Prevue November-December 2017 - 63

PGA National
Resort & Spa
A fresh face on a resort steeped in tradition
[ON LOCATION] BARBARA SCOFIDIO

GA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida,
takes the experience of a therapeutic bath to the utmost.
Its newly renovated spa retains this signature feature with
Waters of the World mineral pools and its healing waters
from the Dead Sea and salts imported from the French Pyrenees.
The pools beckon spa-goers before or after one of many globally
inspired therapies such as a dark healing mud treatment from Lake
Heviz, Hungary. The resort-wide multimillion-dollar revitalization
also upgraded guest room suites and added a 3,000-sf terrace for
cocktail receptions and corporate events.
PGA National is a golfer's paradise, with five of Florida's top
courses (also refreshed) and the acclaimed David Leadbetter Golf
Academy on-site, offering club fittings and simulations, and techdriven instruction for golfers of all experience levels. It's enough
to get the Honda Classic to call the resort home for the past 10
years, an accolade that continues to be a draw for meetings and
incentives groups. Kathy Casper, VP of marketing, says the resort's
signature "Helicopter Golf Ball Drip" is particularly popular.
"Upon check-in, attendees autograph a PGA-logoed golf
ball. The CEO arrives by helicopter and greets the group, dropping
all the golf balls out of the helicopter onto the golf fairway. The
attendees' ball that goes in the hole or the closest to the pin is
awarded a prize by the CEO. This is an interactive and fun event
that involves the entire group." We met for lunch in the new Honda
Pavilion, a covered open-air venue overlooking the greens. Events
can be held right on the Masters Lawn as well. Indoors, the
conference center is set apart from the rest of the resort yet within

close proximity to the recently remodeled guest rooms. Attendees
also had a chance to experience the not-yet-opened Brightline
terminal in West Palm Beach, where they enjoyed cocktails and
hors d'oeuvres right in the train station, followed by dinner at
Seasons 52 in Palm Beach Gardens.

ENVISION THE POSSIBILITIES
Prevue experienced a little bit of everything this 339-room,
30-cottage resort has to offer during our recent "Transforming
Meetings Summit" event, which saw the resort rolling out the red
carpet for 30 senior meeting planners. The opening session by
Play With a Purpose CEO Sharon Fisher challenged roundtable
groups to shatter their assumptions about various elements of
their meetings and a later session by Fisher had them re-designing
their events for all ages. Other sessions included a talk by Eric
Rozenberg, president of Swantegy, about aligning events with the
goals of the C-Suite, and a presentation on how to integrate the
hotel's fitness experts by Hallie Sculler, CEO of the Great Office
Escape, included a dynamite Zumba instructor.
We experienced a friendliness at PGA National Resort & Spa
that went far beyond the norm, right down to a final group wave
as we departed organized by Senior VP of Sales and Market
Development David Fine.
For more on Prevue's Visionary Summits, please visit us
online at Prevuemeetings.com/events.
pgaresort.com; thepalmbeaches.com

prevuemeetings.com | 63

http://www.Prevuemeetings.com/events http://www.pgaresort.com http://www.thepalmbeaches.com http://www.prevuemeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue November-December 2017