State-of-the-art facilities equipped with top technology are a must for clubs catering to their working members and guests.
All work and no play may make life a little dull—but for today’s club and resort managers, accommodating the work-related needs of a 24/7 world has become an important part of their overall business strategy, as they seek to give members and guests more incentive to spend time on-site, even when leisure pursuits are not always on their minds.
SUMMING IT UP • Providing a range of options—from small meeting rooms to large-scale conference rooms—accommodates business needs of all sizes. • Flexible, modular seating allows groups to arrange furniture as needed. • Keeping current with technology lets members conduct their business with the same efficiencies they are used to at home and the office. |
Clubs that can provide a business-friendly, technologically advanced atmosphere can retain their members for more visits and longer stays. Maintaining an updated business center is a must for clubs looking to attract more busy members, with facilities that are attractive and efficiently designed to provide a professional space, while offering the amenities that offices require.
Meetings, Large and Small
At the Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Mo., many members stay as much for business as they do for pleasure. This is due in large part to the club’s renovation last January, which included the addition of a new executive boardroom.
“We did this to provide a fresh, new look to our smaller meeting rooms, and to provide another meeting option for groups with the addition of the Naples Boardroom,” says David Hume, Director of Sales.
The new 684-sq. ft. executive boardroom is outfitted with advanced audio-visual and technical capabilities, including an 80-inch, touch-screen, high-definition television with speakers built into the boardroom table. New LED lighting, flex-back banquet chairs and linen-free meeting tables round out the look of the professional setting.
With 43,500-sq. ft. of meeting space all on one level, the resort offers ample space for business meetings of all sizes. “Our intention as a conference center is to provide the best possible environment for our clients to hold meetings and to set new goals for the collective efforts they will provide for their agencies and organizations,” explains Hume. “We remain committed to this goal by providing an environment that goes uninterrupted, as all meeting space is located on one floor in a separate part of the resort.”
Thanks to the generously sized space that is dedicated to business needs, guests on business can meet in any of the Chateau’s 19 conference and breakout rooms, which have been thoughtfully laid out.
“The breakout rooms are in close proximity to the ballroom, to allow for smoother flow from general session to workshops,” Hume notes.
The Great Hall ballroom itself can be divided into as many as seven meeting rooms, each holding between 100 and 350 seats. All of the resort’s meeting spaces feature high-resolution screens and wireless capabilities.
To keep in step with technological advances, the Chateau secures an audio/visual technician on-site, via a third-party professional A/V company. To extend those services to guests once they are back in their rooms, the facility’s guest rooms were also re-cabled two years ago, providing a choice of three different bandwidths.
Rules of Engagement
Because club- and resort-based business centers can generate their own level of activity, they may warrant their own set of rules and payment structures. As members take advantage of wireless access, food and beverage and other services during their meetings, clubs must consider the potential for this added revenue stream. At the Chateau on the Lake Resort, a number of variables help determine the cost of meeting-room rentals. These include: lead time, seasonality, transient demand, arrival/departure pattern, rooms-to-space ratio, food/beverage potential and outlet usage. The club requires that all food-and-beverage items be supplied, prepared and served by the property. As a rule, no outside refreshments can be consumed in the banquet and meeting rooms. Food-and-beverage consumption at the Center Club Orange County, which is required for use of the boardrooms, is based on the length of time and specific meal period. Alternatively, “touchdown” rooms do not require food-and-beverage usage and are available for complimentary 30-minute intervals. “Fewer rules are necessary than you would expect,” says Club Manager Shahin Vosough. “Because the space is large and versatile, it is very easy for members to find their own space.” Following a similar approach, the City Club Los Angeles does not charge guests for use of its Gateway rooms, which can be reserved for a two-hour time slot. Other meeting rooms do not require reservations, but do have food-and-beverage minimum requirements. General Manager Larry Ahlquist believes the club’s flexible design enables guests to conduct their business wherever they see fit. “Many members use open spaces for business, thus incorporating different areas within the club,” he notes. |
Flexible by Design
When members at the Center Club Orange County in Costa Mesa, Calif., come to work, they mean business. “As a club, we build relationships and enrich lives,” says Club Manager Shahin Vosough. “We serve as an extension of our members’ homes, offices, hobbies and passions. We are a vehicle for interaction.”
