The TopFrom the editors30 of Elite Meetings magazine Warm Weather Destinations for Winter Meetings

We’re proud to present this collection of amazing destinations ideal for escaping the winter’s cold. We’ve assembled top-tier properties from June 2010 Florida to California that are ready to deliver exceptional service, style, and weather! Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona

Guest Rooms: 740 Largest Meeting Room: 24,576 ft² Arizona Biltmore welcomes groups to one of the largest and most comprehensive meeting sites in all of Arizona. Hailed as the “Jewel of the Desert” at its opening in 1929, the acclaimed architectural land- mark celebrated its eightieth year of luxury hospitality in 2009.

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The Cove Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas

Guest Rooms: 600 Largest Meeting Room: 50,000 ft² Designed to indulge the most sophisticated of tastes, The Cove Atlantis offers a private resort for VIPs at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. For discriminating executive and incentive groups, the all-suite resort offers the best of all possible worlds: a complete destination unto itself—plus the benefits of boundless recreation at Atlantis.

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Boca Beach Club at Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, Florida Guest Rooms: 212 Largest Meeting Room: 4,575 ft² Now part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, Boca Beach Club at Boca Raton Resort & Club shines as a beacon of modern seaside hospitality on the south Florida coast. A spring 2009 reopening unveiled a $120-million makeover in a style perhaps best described as barefoot elegance—fresh, airy, light-filled spaces along a sparkling half-mile beach in Boca Raton. Highlights include a chic contemporary lobby and arrival experience, 212 guest rooms and suites, fine-dining and casual restaurants and bars, and a sprawling seaside Pool Oasis featuring private cabanas and poolside service around three magnificent pools. Learn More Request Information

Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica, California

Guest Rooms: 302 Largest Meeting Room: 7,400 ft² The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows overlooks the Pacific Ocean from atop the bluffs in Santa Monica, California. An authentic Hollywood hideaway, the resort occupies five parklike acres brim- ming with lush gardens, fountains, and waterfalls. The setting affords unparalleled views and privacy for the 302 recently refurbished guest rooms, including 32 California Bungalows reminiscent of beach cottages.

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EF o u r S e a s o n s r e s o r t s C ot t s dal e at T r o o n N o r t h, Scottsdale, Arizona Guest Rooms: 210 Largest Meeting Room: 5,940 ft² Groups meeting at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North find the facilities in perfect harmony with the desert environment. More than two dozen indoor and outdoor sites overlook the mountains of Scottsdale, Arizona, by day and the city’s twinkling lights by night.

Learn More Request Information 1 EEliteMeetings.com Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Guest Rooms: 491 Largest Meeting Room: 16,642 ft² Meeting planners discovered the latest word in all-inclusive luxury when Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort, Riviera Maya opened in late 2008. They found everything from a world-class spa and conven- tion center to a wide choice of elegant suites, gourmet dining outlets, and recreational options on the fabled white sands of Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

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Hotel Victor, Beach, Florida

Guest Rooms: 88 Largest Meeting Room: 1,100 ft² A tank of pulsing jellyfish highlights the Hotel Victor’s V Bar and Lounge, one of the countless mesmer- izing touches furnished by Parisian designer Jacques García. Built on Ocean Drive in the art deco era, today’s Miami Beach hotel reopened in 2005 next to the former Versace mansion. García’s transfor- mation came with sizzling colors and sensual fabrics, languorous floor-to-ceiling curtains, and theatri- cal lighting inside and out.

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Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, Lost Pines, Texas

Guest Rooms: 491 Largest Meeting Room: 15,913 ft² Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa’s 400 acres of rugged Texas splendor puts business travelers in the ideal mindset for creative and productive meetings. Though the resort rests in seclusion on the hilly banks of the Colorado River, it waits just minutes from downtown Austin, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and historic Bastrop.

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Island Hotel Newport Beach, Newport Beach, California

Guest Rooms: 295 Largest Meeting Room: 6,984 ft² In Newport Beach near Fashion Island, one of Southern California’s premier shopping malls, the Island Hotel Newport Beach takes the five-diamond approach to mixing business with pleasure. Meeting planners find endless reasons to hold events outdoors in the 300 days of sunshine a year. But they also work with 35,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space inside, from a magnificent Grand Ballroom to smaller function rooms adjacent to the pool. ELearn More Request Information Kona Village Resort, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Guest Rooms: 125 Largest Meeting Room: 3,100 ft² No phones, radios, or televisions disrupt the peace at Kona Village Resort. Known as Hawaii’s most authentic Hawaiian resort, the village stretches along the Big Island’s sunny Kona-Kohala coastline. Today, where an ancient fishing village once thrived, guests hide away in 125 South Seas bungalows on 82 acres of lush greenery, quiet lagoons, and black-and-white-sand beaches. Offshore, the waters of Kahuwai Bay teem with sea life, everything from whales, dolphins, and manta rays to endangered green sea turtles. Learn More Request Information 2 EEliteMeetings.com L’Auberge Del Mar, Del Mar, California

