NORTHEAST
While a total of 50,000 square feet of versatile event space is impressive enough, it’s hands-on care that truly makes for successful meetings at the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland. Just 10 minutes from BWI Airport and 20 minutes from Baltimore and Annapolis, the 310-room property pairs planners with in-house event professionals who help with every detail — service, production, culinary needs and more. These partners in planning can also custom design any of the hotel’s meeting spaces, including the glitzy Hall at Live! (34,054 square feet for up to 3,825 guests), the Live! Event Center (15,680 square feet for up to 1,500) and the Encore room (2,480 square feet, perfect for banquets for up to 280 people).
For down time, a casino with 4,000 slots, 200 live-action table games, a lively poker room and more awaits, as does live entertainment, dining at The Prime Rib and other on-site eateries and decadently relaxing treatments at the Live! Spa.
A designated landmark across the street from the Empire State Building, the 504-room Martinique New York on Broadway makes a great setting for meetings in the Big Apple. The property offers a variety of options in a total 7,500 square feet of event space that can cater to fully in-person or hybrid gatherings. With 10 meeting rooms (the largest spans 3,790 square feet) and nine breakout rooms to work with, planners can host anywhere from 10 to 400 people. Extensive catering and menu options are available, and in-house event planners are at the ready to assist.
A short drive from Philadelphia and New York City, the 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel is on the northern end of the Atlantic City Boardwalk and offers 64,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and an award-winning staff to help planners meet their goals. Attendees gather in 24 designated spaces, including a 13,000-square-foot ballroom and the new Resorts Conference Center with 12,500 square feet of high-tech space. For free time, 10 restaurants and an 80,000-square-foot casino beckon.
SOUTHEAST
On Florida’s Gulf Coast, the upscale 308-room Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village offers more than 50,000 square feet of modern meeting space, banquet halls and outdoor areas for gatherings of all kinds. The largest venue is the Tarpon Point Ballroom, at 12,260 square feet, which can accommodate up to 1,400 people and is ideal for business conferences. The 1,368 square-foot Calusa Conference Room is perfect for luncheons, meet-and-greet receptions, group dinners and board meetings. Outdoor venues include the scenic Gazebo and Lower Promenade, and even the pool deck can be pressed into service.
The resort is on the Caloosahatchee River and features a 175-slip marina and sunset vistas from eateries with terraces, including the Nauti Mermaid Dockside Bar & Grill and Marker 92 Waterfront Bar & Bistro. There's plenty to do on-site, including multiple pools, a spa, a fitness center and more.
Tucked away in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northwest Georgia, the 140-room Barnsley Resort sits on a storybook site with 16,000 square feet of indoor event space, as well as some unique and historic outdoor venues. The resort’s Savannah Ballroom can accommodate up to 360 guests for catered meals or 480 for a presentation, while a variety of smaller spaces can be arranged for break-out groups or more intimate gatherings. Outside space includes the iconic Manor House Ruins and boxwood gardens that date back to the 1840s.
On 255 acres alongside the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, the 1,500-plus-room Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando is known for its spacious, high-tech meeting venues and attentive staff. The resort’s 524,000 square feet of event space includes three impressive ballrooms, the largest spanning 95,000 square feet under 31-foot ceilings. Also on site are close to 100 additional upscale meeting rooms, plus 136,000 square feet of outdoor gathering space, giving planners an abundance of options.
A celebration of its location in what’s universally known as Music City, the 506-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown is also devoted to meetings and events. The hotel’s multi-purpose, state-of-the-art convention and conference area, the Crossvine Event Space, spans 32,000 square feet, with five ballrooms (the largest of which measures 9,372 square feet) all on one level. Menus featuring local offerings inspired by each season can be customized for groups, based on the occasion.
MIDWEST
Connected to the mammoth Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., the 500-room Radisson Blu Mall of America offers over 26,000 square feet of flexible event space, accommodating anywhere from 10 to 1,000 guests for meetings, banquets, fundraisers and more. The hotel includes two elegant ballrooms and 14 meeting spaces, all with sleek, modern décor and amenities including free WiFi, video conferencing and LCD projection capabilities. A full-service AV provider is on-site. Offerings on tap for down time include swimming with sharks at the SeaLife Aquarium, coffee breaks in a seven-acre indoor theme park, private group shopping experiences and more.
Hotel amenities include a pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center with Peloton bikes, a spa and the FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar. The property prides itself on being first hotel in the world to install CarbinX, a system that captures greenhouse gas emissions from heating equipment and converts them to a nontoxic powder, which is then used as a key ingredient in commercial products.
Thanks to a substantial 64,348 square feet of event space, the 369-room Marriott Lincolnshire Resort in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Ill., can offer a plethora of options for gatherings of all kinds. A variety of flexible meeting rooms allow for customization to suit the specific needs of a group. Spanning 12,000 square feet, the property’s Grand Marquee Ballroom can host up to 650 people, while outdoor events can take place in four pavilions, allowing guests to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature.
With 47,120 square feet of meeting space, the 656-room Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Mich., is a sure bet for planners. Four elegant ballrooms and 30 technology-rich meeting rooms and conference areas can handle intimate gatherings, sit-down dinners for 100 or corporate meetings for 1,000 people. In what began life as the Pantlind hotel in 1913, the property consists of a landmark main building and a sleek 29-story glass tower. A climate-controlled skywalk connects directly to the DeVos Place Convention Center, which spans 162,000 square feet.
SOUTHWEST
Completely renovated in 2020, the 1,000-room San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on San Antonio’s colorful River Walk provides planners with an array of options for corporate events, including large-scale conferences and conventions. The hotel offers 45 flexible meeting/event rooms, spanning a total of 70,000 square feet of space. The divisible 41,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom is a standout, with high ceilings and elegant chandeliers, and can host up to 6,400 people for a reception. Smaller ballroom-style rooms also are available for small to midsize gatherings.
