Meeting News - September 8, 2008 - (Page 44)

Destination Insider: Florida Keys Event Report There’s No Place Like Home A Miami incentive group finds paradise right in its own backyard When meeting planner Grettel Rodriguez, an administrative assistant in the Miami regional office of Cargill Inc., began planning her division’s annual incentive, the now popular term “staycation”—connoting trips that stay close to home to cut down on travel costs—was not necessarily on her mind. But when the ideal spot for the event turned out to be nearby, it was an added reason to book there. The group of about 60 Cargill employees tends to like sun, sand, and private spaces in which to interact with each other, which led to the choice of the 200-room Cheeca Lodge & Spa on Islamorada in the middle Florida Keys, roughly equidistant between Miami and Key West and around a 90-minute drive from each end. Staying in the South Florida region paid off for Rodriguez: The event was a success. “It has been just a short time since our event (July 14-18), but I have been getting nothing but good comments from our group,” she said last month. “It’s obvious that attendees enjoyed themselves,” she said. She chose the resort for its self-contained nature: It has a private beach and tiki bar, tennis courts, a pitch-and-putt golf course, fishing, party boats for up to 60, and a European-style spa. Team-building activities for the group included a scavenger hunt after a boat ride to a nearby island and a team cooking event. “What we wanted was to relax in a pleasant environment and interact,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t have any educational sessions at this event, but we do want to network and have team building—this was perfect for that.” New, Small Key West Resort Welcomes High-End Groups Parrott Key Resort, a 74-unit villa property that caters to small, upscale meeting and incentive groups, has opened in Key West. General manager Bob Bauersachs said the property, which has a 1,512-sf conference center, will cater to groups like board retreats that seek a serene setting not far from downtown. Located on five topical-landscaped acres, about two miles from the Duval Street district in downtown Key West, the resort features one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas. In fact, the property proved so self-contained, even though many attendees brought their own cars, none of them chose to drive to Key West for nightlife. After all, they were already celebrating: Rodriguez had saved them money on gasoline. r —RS Luxury accommodations with 276 guestrooms and suites, 76,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space including two state of the art amphitheatres, professional experienced conference management team, tur n ke y in house c r e ativ e d e s i gn , 1 8 hol e championship Donald Ross Golf Course, 12,000 sq foot world class spa and fitness center, tennis courts, highly acclaimed and award winning dinning. Biltmor e aw ait s t o plan you r e v e n t or m e e ti n g Call us today (800) 456-1926, (305) 913-3100 sales @b iltmorehotel.com G O L F / S PA / T E N N I S / F I T N E S S / F I N E D I N I N G 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida 33134 1.800.727.1926 BiltmoreHotel.com 44 MeetingNews September 8, 2008 www.meetingnews.com sales@biltmorehotel.com http://www.biltmorehotel.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - September 8, 2008

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