Guest Rooms: 120 Largest Meeting Room: 2,496 ft² L’Auberge Del Mar rests one block from the beach in Del Mar, a seaside enclave 20 minutes north of downtown . The 5.2-acre resort overlooks the Pacific from the spot where the Hotel Del Mar once served as a meeting ground for stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Bing Crosby. When L’Auberge reopened in summer 2008, a top-to-bottom redesign of the public areas and 120 rooms revealed sophisticated new estate furnishings to go with the privileged views of village, gardens, and Pacific coastline. Learn More Request Information

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, San Diego, California

Guest Rooms: 1,625 Largest Meeting Room: 34,000 ft² Just 18 boat slips away from the San Diego Convention Center, the 1,625-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego serves as a first-class meeting site all its own. The hotel’s versatile, 125,000 square feet of function space includes the largest hotel ballroom in all of Southern California plus a host of stylish boardrooms for executive gatherings. A staff well-versed in the art of meetings ensures the suc- cess of every event, grand or intimate.

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Miraval Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Guest Rooms: 118 Largest Meeting Room: 3,323 ft² Miraval Arizona basks in the year-round sunshine of a Sonoran Desert oasis outside Tucson, Arizona. Described by the Zagat guide as an “Eden-esque camp for adults,” and continually ranked among the top destination spas worldwide, the retreat at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains combines na- ture and nurture to inspire individuals, executive groups, and incentive guests from around the country.

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Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, California

Guest Rooms: 250 Largest Meeting Room: 7,500 ft² Nestled along the scenic Pacific Coastline, Montage Laguna Beach offers a taste of Southern California culture and heritage in the heart of Laguna Beach, halfway between and San Diego. The luxury resort—known for its impressive craftsman-style architecture, prominent plein-air art collection and a casu- ally elegant decor that evokes the shimmering sand and surf just steps away—promises guests sweeping sea views from the 250 rooms and suites, each with a private balcony. Visitors also enjoy such outdoor pleasures as golden beaches, meandering bluff-top trails, silvery coastal gardens, and an expansive pool terrace for soaking up the California sun. ELearn More Request Information Rancho Valencia, An Auberge Resort, Rancho Santa Fe, California

Guest Rooms: 49 Largest Meeting Room: 1,484 ft² Southern California’s only member of Relais & Châteaux treats groups to boutique hospitality at its finest on a 40-acre hilltop in Rancho Santa Fe. Long known for its quiet gentility, Rancho Valencia, an Auberge Resort basks in the atmosphere of a private country club—ideal for high-end corporate ses- sions, executive retreats, and incentive programs alike.

Learn More Request Information 3 EEliteMeetings.com R i o m Ar B e ac h Re s o r t & s PA— A W y n d h am g ran d r e s o r t, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Guest Rooms: 600 Largest Meeting Room: 20,913 ft² Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa—A Wyndham Grand Resort nestles between lush tropical mountains and a pristine Caribbean beach in Puerto Rico. The resort’s 500 acres embrace a mile-long stretch of sand outside Río Grande, 30 minutes north of the San Juan capital. In 2006, the hotel celebrated its tenth anniversary with a multimillion-dollar renovation, followed by further improvements in 2008 under new ownership by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

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The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, Key Biscayne, Florida

Guest Rooms: 450 Largest Meeting Room: 10,140 ft² Ritz-Carlton hospitality makes for unforgettable meetings and corporate events at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, where more than 70,000 square feet of flexible event space includes a magnificent 1,000-capacity oceanfront ballroom and sweeping oceanfront lawn. The resort rests on Key Biscayne, a seven-mile-long barrier island just south of South Beach and minutes from downtown Miami via causeway. The island community lends a castaway appeal, a sense of upscale privilege, and conve- nience to everything in greater Miami. Learn More Request Information

Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Kapalua, Hawaii

Guest Rooms: 463 Largest Meeting Room: 16,940 ft² When The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua opened in 1992 on Maui, visitors proclaimed the meeting of Hawai- ian hospitality and Ritz-Carlton service a match made in heaven. Sixteen years later, a $180 million renovation simply underscored the union’s perfection while deepening the connection and commitment to Maui and its culture.

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The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Naples, Florida

Guest Rooms: 450 Largest Meeting Room: 10,270 ft² With its longstanding Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Awards, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples ranks among the most coveted destinations in Florida. A Mediterranean-style design, grand lobby, and stun- ning views lend a palatial air to the property, which crowns three miles of golden sand on the Gulf of Mexico at Naples. ELearn More Request Information Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park, California

Guest Rooms: 123 Largest Meeting Room: 2,769 ft² Rosewood Hotels & Resorts raised the bar on the hotelier’s art in Silicon Valley when it opened Rose- wood Sand Hill in spring 2009. Located at the crest of Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California, just a mile from Stanford University, the 16-acre retreat promises a highly personalized sanctuary for business groups between Bay and the Pacific.