On-site event planners work closely with organizers to ensure every detail is meticulously planned and executed, from concept design to event-day coordination. When it comes to dining, whether it's a formal sit-down dinner, a buffet-style luncheon or a cocktail reception, the hotel’s culinary team can curate menus to ensure a memorable experience.
With 35,000 square feet of newly refurbished and flexible meeting space, the 250-room Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center has a number of fine choices for gatherings. For example, the 8,205-square-foot Century Ballroom can host banquets of up to 500 people and can be divided into four smaller rooms; the outdoor 3,931-square-foot rooftop Pool Terrace and 2,108-square-foot Brazos Terrace also are available. The property resides on the historic Texas A&M campus in College Station.
Set on 186 waterfront acres, the Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston has its own private 72,000-square-foot conference center with both indoor and outdoor areas to choose from. In 2021, the property opened the Boathouse Bar & Lounge, a lively late-night spot that can be reserved for groups of up to 200 and that also can serve as pre- and post-function space. The resort has a total of 303 luxury suites and 32 waterfront cottages.
With a focus on sustainability and LEED Gold certification, the 297-room AT&T Hotel and Conference Center is on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin and features 85,000 square feet of meeting space, with 53 meeting rooms ranging from 250 to 1,600 square feet. Options for gatherings include ballrooms, tiered classrooms, a 300-seat amphitheater, an executive boardroom and small breakout rooms. The hotel also has four on-site dining spots, an outdoor pool and a fitness center.
Offering 700 spacious guest rooms and suites with views of the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains, the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City has 60,000 square feet for meetings and events across 31 multifunctional areas. The largest such space is the 23,015-square-foot Regency Ballroom, which can host up to 2,875 attendees, while the 14,689-square-foot Salt Lake Ballroom can accommodate up to 1,830 guests and comes with a large prefunction space. The 7,400-square-foot rooftop Sundance Terrace has room for up to 850 people.
FAR WEST
When you have 2.25 million square feet of meeting space to play with, the choices are endless, as planners find at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The 85,000-square-foot Venetian Ballroom, for example, can host 12,143 people for a reception, 5,667 for a banquet and 8,500 theater-style. On a smaller scale, the 8,000-square-foot Stella Studio has room for up to 194 guests, is ideal for hybrid meetings and comes with its own dedicated kitchen and bar. The resort’s more than 40 restaurant options have customized event-layout possibilities for any type of gathering.
Smartly designed, the resort’s meeting and trade show space is just a short walk from the more than 7,000 spacious guest suites. When not doing work, attendees can enjoy the on-site Canyon Ranch Spa and pursue the goods in the famed Grand Canal Shoppes.
Embodying a piece of Italy in the heart of Los Angeles, the Cameo Beverly Hills has more than 24,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space, including a rooftop ballroom with panoramic views, as well as an outdoor pool terrace with cabanas and daybeds, a state-of-the-art fitness center with personal trainers on call and a business center. The hotel offers 138 guest rooms, including 12 suites, all recently refreshed.
In Southern California, the 1,030-room Anaheim Marriott meets the needs of meeting planners with 100,000 square feet of flexible space among 23 rooms, including the 24,694-square-foot Marquis Ballroom, which can host up to 3,515 people for a reception; the 25,410-square-foot Platinum Ballroom, for banquets with up to 2,040 guests; and smaller spaces such as the beautifully appointed Newport Beach room, whose 462 square feet can host a conference for 22.
Minutes from the iconic beaches of Malibu and an hour northwest of Los Angeles, the 263-room Hyatt Regency Westlake in Westlake Village, Calif., is a Mediterranean-inspired oasis with more than 25,000 square feet of event space, including the sparkling 7,820-square-foot Grand Plaza Ballroom, various breakout rooms and outdoor areas such as the Lawn Gazebo, which can accommodate up to 250 people for a formal banquet our 500 for a cocktail reception.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
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In Spain, the historic Rosewood Villa Magna is in the heart of Madrid’s sophisticated Salamanca district, with 154 accommodations that comprise 101 guest rooms and 53 suites. Planners will find 12,292 square feet of event space that includes a ballroom able to host up to 520 guests for a reception and 440 for a banquet; the beautiful El Jardin Terrace can handle receptions of up to 270 people, while the 1,474-square-foot Villa 22 is able to accommodate up to 110 people indoors and 80 outdoors for meetings and/or dining.
Such gathering spaces are in keeping with the series of manor-house rooms that make up the Rosewood Villa Magna’s public areas. The choice of tactile materials, relaxed furnishings, backlit bookcases, impressive fireplaces, art pieces and atmospheric lighting express the elegant residential design of the entire property. On-site event-planning, catering and staffing services are available.
Just 15 minutes from Mexico’s Cancun International Airport yet hidden away from the touristy Hotel Zone, the luxe 173-room Waldorf Astoria Cancun combines easy access with peace and seclusion. The property’s more than 68,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting pace is shared with the all-inclusive Hilton Cancun next door. From lavish alfresco dinners on an elegant beachside terrace to grand banquets in a marble-lined ballroom that can hold up to 380 attendees, gatherings are supported by full-service catering options featuring the delicious flavors of the Mayan Coast.
Nestled between Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest and two miles of secluded golden beach, the 400-room Wyndham Grand Rio Mar sports the full-service 48,000-square-foot Oceanfront Conference Center with a capacity for up to 2,300 guests, part of a total 100,000 square feet of sophisticated indoor and outdoor event space. The property’s Rio Mar Ballroom is one highlight, featuring 20,913 square feet of unobstructed space.