Villa Florence is an authentic Italian boutique hotel located in the heart of San Francisco's Union Square. The 189-room hotel recently completed renovations including refreshed rooms and corridors as well as adding new guest rooms. The hotel's meeting space can accommodate groups of up to 120 people and features an on-site Italian restaurant. Marina Inn at Grande Dunes is a Mediterranean-themed hotel located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The 200-room hotel has over 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Though not directly on the ocean, the hotel offers beach access via shuttle as well as on-site dining and treatments. The secluded location away from busy beach areas makes it popular

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Villa Florence
Get a taste of Italy at Villa Florence, an authentic Italian boutique hotel in
the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square. “There are many hotels where
you can feel the vibe of San Francisco, but when you’re centrally located
like we are, you get the authentic feel behind it,” says Chad Olson, general
manager of the hotel. With a prime spot near the cable car turnaround,
the hotel’s position makes it convenient for guests to hop around the city’s
diverse neighborhoods like Fisherman’s Wharf and the Mission District.
Coming up on its 30th anniversary in 2016, the 189-room property
completed the first phase of a two-part renovation in March, refreshing
its accommodations and corridors and adding seven new guest rooms.
The redesign incorporated oversize peonies on headboards (inspired by
Florentine flower markets) paired with vibrant magenta pillows bedecked
with the symbol of Florence, the fleur-de-lis.
Villa Florence’s meeting space, which will get an overhaul later this
year, has four rooms that are best suited for smaller groups, Olson
says. The largest, the 800-sq.-ft. Machiavelli Room, holds up to 120
for a standing reception, while the smallest, the 185-sq.-ft. executive
boardroom, accommodates 12. For meeting sustenance, groups can dine
in or order catering from on-site Italian eatery Kuleto’s, which makes all of
its pastas and breads in-house. The restaurant also hosts a chef-for-a-day
program, led by head chef Robert Helstrom, where groups learn to make
salumi and pastas. —AD
InsiderTip
Order the veal scaloppini at Kuleto’s. “It’s the one item that’s been on the
menu the entire time during the hotel’s 29-year history,” says Olson.
Marina Inn at Grande Dunes
The Mediterranean-themed lobby of Marina Inn at Grande Dunes in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, sets the tone for an impressive meeting,
with its domed wood ceiling and elegant white columns with rope-
inspired moldings. Built as a replica of the villa-style lodges found along
Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the AAA Four Diamond hotel is a hidden treasure for
corporate meetings.
The 200-room hotel has more than 15,000 square feet of meeting
space including a 5,100-sq.-ft. ballroom. A 10,000-sq.-ft. lawn serves as
both a relaxing area where guests can spend downtime reading a book
under a pergola, and an event space for a sophisticated banquet dinner
under the stars. WaterScapes, the on-site restaurant, is known for its local,
sustainable ocean cuisine, like South Carolina favorites shrimp and grits
and lobster mac and cheese.
Though Marina Inn isn’t located directly on the ocean, it does have a
private beach only a five-minute drive away (shuttle service is offered
seasonally). And though there is no on-site spa, the hotel can provide
in-room treatments. For example, one corporate planner transformed
two guest rooms into a makeshift spa, where attendees could get
massages at their leisure.
“Our major market here is corporate meetings,” says Pamela Shelley,
director of sales and marketing, noting the hotel’s seclusion is a major
draw for corporate planners. The hotel is only a couple of miles inland
but away from busy beach hotels. Additionally, its meeting space is
separate from the main traffic areas of the hotel. “You feel like you have
your own little area that’s intimate and scenic, overlooking the lawn,
waterway and golf course,” she adds.
During downtime, attendees can head to Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach or
take in a concert at House of Blues Myrtle Beach, which has 59,000 square
feet of meeting space that can be bought out for private events. The
nearby Intracoastal Waterway, which stretches across 3,000 miles along
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, has various options for groups to explore,
whether by pontoon boats or jet skis. The hotel is also easily accessible
from Myrtle Beach International Airport, a 20-minute drive away. —HJ
InsiderTip
Incorporate friendly competition into an outdoor reception with corn hole.
The permanently installed game set is located on the side of the hotel in
an area with waterfront views.