches organization.
- Local West Palm Beach outfitter Lots of Yachts offers deals to groups of up to 500 for private cruises aboard luxury motor and sailing yachts, plus special corporate leases of yachts for 10, 20 or 30 hours for attendees to use at their leisure.
The Palm Beaches has entered into partnerships with companies like SafeExpo to arrange health screenings, provide updated COVID-19 information to attendees, promote the use of UV technology-enabled sanitizing walk-through arches and more. Palm Beach International Airport, the Palm Beach County Convention Center and many other venues regularly undergo a rigorous 20-step training and implementation process in accordance with GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation guidelines.
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Planners now can take advantage of new community partnerships developed by The Palm Beaches and other agencies. The Destination Champions Program
brings the expertise of nationally acclaimed guest speakers and musicians, all
based in the area, to virtual meetings. The Cultural Concierge Program can help
organizers create an immersive experience within the meeting space via on-site
art installations, live performances and more. And partnerships with area
cafes, restaurants and F&B providers bring a variety of food activities to
attendees. Contact The Palm Beaches for more information.
Set to debut in Downtown Boca Raton in late 2022, the 164-room Mandarin Oriental will feature two rooftop pools, an assortment of fine-dining restaurants and bars, including the hotel chain’s signature MO Bar + Lounge, and a cake shop. The property’s Spa at Mandarin Oriental will offer holistic treatments and a fully equipped fitness center. On-site meeting space will include a 4,500-square-foot ballroom, while nearby is the Via Mizner Golf & City Club, where Jack Nicklaus is redesigning the 18-hole course.
Opening in summer 2022 is the 150-room Banyan Cay Resort & Golf on 250 acres in the middle of West Palm Beach. The property will feature a 5,000-square-foot spa, a pool with cabanas, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course (already open), a restaurant and meeting space able to accommodate groups of up to 200 people, including the 4,560-square-foot Banyan Ballroom and the 2,940-square-foot Banyan Terrace.
The 369-room PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens is nearing completion of a $100 million refresh that will include a fully renovated 40,000-square-foot spa; new guest-room furnishings; two new golf courses (adding to the current five), the 18-hole Match and the 9-hole Staple, for a total of 99 holes; and new culinary outlets from famed chefs Jeremy Ford and Lindsay Autry. The property has a variety of event spaces able to accommodate groups of from 1 to 1,200.
The luxury Boca Raton, formerly the Boca Raton Resort & Club, is undergoing a dramatic $175 million overhaul. The 356-acre, 1,047-room complex comprising five hotels will upgrade its guest rooms, add new culinary experiences and develop a new four-acre lakefront oasis complete with a new restaurant, four pools, a 450-foot lazy river, two slides, a splash park and more, all planned for completion in time for the property’s 100th anniversary in 2026. On-site meeting space includes the Mizner Center with 150,000 flexible square feet.
Built in 1924, the White Elephant Palm Beach recently completed an extensive renovation that included new hardwood floors, tile work and woven rugs, all in the soft-neutral colors emblematic of the area. The hotel has 32 guest rooms, including 19 suites, two of which are penthouse suites; an outdoor pool and garden area; a meeting room for 30 attendees and the beach right across the street.
Set to open in 2023 is the 155-room luxury Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences on more than seven beachfront acres along the Atlantic shoreline on Palm Beach County's picturesque Singer Island. The property will have 100,000 square feet of wellness amenities, including hydrothermal water therapy, indoor/outdoor treatment rooms, a float tank, sound and light therapies, an array of fitness classes, a spa-centered Ayurvedic and yoga program, plus four food-and-beverage options.
Tropical modernism — environmentally-friendly living walls, a rooftop garden and large-scale sculptures — is the design ethos at the new Ray Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. The hotel is in the heart of downtown Delray Beach's Pineapple Grove Arts District. The property has 141 guest rooms, each with a balcony; four food-and-beverage options; a full-service fitness center and more. The roof's 20,000-square-foot pool deck with restaurant and bar can be booked for private events of up to 458 guests.
The 90-room Colony Palm Beach Hotel completed a renovation in January 2021 that included a revamp of the lobby (now called the Living Room), dining room and more. With its famous pink facade, this landmark 1947 property, just steps from the beach, offers guests their own beach butler, paddle boarding, convenient access to golf and tennis, and 4,534 square feet of meeting space.
More Meeting and Event Venues
In West Palm Beach, The Ben, Autograph Collection,
overlooks the Palm Harbor Marina and Intracoastal Waterway and is a short walk
to all of the colorful nightlife on Clematis Street. Amenities at the the 208-room boutique property include a
24-hour fitness center, rooftop pool, well-curated library and more. The
property provides 7,800 square feet of meeting space in five event rooms, the
largest holding up to 336 people. The 3,799-square-foot Blue Heron Ballroom can
accommodate banquets or receptions for up to 250 guests.
The 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach is that city's convention
center headquarter hotel, connected to same by a covered walkway and adjacent
to all the shopping and dining at Rosemary Square. For dining, the property
includes the Galley grill house/bar, La Playa poolside bar and grill, the
signature Manor restaurant for breakfast and lunch, and the Provisions
grab-and-go marketplace. Also on-site is a resort-style pool with poolside
cabanas. Among the 31,066 square feet of total event space are 10 meeting
rooms, the largest of which spans 13,366 square feet.
Amenities such as a private beach, four oceanfront pools and 10 on-site restaurants help make The Breakers in Palm Beach a prime go-to spot for high-end meetings. The 540-room resort has a total of 48,387 square feet for gatherings spread among 20 meeting rooms, the largest of which spans 15,000 square feet. Here too is Florida's oldest golf course, the fabled Ocean Course at The Breakers, whose original outlines date from 1897 and which received its latest update (by Rees Jones) in 2018.
The 352-room West Palm Beach Marriott has 20,361 square feet of meeting space, a 24/7 fitness center, dining at the American-style Bistro Ten Zero One, a posh swimming pool and a great location — directly across from the Palm Beach Convention Center and just steps from vibrant Square (see "Things to Do" section below).
When the agenda requires a strong element of fun, Museum 66 in Boynton Beach has all the fixings. This muscle-car museum/classic pinball arcade has 7,000 square feet of event space and an open-warehouse vibe for up to 200 guests.