NORTHEAST
Originally designed by famed architect Henry Hardenbergh and developed in three sections between 1897 and 1911, the Martinique New York on Broadway is a Manhattan landmark. All 504 newly renovated rooms and suites makes the most of classic art deco design, while the vast lobby is decorated with updated velvet blue and gold furnishings and an expansive curated art collection. Guests can walk across an awe-inspiring mosaic-tile floor to ascend a spectacular marble spiral staircase to transport through time. The cherry on top is the 15th-century clock built by the clockmaker for King James I located on the 17th-floor lounge.
The hotel dedicates 7,424 square feet to meetings in 10 rooms, the largest of which spans 3,790 square feet. Dining takes place at the Press Club Grill, offering Manhattan steak-house classics and Continental cuisine. Attendees should be warned not to strain their necks: The iconic Empire State Building is right across the street.
The tallest building in Atlantic City, the Ocean Casino Resort has 1,860 guest rooms and suites, and in 2022 dedicated nearly $100 million to property developments and upgrades. The new Contemporary Blu rooms, for example, feature beach-inspired flooring and wall coverings, soft-touch fabrics, marble-floored bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling window views of the ocean. Outside, guests enjoy cozy seating areas, picnic tables and firepits on a lawn that leads directly to the wide beachfront near the famous Steel Pier. Meeting space totals 160,000 flexible square feet, able to handle events of up to 10,000 guests.
A sophisticated yet at-home atmosphere is immediately apparent when one enters the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, In the heart of the Baltimore/Annapolis area. From the clean, crisp design of the 310 spacious guest rooms and suites, awash in gold and complementary earth tones, to the stylish glitz of the on-site casino and The Hall entertainment venue, the property exudes an exemplary and classy sense of comfort. Conference space totals 50,000 customizable square feet, able to host up to 4,000 people.
SOUTHEAST
In Northwest Georgia, the design of the 140-room Barnsley Resort reflects the property’s past (going back to the 1840s), devotion to hospitality and location on 3,000 acres in the rustic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, the ruins of a 19th-century manor house and boxwood parterre gardens are especially iconic focal points, creating a historic landscape punctuated by a multitiered fountain with constantly trickling water providing calming background noise for those strolling the grounds.
The resort’s blueprint mirrors an English-inspired pedestrian village, marked by a tastefully appointed 55-room inn and flanked by 39 individually decorated cottages, each one unique, with many offering hardwood floors, wood-burning fireplaces and clawfoot bathtubs, all reminiscent of a fine country estate. Groups will find more than 16,000 square feet of indoor event space, as well as a number of outdoor venues.
From the large lobby mural depicting Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Bob Dylan, to the slanted roof that pays homage to the lid of a baby grand piano, everything about the Hilton Nashville Downtown celebrates its location in the metropolis known as Music City. The 506-suite property even has porte cochere ceilings curved to resemble musical instruments and sound waves. Groups will hit all the right notes in the hotel’s 35,853 square feet of meeting space spread among 26 rooms.
Every inch of the 248-room Equestrian Hotel in Ocala Fla., was designed exclusively for the property, from the Hermes/Louis Vuitton-inspired carpeting to the saddle stools around the horse-shaped bar at the Yellow Pony. Mahogany and Italian porcelain cover the Grand Lobby and the entire first floor, with its 20-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and 80+ Schonbek Swarovski crystal chandeliers. Part of the World Equestrian Center, the hotel has 250,000 square feet of meeting space.
MIDWEST
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Connected directly to its mammoth shopping-mecca namesake, the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., has a sleek, modern design and décor that provides an upscale yet fun and unpretentious environment. Unique mid-century modern touches are mixed throughout with bold, artistic furniture and lighting, creating inviting spaces to relax and meet. A cozy fireplace lounge and an amazing rug depicting an aerial view of “Land of 10,000 Lakes” in the lobby are just two of many focal points referencing Minnesota’s Scandinavian heritage.
The mall itself is celebrated by a white, three-dimensional Krion wall that resembles a pristine shopping bag filled with goodies, stretching from the lobby up to the second floor. The skybridge leading to the mall was designed to mimic the Minneapolis Subway System, with carpeting recalling a Minnesota Twins baseball jersey. The 500-room hotel has 26,300 square feet of meeting space, including two elegant ballrooms.
Every aspect of Saint Kate — The Arts Hotel is inspired by music, painting, sculpture and design, and artwork is found everywhere, in elevators, under tables and in six on-site gallery spaces featuring emerging and well-known artists alike. This creative touch extends to the hotel’s 11,000 square feet of meeting space and 219 guest rooms, each supplied with drawing paper and colored pencils for impromptu creations.
