Smart Meetings July 2022 Digital Issue - 87

RESOURCES
*
Visit Idaho
* Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau
* Boise Centre
*
Visit McCall
The biggest city in the state, Boise has urban
amenities, outdoor patio space, weekly festivals
and an eclectic food scene, says Mary-Michael
Rogers, communications manager at Boise Centre.
" Visitors love the proximity of the mountains, " she
says, looking away for a moment to reflect during
her conversation with Smart Meetings. " Here,
there's room to breathe. " And the Boise Centre
serves as a focal point for its community.
Hospitality Jewels
Boise gathers big. Seven minutes from the airport,
Boise Centre is the largest convention center
in Idaho at more than 86,000 sq. ft. of versatile
meeting space. Between its east and west wing,
the venue consists of multiple ballrooms (the
most impressive of which boasts 25,000 sq. ft. of
event space), over 17,000 sq. ft. of prefunction
space and 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting and breakout
space. In spring of 2020, the venue updated its
streaming and broadcasting equipment and event
production software, and installed LED lights.
At the center of the grounds is The Grove
Plaza-a wide, outdoor patio space where
community members gather for " Alive at Five " -
free, live music by up-and-coming-artists, every
Wednesday. In July, it stays light until 10 p.m.,
Rogers explains. " The sun just doesn't set, " and
that makes the evening a prime time to be out on
the town after the conference.
Boise Centre has seen round-the-week bookings
since reopening, reports Boise Convention
and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Carrie
Westergard. Boise is back to its prepandemic
numbers in venue bookings and travel.
Hispanic Chamber at Boise Centre
As a smaller city, " larger groups can really own
the city, " says Westergard. It's walkable, clean,
safe and uncongested by overwhelming numbers
or narrow streets, yet the city is rife with dynamic
local businesses, attractions and easygoing stays.
But with all this convention space and no
downtown hotel to fit thousands, Westergard was
looking for a way to make the life of the planner
less complicated when booking hotels in Boise for
an event. So, in 2020, she led the DMO to begin
developing a one-contract model that has allowed
event planners and producers to avoid having
multiple contracts with multiple individual hotels.
The Boise Metro Master Hotel Contract for group
hotel accommodations synthesizes what would
be two or more contracts into one.
The city is home to a total of 1,300 hotel rooms
within a walkable distance of the convention
center, some of which have outdoor breezeways
to the venue.
The Grove Hotel, Boise Centre's closest
neighbor, is a AAA Four Diamond-rated, 250-room
property. Sleek, spacious and bright, The Grove
Hotel recently remodeled its 6,800-square-foot
ballroom and its in-house restaurant Trillium is a
charmer, serving New American dishes presented
in a fine-dining style from breakfast to dinner.
Hotel 43 is another next-door neighbor to the
convention center. At 112 guest rooms, this boutique
property with 1,750 sq. ft. of adaptable meeting
space and bright, warm-colored rooms offers a
cozy 'hello.' On-property restaurants Chandlers
Steakhouse and Metro Cafe Boise make finding a
bite even easier. Plus, Chandlers Steakhouse is the
only Forbes-rated restaurant in Boise.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Boise Downtown
is also next door, just a three-block walk away.
The property consists of 138 guest rooms
and two board rooms. Rooms are furnished
with woodgrain accents, bright blue walls and
playful patterns. Courtyard by Marriott Boise
Downtown offers 163 earthy chic-style guest
rooms with soft-toned walls, murals and pops
of natural colors, as well as 1,300 sq. ft. of
meeting space. The property sits about 10 blocks
southeast of Boise Centre. At 152 guest rooms
and 2,750 sq. ft. of meeting space, Hyatt Place
Boise/Downtown lies six blocks north of the
center. The hotel has a modernesque style with
hints of brick that soften the atmosphere.
Dining Riches
But the food is where the bustle in Boise is. Over
100 restaurants populate downtown Boise-an
area of just over 1 square mile.
Fork is a crowd favorite. The restaurant sources
its ingredients locally from farmers, ranchers, bakers,
cheese makers and more to twist traditional
American continental dishes into fine dining -and
it's two blocks from Boise Centre. The Lively is an87
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Smart Meetings July 2022 Digital Issue

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