Meeting News - September 8, 2008 - (Page 42)

Destination Insider: Florida Keys Edited by Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com Seismic Shift Puts Key West On Meetings and Incentives Map High-end Beachside Resort converts the destination from party town to a group-friendly point of business Florida’s Key West is known more for carefree revelry than luxury meetings, but Beachside Resort & Conference Center is redefining the island paradigm. After a soft opening last October, the high-end resort—which offers the biggest ballroom on the island—had its grand opening earlier this year and has hosted the likes of Nestle, Bayer, and Verizon. Beachside was created by Spottswood Companies, a family-owned firm with roots in Key West going back to the mid-1800s. Its hotel division owns or operates nine properties on the island. “The Spottswood family wanted a luxury resort for Key West,” said Tiffany Boeckman, director of groups sales, during a June property visit by MeetingNews. Developer Robert Spottswood’s aim was to bring haute hospitality and a new level of business travel to the Conch Republic—once the home of Ernest Hemingway. And Spottswood is not done yet. Across the street from Beachside, the company has plans to develop the Key West Resort & Conference Center as the island’s largest conference facility, with hotels, residences, retail, and restaurants, though no decisions have been made on the amount or sizes of these parts of the complex. By year end, Spottswood will add a marina to Beachside, which already boasts a helipad. Beachside Resort has fully furnished suites meant to evoke “high-end casual” in the tropics. Beachside has 222 rooms, including 129 oneto three-bedroom suites, on seven acres of waterfront. The suites include open kitchens, dining sets, and oversized balconies. Luxury touches abound, with marble flooring, Europeaninspired rosewood furniture, Sub-Zero stainless steel appliances, washer-dryers, and multiple LCD TVs. Bathrooms feature a Jacuzzi. The resort’s 6,000-sf ballroom is divisible by five and accommodates 400 seated. Outfitted with its own AV system and banquet kitchen, the ballroom was described by Boeckman as having a “high-end, relaxed look” in tune with the rest of the resort. Groups also have used a terrace and beach space for cocktail receptions and luaus. For Beachside’s food and beverage, Robert Spotswood enlisted renowned chef Norman Van Aken, the pioneer of “New World Cuisine,” which was started in the Sunshine State. Van Aken is creative director and F&B partner; his food is featured on the menus of Tavern N Town, a dual-concept restaurant. Tavern has an open “theater kitchen,” serving tapas and sushi, while the fine-dining Town dishes out Key West seafood and steakhouse favorites. Tavern N Town has a private dining room for 16 attendees that’s equipped with a wine refrigerator. While Beachside is bringing high-end elegance to Key West meetings, that doesn’t mean attendees can’t let loose. The property works with partner Hurricane Hole Marina, where there are eight businesses that rent Harley-Davidson motorcycles; conduct kayak, boat, or WaveRunner tours; or provide sightseeing or fishing charters. The WaveRunner tour is considered an especially thrilling excursion around the Key West shoreline. Also, golfers can take in the 18-hole Key West Golf Club—billed as the U.S.’s southernmost golf course—designed by Rees Jones. The eighth hole is played entirely over a field of tropical mangroves. PGA-level instruction is offered. Then, at night, attendees can cap off the day’s meetings and recreation on Duval Street, where drinks and live music are offered in the famous Sloppy Joe’s bar. Beachside provides complimentary shuttles to the main thoroughfare. —William Ng www.meetingnews.com A Beachfront Property Opens in Key West The Reach Resort in Key West has reopened after a $37 million renovation to all 150 guest rooms, suites and public areas, under the management of LXR Luxury Resorts. The property, which has a 4,700-sf conference center with five meeting and event spaces, offers two ballrooms of 2,808 and 1,500 sf, respectively, and each can host groups of up to 150. The hotel also has a 450-foot-long private beach. The hotel, which overlooks the Atlantic, also has opened a new steakhouse, the Strip House, which is a branch of the Manhattan restaurant. —Rowland Stiteler 42 MeetingNews September 8, 2008 http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - September 8, 2008

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