In response to member requests for more business-friendly amenities, the Center Club underwent a clubhouse renovation in late 2012, including dedicated space for meetings and larger-scale conferences. The layout was designed to be flexible, creating distinct areas that can move from formal presentation to casual discussion.
“We strive to create one organic space that is dynamic in design,” Vosough explains. “Members tend to like to work with their backs to the wall and a clear sight line to the door, so we craft our spaces to enable this preference.”
Business conferences, seminars, training sessions and speaking events can be held in one of the club’s three 10 x 25 boardrooms. (Two of these rooms can accommodate up to 14 people, while the third room can hold up to 20.) Each space features built-in audio-video capabilities, while one room offers video conferencing. Carpeted flooring and adjustable lighting create a comfortable atmosphere conducive to all business needs, Vosough says.
For smaller business meetings, two 8 x 10 “touchdown” rooms are available, each equipped with a round table and three chairs, with additional chairs as needed. A monitor for visual presentations, along with a phone for teleconferencing, add the necessary technical capabilities to the setting. Wireless routers and repeaters have also been installed throughout the club, to ensure complete wireless coverage.
“The key to our furniture design is creating modular arrangements,” notes Vosough. “People like to tailor their environment to their activity.” Because chairs and tables are meant to be moved and turned, the configuration remains loose and can be adjusted accordingly.
“We aim to create spaces that are comfortable to open a laptop or to shove work aside and enjoy a glass of wine,” Vosough adds.
And when business is officially done for the day, guests can move over to the Center Club’s lounge, which boasts comfortable seating and adjustable sound and lighting controls. In the evening, this area transforms to lobby-style seating, with background music and dimmed lighting.
Mixing Business and Pleasure
At the City Club Los Angeles, the urban setting plays a prominent role in the facility’s design.
“We actually moved the club [in December 2013] and built a totally new facility after 25 years in the prior location,” says General Manager Larry Ahlquist. “This allowed us a blank slate in a more urban-centric part of downtown Los Angeles.”
As part of this renovation, the club was redesigned with the purpose of marrying business and networking, with each room incorporating a theme that reflects geographic-specific elements. “Design took into consideration the fashion, finance, flower, theater and jewelry districts of downtown,” Ahlquist explains. “The entire club is business/social-centric, because that is the way you do business today.”
To accommodate business functions of all shapes and sizes, the club offers a variety of meeting spaces. These include four private Gateway rooms (for up to four people in desk-style seating), two cabanas (seating six), the Canvas room (featuring portable and modular tables for up to 26 people) and the Tom Bradley Power Board Room (for up to 16, featuring a stone tabletop for presentation purposes).
Additional facilities include the Imagine Room, which seats six and has two walls with writable surfaces; the Hufford and Burke Rooms (each seating 8 to 10, with classroom tables) and the Beran Room (for 12 to 14 people, with classroom tables). Larger functions can be held in the club’s ballroom, which has three sections and can fit up to 360 people, while a 15-seat screening room with 3-D and “green screen” production capabilities is ideal for presentations.
“We have different heights of seating for each of these rooms, based on their functionality,” notes Ahlquist.
The ceilings in each room are significantly sized. “We are on the 51st floor with floor-to-ceiling windows for views, and we maximize our ceiling space at 17 feet,” Ahlquist says. Black-out shades shield guests from too much sunlight, which are balanced out by LED lighting and hanging chandeliers.
Because of the club’s inherent atmosphere of overlapping business with pleasure, universal furnishings are peppered throughout the facility. “Not one specific area is designated as [solely] for business,” notes Ahlquist. Every room features at least one television, with a 138-inch screen model in the club’s Anytime Lounge. Electronic capabilities are built into each room, including high-speed Internet access.
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