For large groups looking for a room with a view, the sparkling new Rosen Shingle Creek Resort's rooms offer panoramas of its 18-hole golf course. Enhancing the resort's appeal is its proximity to Orlando International Airport (a 10-minute drive), Sea World (a five-minute drive), and the Orange County Convention Center (just a few blocks away).

The 1,500-room, 14-story resort is set amid the lush oaks and tall pines of Shingle Creek, at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades.

But despite the natural setting and resort feeling, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort is a meeting space-plentiful property designed for large groups, with 445,000 square feet of dedicated, state-of-the-art meeting space that includes one of the nation's largest column-free ballrooms at 95,000 square feet. Other amenities include The Spa at Shingle Creek, a full-service, 13,000-square-foot spa with nine treatment rooms; a state-of-the-art fitness center; four outdoor swimming pools; seasonal canoe trips; nature trails; and more.

After a round of golf on the Dave Harman-designed course, I thoroughly enjoyed returning to my “well-connected” guest room with its high-speed Internet access, 32-inch flat-screen television, and NXTV connectivity, a new technology that allows guests to use broadcast messaging when attending a convention.