Immersive Spaces to Make Lasting Memories
The attendees have spoken; immersive experiences are a top choice. Luckily, these new and renovated properties make bringing your attendees’ dreams to life that much easier. From a space where art comes to life to one that transports you to the wild west, creating a meeting or event experience that leaves attendees with cherished memories is a given.
Art-Forward Spaces to Fuel Inspiration
Unmistakably unique, Asheville’s boutique hotel and living art installation The Radical is now fully opened following recovery from the effects of Hurricane Helene. Located in a once-abandoned 1920s warehouse that once served as a cereal factory in the city’s River Arts District, the hotel offers 70 art-forward unique guest rooms and suites. Its name, inspired by the River Arts District’s RAD moniker, and upon stepping inside, it couldn’t be more apt.
Community is at its core, with every space conducive to energized, shared experiences. During the storm recovery, the hotel team transformed the property into a home for first responders and a distribution center providing needed supplies to the community. The property also worked with Explore Asheville, River Arts District Artists (RADA) Foundation and Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia to organize a “Love Asheville from Afar” pop up art gallery at Ponce City Market which featured works from RAD artists who had been impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Now re-opened, the property once again is home to inspiring experiences in an immersive space for every visitor. The hotel’s flagship wood-fire restaurant Golden Hour, its rooftop bar The Roof and its café and bar after/glow offer a culinary experience led by local Asheville resident and two-time James Beard nominated restauranteur Jacob Sessoms. In January, The Radical was named USA TODAY 10Best’s number two 2025 Readers’ Choice Award for Best New Hotel. The Radical offers event spaces at each of its three dining venues, plus two dedicated event spaces with the 48-person capacity The Radical Underground and its private cocktail lounge Pretty Vacant.
Read More: Asheville: Meet Where Community is Strong and Creative Spirit Abundant
Meetings That Go Down in History
Maine’s historic coastal icon, The Asticou, will reopen in June 2025 following a year-long $28 million renovation. Originally built in 1884, and reconstructed in 1901, the property is a local landmark. It began as Asticou Inn, operated by the Savage family for three generations. In 1965, the Asti-Kim Corporation, a group of local businesspeople and summer residents, purchased the property to preserve it for the future.
Now under the leadership of Maine-based hotelier and entrepreneur Tim Harrington, the property debuts a refreshed look and feel while paying homage to the property’s roots. Guests will discover 82 rooms, with 50 renovated guest rooms and suites in the original inn, plus new additions of 15 harborside cottages and 17 harbor-view spa suites with terraces. The design reflects the natural landscape, with earthy colors and diverse textures. Furniture and fixtures are either custom-designed or vintage-sourced from along the Eastern seaboard.
The Asticou stands on nearly 25 acres overlooking the water of Northeast Harbor, with Acadia National Park to its back. While visiting, guests have extensive opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Consider a stroll through Asticou Azalea Garden, established by the Savage family, or one of the many other sprawling gardens. Around the area, visitors can enjoy biking, hiking and boating. Just a mile away is Northeast Harbor’s vibrant downtown, with restaurants, shops, art galleries and more.
The property offers a range of upgraded amenities, including a heated pool with a poolside bar and grille, a spa and fitness center. Exciting programming combines wellness and adventure, with options including art classes, stargazing and guided boat charters offered through The Asticou’s sister property, The Claremont Hotel. At Dahlia’s, guests will find a reimagined fine dining experience, while Moss Bar offers a cozy yet elegant setting for guests to unwind and connect over drinks.
A Taste of Western Adventure
In the stunning mountain ranching town of Clark, Colorado, The Home Ranch has reopened as a newly re-built luxury western events facility, booking for June 2025 and beyond. Previously operating as a guest ranch before becoming private in 2019, the family compound offers a unique opportunity for events to explore 3,000 acres of the pristine Rocky Mountain wilderness with activities from trail riding, to mountain biking to paddleboarding and canoeing and more.
Several indoor and outdoor event spaces include the original Great Lodge, a 12,000-square-foot building with a large hall, a covered rooftop deck known as “The Hawk’s Nest” and several smaller gathering places. Events can also take advantage of the open-air Belltower Pavilion, which offers 2,000 sq. ft. of covered event space and prime views of the Park Mountain Range and Mount Zirkel, plus outdoor amphitheater seating, and Hahns Peak Barn, which offers 2,250 sq. ft. of event space across two floors in a converted barn, which includes an adjacent grain silo bar.
Events are fully customizable and offer an exclusive National Park appeal for up to 250 people. A selection of guest cabins, lodge rooms and a three-bedroom home can sleep up to 35 guests, and the Great Lodge offers a commercial kitchen, pool, spa, fitness center and golf simulator. Planners can opt to bring in approved private chefs and caterers for their event dining, who can take over the commercial kitchen, and the property offers a selection of ingredients, with its own greenhouses, over two dozen raised garden beds, a farm, beef operation and a chicken and duck coop.
Read More: Off-the-Beaten-Path Meeting Destinations
