The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has always been known as a leader in luxury meetings for both corporate and incentive programs hosted in the brand’s hotels and resorts worldwide. “Tailoring custom experiences for attendees has always been a priority for us” said John Harper, Vice President, Sales for The Ritz-Carlton.
Around the world, The Ritz-Carlton inspires meeting attendees with unique destination-inspired food and beverage experiences such as The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s Honey Break served by the resort’s beekeeper with both honey comb and honey-infused treats. In Arizona, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain’s “Roadrunner” food truck serves everything from ice cream to street tacos and other western culinary experiences like the Chili, Salsa and Guacamole Challenges, the Margarita Mixing Class or the “Stargazing Dessert” station filled with sky-inspired treats such as Black Hole Brownies, Lemon Moon Pies and Milky Way Cupcakes. In St. Louis, the hotel’s themed coffee breaks include pretzels, local Fitz Root Beer and Kaldi’s Coffee to the sounds of jazz and other music. In coastal Half Moon Bay, California, guests blend their own wines sourced from the nearby Santa Rita Mountains or compete in an “Iron Chef”- style cooking challenge.
Local excursions and adventures also have been curated by the hotel teams for meeting guests. For attendees looking to network with their peers, Meetings on the Grid allows participants to experience the city of Charlotte including the young city’s thriving craft beer, recreation, art and entertainment scenes in nearby neighborhoods. Dove Mountain guests venture on sunset hiking receptions where attendees journey into the magnificent Tortolita Mountains, exploring areas which the Hohokam Indians originally inhabited. Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment in St. Thomas, USVI offers group excursions including the memorable “Nightlife on the Reef,” a guided nighttime snorkel using dive lights. Guests can also snorkel around the nearby island of St. John on Lady Lynsey, the resort’s sea-going catamaran.
Other special group dining experiences include Chandeliers on the Beach in Naples, Fl., set along the water’s edge. The white sand beach hosts tables lit overhead with eight foot tall chandeliers swaying while guests dine and view the sunset to the sounds of the Gulf of Mexico’s crashing waves. The ‘Sea to Sails’ experience in St. Thomas is authentically Caribbean with guests greeting the fishermen daily as they bring their seafood ashore, delivering them into the hands of the chefs. Guests hand-select their fish and lobsters, photograph, share while chefs prepare and serve their meal.