Smart Meetings

The region’s notoriety has certainly spread internationally, and its bottles have been filling up wine cellars from Hawaii to Japan to London. In spite of its fame, however, the region still retains its bucolic charm complete with undulating hillsides adorned with uniform columns of green vines, wide-open spaces and national parks that happily coexist with fine restaurants, chic hotels and internationally recognized wineries—even the occasional taco truck vending its salsa-laced concoctions along the major thoroughfares.

Fine dining is also a huge draw of Wine Country. With all the great, local produce and gourmet chefs, there’s probably more fine dining restaurants here than in any other destination of its size. Since good food is such a large part of the local culture, you may want to plan an evening or a dinner off-site.

In addition to gourmet meals and 90-point wines, California’s Wine Country is a perfect fit for small- to mid-size meetings, retreats and incentive trips (see page 51 for more on incentives). Meeting venues range from upscale boutique hotels to expansive underground wine cellars, and from vine-covered courtyards to large ballrooms. This slice of countryside has long been a favorite destination of Northern California residents and an easily accessible locale for Bay Area drive meetings—many Wine Country hotels report a thriving local market. (It’s just far enough away from the office—at about an hour’s drive from San Francisco and within an easy day trip of many Bay Area cities.) It is also a popular destination for out-of-state and international visitors, and may just spur more attendance to your meetings. Mark Crabb, director of sales for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, says that many of his groups plan their meetings near a weekend to allow for easy pre- and post-meeting excursions.

So whether you select Napa Valley or Sonoma County (or a combination of both), Wine Country is fertile grounds for productive meetings.

Napa Valley

Home to more than 400 wine labels, Napa Valley is long and narrow, spanning 35 miles in length and an average of four miles wide. The city of Napa is the main hub and is found on the southern tip of the Valley just north of American Canyon—the gateway to Napa Valley. Traveling north along Highway 29, the main ribbon winding its way through the valley, you will find the towns of Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga. Each has unique offerings, hotels, wineries and even appellations for planners to select from.

“There is a tremendous opportunity here because we have the most prestigious wine destination in the New World, if not the world,” says Clay Gregory, the newly named CEO of the Napa Valley Destination Council. “From an international perspective, when you travel overseas and you talk about California wine, Napa is often the only region they are aware of.”   

Groups of 300 or less will fit comfortably in the region, which has no large meeting hotels nor a convention center. But the hotels (which they do have) are very cooperative with each other and will work with another hotel to accommodate overflow, Gregory says. “The rising tide lifting all boats—it’s that kind of mentality that is part of the Napa Valley culture. We have a good community spirit.”

Napa

The big news in the city of Napa is the revitalization of the Riverfront district. This area along the Napa River was long underdeveloped and prone to water damage because of the frequent flooding of the river. With a flood plan in motion, the area in downtown has been converted into a pedestrian, mixed-used district dubbed Riverfront. The construction phase is complete, a few restaurants are scheduled to move in and commercial space is available for retailers.

Located a few blocks away in downtown is the brand-new 141-room Avia Napa. Built from the ground up, the Avia is the tallest building in Napa and offers its guests complimentary evening wine tastings. Built to resemble a chic, contemporary living room, the hotel features 8,795 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and its ideal meeting size ranges from 40 to 60 attendees.

On the other side of the riverbank, you’ll find the new Westin Verasa, Napa. Resembling a rustic wooden lodge, the hotel features 180 guest rooms, including suites with full kitchens. The property’s ideal meeting size is 90 to 100 attendees, and it offers 12,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space. The Westin also features a “secret” bocce ball court overlooking the Napa River that is available for events, the cuisine of award-wining chef Ken Frank in La Toque restaurant and a host of team-building activities.

Adjacent to The Westin, the Napa Valley Wine Train offers groups a journey through the Valley in vintage rail cars while guests dine on the local, seasonal cuisine of Executive Chef Kelly Macdonald. Groups of up to 300 can buy out whole train cars and create custom stops at wineries along the way. The Wine Train also offers upstairs meeting space in the main facility, which is available as a VIP boarding station. For eco-conscious groups, the Wine Train converted one of its locomotives to run on compressed natural gas.

Around the corner from the train is the Oxbow Public Market. Modeled after San Francisco’s Ferry Building, the market is a central meeting place for the city, offering local eats, wine and much more. Adjacent to Oxbow is the former home of COPIA, the Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. The organization shut its doors last November due to bankruptcy, and there is talk of converting the building into conference space. No definite plans have been made, and the CVB’s Gregory says the city is not seeking a huge conference center, just additional meeting space, while still keeping the feel of the destination.

