The Greenbrier--Kevin Rosa The venerable 670-room property will launch the Greenbrier Golf Academy (designed by John Jacobs Golf Academy) in late 1998 to complement its 54 holes of championship golf. Two of those holes, those nearest to the clubhouse, are being relocated and redesigned by Sam Snead. The five-star, five-diamond resort offers 70,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 16,500-square-foot exhibit hall, as well as 20 tennis courts, horseback riding, and a 30-store shopping arcade.
Halekulani/WaikikiParc/Kapalua Bay Hotel & Villas--Janet Kato White Halekulani Corporation, which has successfully positioned its Halekulani property for the high-end traveler to Waikiki Beach, is now managing its first resort outside of Oahu. Fronting Maui's Kapalua Bay, the plantation-style Kapalua Bay Hotel opened 20 years ago as a RockeResort and, after an extensive restoration project, reopened in November with 194 rooms and 15 villas, three 18-hole golf courses, and meeting space for up to 200.
La Quinta Resort & Club--Laura Gydesen There are only two Gold Medal golf resorts in California: Pebble Beach and La Quinta. La Quinta, which has two courses on site and two at PGA West ten minutes away, will soon have a lot more than golf, 30 tennis courts, two grand ballrooms, seven presidential suites, and 45 acres of beautifully landscaped desert to offer its groups. The resort will open a 20,000-square-foot spa in April 1998, with treatment rooms opening to patio space for private outdoor treatments. Continued
Monterey Plaza Hotel--Mike Boyer The big news at this year's Insurance Advisory Board host property is construction of an 8,000-square-foot, rooftop spa and four hospitality suites. The $5 million project began late this fall and should be completed by next summer, giving this 285-room, service-oriented property even more to talk about than its oceanfront location in the heart of Cannery Row, within walking distance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and a short drive from some of the world's most acclaimed golf courses. The independent property offers ten meeting rooms for up to 350 people.
Registry Resort-Naples--Jeff Hewitt Drawn to the beauty of Florida's Gulf coast and the upscale ambience of Naples, meeting executives are also attracted to this four-star, four-diamond resort by its three nearby golf courses and plentiful meeting facilities. The Registry offers 474 rooms including 74 suites, and 38,000 square feet of meeting space.
Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage--Stan Hershenow The Ritz broke ground this month on The Cove, an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course that will add the final piece to this nine-year-old, 239-room resort that sits on a bluff overlooking the desert valley in Rancho Mirage, CA. The property prides itself on innovative theme parties, including those that use its new Ritz Ranch event area, its poolside setting, or the croquet lawn. Also new: the Ritz-Carlton Spa, which opened in 1996 with more than 30 body treatments, and a hair and nail salon, which opened this year.
Continental Airlines--Linda Ferguson Continental has supported the Lynette Owens Insurance Advisory Board since the group's inception, building a strong relationship with insurance executives as it has with the flying public. Continental once again earned first place in the Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey in the long-haul (500 miles or more) category. Linda Ferguson, sales manager for conventions, meetings, and incentives, urged executives to look into the airline's World of Thanks individual rewards program and its convenient E-Ticket electronic ticketing option. *