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Guest Rooms: 119 Largest Meeting Room: 2,450 ft² Delegates live like the honored guests of a private estate at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa. Set at the base of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, near Scottsdale, the resort and its original Spanish Mediterranean–style mansion began in 1929 as a millionaire’s winter retreat. Additions and renova- tions over the last 80 years preserved the Old World charm, now joined by four-diamond amenities and a staff of three members per guest.

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s A nc t ua r y C am e l back M o u n tai n Re s o r t & s PA, Paradise Valley, Arizona Guest Rooms: 105 Largest Meeting Room: 3,204 ft² One of the most coveted retreats in Phoenix’s Valley of the Sun, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain clings to the rugged north slope of its namesake mountain. Intimate and sophisticated, as favored by Hollywood heavyweights as by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, the resort welcomes groups seeking a tranquil environment well above the day-to-day fray.

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Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar golf & spa resort los cabos, Los Cabos, Mexico Guest Rooms: 270 Largest Meeting Room: 12,419 ft² Surrounded by 28 oceanfront acres on the Sea of Cortez, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort Los Cabos imparts the feeling of Old Mexico. The seaside village not only encompasses cobble- stone lanes, charming placitas, fountains, restaurants, and shops, but also modern-day technological amenities for meetings of up to 1,320.

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Talking Stick Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona

Guest Rooms: 497 Largest Meeting Room: 24,556 ft² When Talking Stick Resort opened in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2010, it debuted the relaxed elegance of a leisure resort, the facilities of a first-class conference hotel, and a wide array of options for entertain- ment. ELearn More Request Information The US Grant, San Diego, California

Guest Rooms: 270 Largest Meeting Room: 9,300 ft² Ulysses Grant Jr. built the US Grant, a luxury collection hotel in 1910 to honor his father, the Civil War hero and eighteenth president of the United States, with world-class architectural design in downtown San Diego. Almost a century later, in 2006, Grant’s icon of legendary style reopened after a $56 million restoration and renovation. From the Beaux-Arts lobby to the sophisticated suites, every detail reflects the standard required for inclusion in the Luxury Collection brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Learn More Request Information 5 EEliteMeetings.com Valentin Imperial Maya, Solidaridad, Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo, Mexico Guest Rooms: 540 Largest Meeting Room: 10,346 ft² A state-of-the-art conference center and events staff take care of business to perfection at the all-suite, adults-only Valentin Imperial Maya. But for attendees it’s the location that inspires the first oohs and ahs. The resort rests on picture-perfect Playa del Secreto—Secret Beach—south of Cancún along the Riviera Maya. Framed only by open sky, winding lagoons, and Caribbean Sea, the secluded enclave of one- to three-story buildings hugs the earth, evoking the grand haciendas of Mexico’s bygone days.

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The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada

Guest Rooms: 7,112 Largest Meeting Room: 85,000 ft² The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino hosts corporate events and trade shows for 55,000 attendees as graciously as it hosts meetings for 20 VIPs. The resort, which brought the glamour of Venice, Italy, to the Las Vegas Strip as The Venetian in 1999 and the elegance of The Palazzo in 2007, combines the advantage of 2.25 million square feet of meeting space and 7,112 suites with the per- sonalized service of a European boutique hotel.

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W —Victory, Dallas, Texas

Guest Rooms: 252 Largest Meeting Room: N/A Sweeping views of downtown Dallas from a sixteenth-floor infinity pool kick off an unusually large number of wow factors at W Dallas – Victory. Here the Bliss Spa measures over 5,000 square feet and features a chocolate foot massage; Tom Colicchio’s restaurant Craft brings Big Apple excitement to the Big D; and the trendy Ghostbar—named for its Las Vegas sister—comes with its own helipad and glass-floored terrace on the thirty-third floor.

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W San Diego, San Diego, California

Guest Rooms: 258 Largest Meeting Room: 2,545 ft² Stretching 19 stories tall, W San Diego captures the essence of one of the most dynamic urban centers on the California coast. For instance, the newly refreshed lobby lounge, or Living Room, perfectly cap- tures San Diego’s mood of endless summer with a surf-inspired motif of bold prints, organic materials, and intimate interior cabanas. Meanwhile the famous sun, sand, and sea of San Diego Bay wait just a short, pleasant stroll away. ELearn More Request Information The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun, Cancun, Mexico

Guest Rooms: 379 Largest Meeting Room: 9,688 ft² The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun straddles a quarter-mile of white sand beach at the quiet end of Cancún’s Hotel Zone. The spirit of modern Mexico infuses every meeting or event. It starts with the physical facilities—11 state-of-the-art conference rooms—and carries through the many services, from Mexican-themed activities to authentic regional cuisine from the caterers.

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