Just a few streets away from Oxbow is the Embassy Suites Napa Valley. The 205-suite hotel wasn’t built to resemble the brand standard, but rather a more Mediterranean estate with open courtyards and a pond with swans. The property offers more than 7,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, which is primarily located in one wing of the hotel.  

Across town is the Napa Valley Marriott. The 274-room property offers 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space, which surrounds the poolside courtyard. The hotel will be soon undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation that will update guest rooms and the lobby.

Near the Napa Valley College, which is working on the construction of a new performing arts
center, is The Meritage Resort at Napa. Resembling a Tuscan winemaker’s estate, this three-year-old hotel, set off in earth tones offers a unique, all-encompassing Wine Country experience. The property has 158 guest rooms, an on-site tasting room and vineyards, in addition to a cave with a full-service spa and Estate Cave venue accommodating up to 240 seated guests. It also features more than 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor function space and the largest ballroom in the Napa Valley (10,500 sq. ft., accommodating more than 1,000 guests).

Located on 1,200 acres, Silverado Napa Valley is a sprawling resort offering two 18-hole golf courses, two on-site restaurants, a full-service spa and 280 suites. The property also has a dedicated, two-level conference center featuring 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space in 15 meeting rooms, and beautiful outdoor meeting space, such as the 4,290-square-foot Fairway Deck with mountain and golf-course views. For access to off-sites and winery visits, Silverado has an in-house destination management company. The resort also has a strong eco-focus that includes energy conservation, sustainably sourced seafood and an aggressive waste-reduction program.

Located on the Sonoma Highway (in the cross-valley Carneros Region), The Carneros Inn has 86 cottages and features a handful of meeting spaces, including the 3,276-square foot Napa Ballroom. Just south of Napa in American Canyon is the eco-friendly Gaia Napa Valley. Gaia, Greek for “mother earth,” was the first hotel in the country to earn the Gold-LEED certification. The property offers 132 guest rooms and a total of 6,841 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space.

Yountville

Yountville is a small, walkable town centered around Washington Street, which is flanked by brick buildings, shops and, of course, restaurants. (Visitors might think that Yountville has more restaurants than people.) The town is also affectionately nicknamed Kellerville for the presence of many Thomas Keller restaurants, and is home to the most Michelin stars per capita in the world.

The newest hotel addition to Yountville is the Bardessono. Formerly the estate of the Bardessono family, this eco-chic property has waterfall stone sculptures à la Stonehenge with the zen-like aesthetic of Japanese architecture; it used construction leftovers to create its restaurant’s tables. The property offers 62 guest rooms and more than 6,500 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space.

Nearby, Vintage Estate, which encompasses more than 23 acres, features the V Marketplace shopping center and two Four-Diamond hotels: the 112-room Villagio Inn & Spa and the 80-room Vintage Inn. Event space within the estate includes The Pavillon, offering 16,000 sq. ft. of outdoor event space, and the 2,700-square-foot historic barrel room, which was part of the original 1870 Groezinger Winery.

Other venues in the area include the 55-room Napa Valley Lodge and
the 50-room Yountville Inn that can accommodate meeting groups of up to 50 and 30 respectively. Also an intimate meeting venue, the 50-suite Auberge du Soleil is located in a 33-acre olive grove north of Yountville in Rutherford. The property affords sweeping views of the valley and features more than 2,300 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space plus outdoor pre-function space.

St. Helena

Vine-covered buildings, acclaimed restaurants and eclectic shopping is what you’ll find farther north along Highway 29 in St. Helena. The town has a dozen B&Bs, but the refined 85-suite Meadowood Napa Valley is better suited for groups and meetings. The resort and golf course, located on 250 acres, offers 4,225 sq. ft. of meeting space in five rooms.

Located in a historic landmark building (formerly the Christian Brothers Winery), Culinary Institute of America at Greystone offers meeting space and creative (and hands-on) food and beverage options. Culinary-themed meeting spaces include the state-of-the-art Ecolab Theatre and the Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, accommodating attendees of up to 125 and 40 respectively.

Calistoga

Known for its hot springs and rejuvenating spa treatments, Calistoga offers a handful of meeting venues. The city evokes an Old West charm, particularly downtown. While you won’t find tumbleweed here, the Western-style facades may lead you to believe that at high noon there will be a showdown.

