Prevue September/October 2012 - (Page 46)

Headin’ WESTIN The Westin Snowmass New Westin Resorts in Lake Las Vegas & Colorado promote healthy meetings with an outdoor spirit. The brand positioning behind Westin Hotels & Resorts has always revolved around a sense of peaceful harmony characterized by natural elements, soothing earth tones and that delicious, proprietary White Tea scent. Westin is continuing to evolve in that direction with new vertical gardens blooming inside the hotel lobbies. These living walls with variegated philodendron, English ivy, various ferns and purple wafﬂe plants are designed to lower blood pressure, enhance mental stamina, elevate mood, etc. “The vertical garden is part of the new lobby design concept that we introduced for Westin Hotels to provide a modern day oasis for planners,” says Brian Povinelli, Westin’s global brand leader. “Not only does the new focal element further enhance our Breathe program and improve air quality, it also creates a calming, more natural environment and energizing ambiance to help our guests stay balanced and refreshed.” Expect to see vertical gardens at Westin’s two newly acquired resorts in Colorado, which are presently undergoing thorough renovation. The 153-room Wildwood Snowmass and The Westin Snowmass Resort (254 rooms/17 suites) open November 15, with group availability starting December 13. The resorts will share the newly renovated 18,100-sf Westin Snowmass Conference Center offering an 11,000-sf ballroom. There’s plenty of customization options here, especially with the Wildwood clearly aimed at younger attendees. “I would describe the decor as retro chic, where you have places like the New Belgium Ranger Station—a kind of beerhall restaurant that really ﬁts well with the locality,” says Betty Wilson, vp of North America divisional sales. “There’s also a rec room called The Arcade, which has really cool throwback games, so it’s going to be a lot of fun along with all of the outdoor activities. Wilson adds that The Westin Snowmass is located steps from the ski slopes with “great public spaces and lots of private, tucked away spaces where groups can gather.” Meanwhile in Nevada, The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa opened in March following a $4 million renovation. There’s a real symmetry between the brand and this destination, which has always been positioned as a green environment with plenty of outdoor activities both on-property and offsite. “Great reception from our customers booking corporate meetings, as well as the association market,” says Wilson. “What’s really interesting, we’re seeing a lot of groups that ﬁt in between, like continuing education for medical or professional services. There’s really a broad appeal across a variety of verticals.” Meeting space includes a 20,000-sf ballroom and multiple breakouts near the lobby with direct coach access. The views and direct access to the lake is another big plus. “It’s the 55,000 sf of open-air event space which we’ve found is very appealing for groups who have visited,” explains Wilson. “The neat thing too, from an outdoor perspective, there’s been a lot of meetings where planners are integrating a day of free time, or people are extending afterward for leisure activities like golf.” Wilson says planners love the onsite golf course because it’s the only Jack Nicklaus Signature layout in Nevada, and there are ﬁve pin placements suitable for all different skill levels. westinsnowmass.com; westinlakelasvegas.com 44 | prevue magazine http://www.westinsnowmass.com http://www.westinlakelasvegas.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September/October 2012

Planner's Pick: Bermuda
Planner's Pick: Disney California
Fresh Meets: Sonesta Hotels
Bureau Buzz: Raleigh
Good Business: South Africa
Congrats: Visionary Awards
Sea Shores: Norwegian Cruise Line
Fifty Shades of Green
Checkn' In: westin Resorts, West USA
The West: Green by Nature
On Location: Santa Fe
On Location: La Costa Resort, CA
On Location: City of Napa
Mexico + The Caribbean
On Location: Hard Rock Hotel Cancun
On Location: St. Regis Punta Mita
Puerto Rico
Germany
Korea
On Location: Montreal
Check Out: The Orbit Tower, London

Prevue September/October 2012