Prevue January/February 2012 - (Page 68)

Below: Bodega Norton, Mendoza can drive straight to the hotel, or you can take the “back way” by stopping in Tigre for a 30-minute luxury yacht transfer upriver through the delta. The river is lined with hulking rusted-out ships long ago abandoned on the riverbanks, next to beautiful but dilapidated old Victorian mansions. It feels like a cross between the Louisiana bayou and Apocalypse Now. Definitely recommended. The InterContinental Nordelta caters to groups with 9,400 sf of meeting space, a large outdoor terrace on the water and a bright rooftop spa with an indoor/outdoor pool. The pool deck is great for 80-pax receptions at sunset overlooking the marina and fancy yachts. The hotel feels very secluded facing the bay but you’re across the street from a brand new shopping center, and there are numerous restaurants rimming the water. The guestrooms are expansive and very minimalist with a subtle cream palette and long high-tech work desks leading to big floor-to-ceiling windows framing the bay. What was once the area’s largest casino, the graceful Tigre Museum of Art is a refurbished late-Belle Epoque wedding cake built in 1912 with an elevated grand walkway overlooking the river, suitable for 4,000-pax receptions outdoors; 250 inside. Such a magnificent structure on this remote, rugged river is surreal. MENDOZA One of the major New World wine regions, Mendoza is a small colonial city at the base of the Andes, less than a 2-hour flight west of Buenos Aires. Malbec wine is king, produced in hundreds of wineries from the chic and boutique to large global distributors. Opened in 2010, the 180-room InterContinental Mendoza is all glass and steel with oodles of natural light and a stand-alone convention center located at the edge of the city. Since its opening, HelmsBriscoe, Kraft, Bayer, Nike and Nestle have booked groups ranging from 150-room incentives to buyouts for citywides. The 43,000 sf of function space is the largest outside of Buenos Aires, and a second tower with 52 exec suites opens in April. On a second floor overlooking the towering glass lobby, the VIP Winery Lounge is themed around Mendoza’s major wine regions, with stations describing each, suitable for 100 people. “That way you can taste wines that all come from Argentina, but learn how the French, Spanish and Italian winemakers create it differently,” says GM, Claudia Yanzon. For large conventions, there’s a car lift into the ballroom and a dedicated kitchen catering up to 900 pax. For small groups, the spa features a sweet outdoor pool for VIP receptions. Most groups visiting Mendoza will tour and dine at a winery like Bodega Norton. About 40 minutes outside of town, the famous vineyard offers an extensive array of group programs from harvesting to blending to bike tours. You can book either direct or through the local DMC, Ketek Events & Tourism. Starting at the wine bar to taste the local champagne, I ask, “It’s 10:30 am, it’s not too early?” “We’re in Mendoza, you have to make an effort,” laughs my guide, Ivana Basualdo. “A lot of people ask that. We call it our second breakfast.” The champagne is subtle and the setting incredible, while standing at the hammered copper bar facing the perfect rows of vines and majestic snow-capped Andes. Following the bubbly, our group begins the 1-hour tour where we sip the same malbec and chardonnay in the various stages of their production: the aluminum holding tanks, the charred oak barrels, and finally from the bottle in a centuries-old cellar. The 6-course pairing lunch at the onsite La Vid restaurant is ridiculously fabulous. Meals in Mendoza always seem to start with warm empanadas, melting with the tenderest beef this side of Kobe. The stone-grilled chorizo is served on fresh baked bread with chimichurri. The grilled trout, ribeye and organic chicken are each paired with a Norton pinot, malbec and chard. And by dessert, I know I’m in over my head staring down a chocolate cheesecake with chocolate ice cream and chocolate truffles. La Vid seats 65 diners. For larger groups, organize a picnic by the restored residence of Bodega Norton’s founding family. On my last night with nothing planned, I ask the concierge at InterContinental for ideas. He suggests a milonga—a casual place where locals practice tango. The cab driver drops me off on a side street and points to a dance hall above a family-run restaurant. I smile the second I enter. About 20 couples are working on their steps while an instructor in the middle walks around giving guidance. Someone hands me a glass of wine. Someone else asks me to dance. This is how every group should experience Argentina. intercontinental.com; buenosairesbureau.com; tigre.gov.ar; turismo.mendoza.gov.ar; argentina.travel; ketekevt.com 68 | prevue magazine http://www.intercontinental.com http://www.buenosairesbureau.com http://tigre.gov.ar http://argentina.travel http://www.ketekevt.com http://turismo.mendoza.gov.ar

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue January/February 2012

Fiesta Americana Hotels
Bermuda
Fort Worth/San Diego/Montreal
Corporate Responsibility
Royal Caribbean International
The Value of Collaboration
Leathership Summit, Panama
The Ritz-Carlton/JW Marriott L.A.
Florida Means Business
W Austin
No Wallet, No Worries
Intercontinental Argentina
Site/MGM Resorts Las Vegas
Philadelphia
River Terrace Inn, Napa

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