Opened in 2007, and recently ranked No. 11 in the best resorts in the continental U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure magazine, the 89-room Solage Calistoga is just outside of downtown. The property features 15,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor/outdoor function space and offers “zero-footprint meetings” with carbon-filtered water, 100-percent recycled paper products and sustainably farmed meals. Its sister property, Calistoga Ranch, is another local option featuring 46 guest lodges. The property is well-suited for retreats and has more than 11,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor function space, including the 1,600-square-foot Creekside Clubhouse with two boardrooms.

Located in the hills of Calistoga, Mayacamas Ranch can accommodate groups of up to 200. This conference center has hosted corporations from Gap, Inc. to Genentech and offers 25 guest rooms and a variety of meeting space, from a 2,000-square-foot conference room in the Chapparal Lodge to the 700-square-foot Rock Rose Center.

Sonoma County

Bordering the Napa Valley to the east, Sonoma County is an oasis of sprawling vineyards, farms and ranches. More laid-back and spread out than its neighboring valley, Sonoma County is roughly the size of Rhode Island, encompassing around 1,600 square miles of land, and is home to more than 250 wineries and 63,825 acres of grapes. It spans all the way west out to the Pacific Ocean and offers visitors everything from small coastal villages and towering redwoods to vineyards and rivers. For meetings and events, the region provides roughly 2,500 full-service guest rooms.

“It is country living out here. It’s that reconnect with nature,” says Mark Crabb, FCDME (Fellow, Certified Destination Management Executive), director of sales for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. It’s that reconnect (and removal from the office) that yields productive meetings, and Sonoma County has as many options for meetings as its grape varietals (72, in case you are wondering). Regarding ideal meeting size, “We are best at doing meetings of 200 and under,” Crabb says. The bulk of the major meeting venues are concentrated in and around the city of Sonoma, Sonoma Valley and Santa Rosa.

Sonoma and Sonoma Valley

The city of Sonoma is the main hub of the Sonoma Valley, and all the action goes down in the central Sonoma Square. The square is where you will find the historic Mission San Francisco de Solano, which was founded in 1823, as well as chic boutiques, tasting rooms, restaurants and art galleries.

A few minutes away from the square, the 182-room Lodge at Sonoma, A Renaissance Resort & Spa has more than 22,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space. Also nearby is the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. Dating back to the turn of the 20th century, the California Mission-style hotel offers 226 guest rooms and 11,000 sq. ft. of indoor function space and 10,000 sq. ft. of outdoor function space, including a 4,500-square-foot tent. The property also features the Four-Diamond, Four-Star Santé, which features Wine Country cuisine crafted from local ingredients, and a 40,000-square-foot spa with swimming pools fed by mineral water from underground springs—which originally put the area on the map.

Drive along Highway 12 passing winery after winery, until you arrive at the Kenwood Inn and Spa, built to resemble a Mediterranean villa. The boutique hotel property offers 29 guest rooms and a 700-square-foot meeting room.

Santa Rosa

The largest city in the area and the county seat, Santa Rosa is in the heart of county and offers a host of major meeting venues. Located nearby Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square, and fresh from a major overhaul, Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel and Spa is one meetings-friendly property. Reimagined with a Tuscan theme, the hotel features 155 guest rooms and more than 15,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space. It also has more than 22,000 sq. ft. of outdoor meeting space, including a lawn with an 80-foot long waterfall. Nearby is the 138-room Marriott Courtyard Santa Rosa, with 1,924 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space.

Another large meeting venue is the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country. The 246-room hotel features 10,000 sq. ft. of indoor function space and outdoor venues for groups as large as 350. The hotel offers carbon offsets for its guests and has been implementing eco-friendly initiatives such as utilizing recycled material to-go containers and Energy Star appliances. Downhill from the Hilton is the 145-room Fountain Grove Inn, which has more than 7,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

Also a historic venue is the 170-room Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa, which offers 13,000 sq. ft. of event space in 13 rooms, including a 6,300-square-foot ballroom and two boardrooms. Smaller groups will feel welcome at the 44-room Vintners Inn, which features more than 10,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space in nine rooms (many of which have private terraces) and the acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant John Ash & Co.

Playing host to a variety of talent, the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts can also play host to your events. The venue has a variety of event spaces for larger gatherings, with three conference rooms, the 400-seat Merlo Theater (with removable desks) and the 9,000-square-foot Atrium, which can accommodate up to 67 exhibit booths.

