Sure, the Kingsmill Resort in Wil-liamsburg, VA has three championship golf courses plus a nine- hole, par-three course (free for guests); and, yes, it is home to the annual Michelob Championship at Kingsmill (formerly the Anheuser-Busch Classic); and, indeed, its one- and three-day golf schools can be a highlight of a stay.
But there's more than golf to attract meetings to Kingsmill-and to Wil-liamsburg. There's history, for one. The nearby Yorktown Victory Center, James-town Settlement, and Colonial Williamsburg combine for a fun and educational day tour. Then there are theme parks: Busch Gardens and Water Country USA will please attendees who bring their families along. And even if attendees never leave the resort, they'll find tennis, water sports, bicycling, and a newly expanded Sports Club (soon to feature personal trainers and spa treatments) to entertain them-or wear them out!
New for meetings at the resort is the 6,000-square-foot James River Grand Ballroom, which opened in July. The ballroom accommodates 500 guests at a banquet and features a charming pan-orama of the James River, and it will increase Kingsmill's attractiveness to larger groups and incentive programs. Incentives now make up ten to 15 percent of Kingsmill's group business. Director of Sales and Marketing Brian Deckel says the resort is aiming to increase that to 25 percent.
Business meetings already are accustomed to the Kingsmill's well-appointed conference center, which conforms to the International Association of Conference Centers' standards. Accommodations at the resort are in 400 villa-style rooms and suites.
The ballroom and Sports Club projects come on the heels of a major enhancement of the resort's marina and the opening last summer of the resort's new Woods Course (designed by Tom Clark and Curtis Strange). This third course joins the championship River Course (designed by Pete Dye) and Plantation Course (an Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay design). Next on the renovation docket: the Golf Clubhouse.