Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• Recently completed renovation/new construction projects include The Tivoli Lodge, The Sonnenalp Resort at Vail, Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa, The Antlers at Vail, Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa, Town of Vail streetscape, One Willow Bridge Road, The Vail Plaza Club Hotel Resort, Vail’s Front Door development and the Arrabelle at Vail Square.
• Renewal projects to be completed: Manor Vail Resort(summer 2008), Four Seasons Resort Vail (fall 2008), Timberline Lodge & Condominiums (fall 2008), Solaris Residences (summer 2009) and the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail (early 2010).
• Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant opened in the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in December 2007.

Want to pamper attendees?

The area has several high-end properties — including the Beaver Creek Lodge and the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch — with world-class day spas, golfing, ski-in/ski-out access, fine dining, and meeting and convention space. First track ski tours guarantee your attendees will be the first on the slopes. Celebrate the close of an eventful day with a private evening fireworks show. High-end gifts include engraved bracelets from Golden Bear Jewelry and ski sweaters from Gorsuch.

Want unexpected evening activities?

Planners can send groups up the Eagle Bahn Gondola to dine at the Game Creek Club, a European-style club with dining areas for groups of up to 120 people (and overnight accommodations for eight). Arrange for horse-drawn sleighs to shuttle attendees to mountainside cabins, such as Beano’s or Zach’s cabins, for dinner and dancing, or intimate awards ceremonies.

Want group dining?

Kelly Liken can serve its handcrafted seasonal American cuisine to up to 72 diners in its metropolitan-chic dining room. Mirabelle at Beaver Creek is a Mobile Four-Star restaurant with lawn and patio dining areas. DiRoNa Award-winning Larkspur Restaurant has a chef’s table, a mountainside patio, two dining areas and a Great Room, where banquets for up to 180 people can incorporate dancing and live music. Casual dining options include the Two Elk Restaurant (Native American food served cafeteria-style on-mountain), Golden Peak Grill (specializing in après-ski parties of up to 200) and the Wildwood Smokehouse, a rustic smokehouse with indoor and outdoor dining overlooking the Sun Down Bowl. For dessert, have a hot-cocoa and marshmallow-toasting session around an outdoor fireplace.

Want active adventures?

Telluride Helitrax helicopters transport intermediate and advanced skiers to out-of-the-way mountain trails. Group skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking lessons can culminate in downhill races. Four Eagle Ranch is a working ranch that does team building, cowboy cookouts, and offers hay and sleigh rides. Adventure Ridge has several group activities such as ski biking, snow-tubing and snowshoeing in the winter, and orienteering, nature hikes, eco-tours, disc golf and mountain biking in warmer months. Other options include whitewater rafting, tennis, golf, jeep/Hummer/ATV tours, trail rides, fly fishing, ice skating, dog sledding and snowmobiling. The 4 Eagle Ranch offers Western-style corporate learning adventures, on-site dining and entertainment.

Want to keep it green?

Vail Resorts offsets 100 percent of its annual energy use with the purchase of wind energy credits; its resorts also have organic, locally grown food menus. Beaver Creek Lodge offsets its energy consumption with the use of wind energy, and has comprehensive recycling, water conservancy, natural food and eco-friendly meeting packages. RockResort Properties offer green meetings packages, carbon offset programs, and have extensive recycling and sustainability initiatives in place. Green Limousine’s luxury fleet runs on biodiesel and stocks its fleet bars with organic wines and beers. The Ever Vail resort development in West LionsHead (opening November 2010) is being built to LEED certification standards.

Want locally made items for gifts?

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory specializes in boxed chocolates, hot cocoa mixes and sugar-free confections, available individually or in pre-packaged gift baskets. Buffalo meat is a major local industry; buffalo jerky is available from the Vail Farmers’ Market on Meadow Drive from June to September. The Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Company also puts together gourmet baskets with toffees, chocolates, yogurt confections and coffee. Locally-brewed coffee and tea are available from the Vail Mountain Coffee and Tea Company; educational programs also are available. Get attendees jazzed up with cherry-flavored Bing Energy Drink.

Want to go where the locals go?

Pepi’s in the Hotel Gasthof Gramshammer is an Austrian-style après-ski hangout favored by locals. Attendees can rub shoulders with members of the ski patrol at Vendetta’s Italian restaurant, a local standby for the past 25 years. Samana Lounge is a popular dance club with table and full-lounge rentals; planners can book in-house or bring in outside caterers. The Club has live music seven nights a week.

Want unusual off-site venues?

Hold an outdoor reception among the high-altitude plants at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, which also has a 50-seat amphitheater. At the Vilar Performing Arts Center, planners can create 250-person banquets inside the center’s theater or receptions in two lobby spaces. The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater is one of the area’s largest venues with covered seating for 1,260, lawn seating for 1,300 and views of the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado Ski Museum has a ski and snowboard hall of fame and 3,000 square feet available for meetings, receptions and other functions.

Want spousal or family programs?

The Vail Nature/Nordic Center offers nature hikes, educational seminars, art classes and cross-country ski or snowshoe tours. Other amenities in the Vail Recreation District are the 20,000-sq. ft. Dobson Ice Arena, the Vail Golf Club, gymnastics and tennis centers, and a children’s museum. Adventure Ridge has year-round activities for kids and adults. Local restaurants or resorts can organize wine seminars or yoga classes. Golf lessons, private ski coaching, and makeovers or treatments at one of the area’s spas are other options.