Just south of Santa Rosa, along Highway 101 (Sonoma County’s main freeway) in Rohnert Park, is the Four-Diamond Doubletree Hotel Sonoma Wine Country. Bordering two 18-hole championship golf courses, this Tuscan-themed hotel features 245 spacious guest rooms plus 18,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space and 32,000 sq. ft. of outdoor event space.

An affordable meeting option in Rohnert Park, Sonoma State University welcomes meetings and events during the summer. The university offers 537 residential suites and a variety of education-focused event space—not to mention that this is a great opportunity to find local, affordable speakers. It is in the process of opening a state-of-the-art performing arts venue that will also be available for events.

Fun, Wine-Free Activities

Group activities, team buildings, golf and pre- and post-trips span beyond the vine in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County. For groups that are looking for wine-free events, activities, meeting venues and more, Wine Country delivers.

The Napa Valley is teeming with recreational opportunities, and the Napa River provides the opportunity for kayaking, boat tours and walks along the river path—a popular site for staging scavenger team-building activities. Hot-air balloons are a popular way to take in the Napa Valley, with points of embarkation throughout. At the southern end of the valley in the Carneros Region, groups can take in one-of-a-kind art at the di Rosa Preserve. This 217-acre preserve offers customized tours for groups, as well as site rentals for meals and corporate events.

Located in downtown Napa, the circa-1879 Napa Valley Opera House puts on productions of all genres from comedians to men’s a capella groups. The historic venue is also available for private events in spaces like the 500-seat Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre.

Sonoma County’s vast outdoor spaces make it friendly for hiking, biking, kayaking and other recreational pursuits. Sonoma has 18 public golf courses, approximately 50 spas and more parks than you can shake a walking stick at. One popular park in Glen Ellen is the Jack London State Historic Park, the former home and grave site of the prolific author.

CornerStone Sonoma is a nine-acre complex with unique garden art installations, shops, cafes and more. It is a unique stop along highway 121 and also offers space for private events.

Racing buffs and thrill seekers will enjoy the Audi Sportscar Experience. A driving school with a 2.52 mile road course and Audi’s highest performing vehicles, it is located at Infineon Raceway, home to many major races such as the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

In Santa Rosa, the Charles M. Schulz Museum offers group tours and classroom space for up to 30 people for groups to learn about cartooning. Also in Santa Rosa, Safari West is a slice of Africa in Wine Country. The wildlife preserve houses 600-plus wild animals and safari tours, as well as overnight stays in 31 tent cabins housing up to five people. It has event space for up to 200 people—great for retreats on the wild side.

Next time you can’t get your groups motivated about a meeting, bring them to California’s Wine Country—where group gatherings mature into unforgettable and productive meetings.

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Vineyard Venues

Napa Valley

• Andretti Winery, Napa, known for pinot grigio, chardonnay and merlot; can accommodate groups from 10 to 250.
• Peju, Napa, known for many wines, including cabernet varietals, merlot, syrah and sauvignon blanc; a variety of event spaces such as the 1,600-square-foot Tower.
• Sterling Vineyards, Calistoga, known for cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc; tram with views of the valley and private tours and tastings.
• V. Sattui, St. Helena, known for a variety of wines; can accommodate groups of 15 or more for tours, tastings and meals.

Sonoma County

• Cline Cellars, Sonoma, known for Rhône-style wines and zinfandel; multiple indoor and outdoor venues accommodating groups of up to 1,000. 
• Lambert Bridge, Healdsburg, known for a variety of wines especially Bordeaux blends; picnic area for groups of eight or more as well as meeting rooms and cooking classes.
• Stryker, Geyserville, known for cabernet varietals, zinfandel and chardonnay; 1,000 sq. ft. of event space.
• Viansa Winery, Sonoma, known for Italian varietals such as sangiovese and pinot grigio; can accommodate groups from 10 to 300.

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Getting There

• Oakland International Airport has more than 250 daily departing flights to destinations around the country and in Mexico.
• San Francisco International Airport is the largest airport in the area with flights to most domestic and international destinations.
• Sacramento International Airport offers frequent nonstops throughout California and major cities like New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Guadalajara, Honolulu, Houston and Las Vegas.
• For direct Wine Country access, Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport offers nonstop flights on Horizon Air to and from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle and Portland.

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