The artwork, décor and Chihuly light fixtures in the 400-room MotorCity Casino Hotel have been especially selected to highlight cars, music, entertainment, culture and sports — everything Detroit stands for. The newly renovated 67,500 square feet of meeting space includes a fun upbeat concert venue and theater space, and an elegant banquet-style hall spanning 19,604 square feet for groups of up to 2,500.
SOUTHWEST
A stone’s throw from the heart of the North Dallas area offering premier dining, attractions and shopping, the AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria has a lively urban vibe. The property’s 256 guest rooms feature luxury bedding with cozy duvets and fluffy pillows, and lots of space for in-room work and networking. The sleek AC Lounge bar is adorned with thoughtful mood lighting, while the white resort-style pool seamlessly integrates with the surrounding environment, incorporating elements such as lush greenery and plenty of lounge seating.
The hotel’s more than 7,000 square feet for meetings and events includes nine event rooms (the largest, at 3,869 square feet, can hold ip to 479 people) and includes intimate boardrooms, two breakout rooms and outdoor spaces by the pool.
Adapted from the venerable Carter Building, Houston's first skyscraper built in 1910, the JW Marriott Houston Downtown has 300+ guest rooms, each with an individual character, and a stellar collection of Texas paintings and sculptures artfully arrayed throughout the property. The original structural beams and hardwood floors in much of the hotel’s 12,849 square feet of meeting space help create an atmosphere of creativity in keeping with their landmark surroundings.
The 250-room Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center in College Station serves as the guest house for Texas A&M University, sharing the richness of the school’s storied history and treasured traditions. Maroon and white with soft accents of gray are tastefully woven throughout the hotel’s contemporary setting, along with historic photos and treasured memorabilia. The newly refurbished conference center has 35,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
FAR WEST
With more than 7,000 spacious guest suites, an astounding 2.25 million square feet of meeting space and 40+ restaurants and lounges, everything about the Venetian Resort Las Vegas is big, and that includes the resort’s design. Standard suites here range from 650 to 720 square feet, twice as large as the average Las Vegas hotel room, and come with separate living areas furnished with sofas and armchairs, oversize Italian-marble bathrooms, remote-controlled Roman curtains and large work desks.
The Venetian’s meeting space is conveniently located just a three- to four-minute walk from guest suites. Meeting rooms and exhibit areas are organized vertically and connected by escalators, making it easy for attendees of larger events to quickly move from room to room. Planners can incorporate the resort’s suites, bars, restaurants (including Mott 32 and Estiatorio Milos), private dining rooms, poolside patios, theaters and more for their events.
On 200 acres of unspoiled California coastline, the Ranch Malibu combines comfortable sophistication with the rugged beauty of the outdoors in 21 private guest cottages and features such as an open-air kitchen, a certified organic garden, a gym, an outdoor pool, a Jacuzzi and a cold plunge. The sheer beauty of the property, seamlessly blending indoors and outdoors, helps give guests unique opportunities to connect with colleagues and friends in a setting devoted to mutual support and team building.
With a European flair for comfort, the 138-room Cameo Beverly Hills blends contemporary architecture with an elegant, minimalist design. Guest rooms sport hardwood floors and have balconies overlooking Los Angeles. Spacious bedrooms offer Technogel mattresses and Mascioni bed linens, while each bathroom has his-and-hers vanities, a rain shower and premium toiletries. The hotel has 24,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including a rooftop ballroom.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
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In Madrid, the façade and entryway of the Rosewood Villa Magna adds a sense of grandeur to the arrival experience via a striking staircase and a pair of reflecting pools that draw attention to the towering, centuries-old cedar and carob trees adorning the property. References to traditional Spanish architecture, design and culture abound in the patterns, fabrics, materials and color palettes found throughout the hotel, complimented by an extensive art collection.
On the lively Paseo de las Castellana, the property has 154 accommodations (including 101 guest rooms, 49 suites and four signature suites), all combining the ambiance of a contemporary Spanish villa with the signature aesthetic of Old Spain. Indoor and outdoor meeting space totals 12,292 square feet and can host up to 500 people.
Set amidst the natural beauty of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the 180-room Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, offers an alluring blend of Caribbean-inspired design, including an entrance flanked by two cushioned settee swings, concierge desks that resemble vintage luxury luggage, guest rooms with metal campaign-style hardware and dressers attaching to a full-height millwork wall. More than 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space exudes island-inflected charm, with dark wood accents and artwork depicting the lush flora and fauna of the region.
In May 2022, The Ranch launched The Ranch Italy at Palazzo Fiuggi Medical Retreat, combining The Ranch Malibu’s signature structured fitness program with the services and expertise of the team at the Palazzo Fiuggi wellness retreat. As with the California property, idyllic natural surroundings help promote health and wellness, enabling groups to bond, team build and conduct business. The 102 guest rooms feature velvet textiles, marbled bathrooms and large picture windows.