SfoDtwFlr

I am organizing a team builidng program for one of our clients. Does anyone have any ideas about hotels/conference facilities in the DFW area that would be nice? We would like an upscale resort like setting. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thanks

techgirl

How many attendees? Are you looking for specific activities/amenities at the property or proximity thereof?

omahajim

Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, just north of DFW.

deubster

The Gaylord is fairly nice. Also worth considering - the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, a bit quieter, very easy to get to. Also worth considering is the Marriott DFW, about 20 miles away in Ft. Worth, but easy to get to. It has a pretty decent golf course attached. Of course, if you want to involve golf in your team building, you might consider the Four Seasons Las Colinas in Irving (also easy to get to from DFW).

Hartmann

I agree with deubster on the Four Seasons in Las Colinas.

There are other conference areas in that area as well.

techgirl

There are lots of great locations around DFW... hoping the OP will come back and clarify what size/activities they are looking for. The Gaylord would probably be overwhelming in scope for a group of 12-15 - but other locations would be great (a high-end lodge around Glen Rose comes to mind as outstanding from past experiences). Conversely the Four Seasons would likely be too small if they are looking to have 400 folks.

A few of my favorites where I've put on or attended conferences (think my old company used every hotel/facility within a 10 mile radius of DFW at some point or another) -

* Gaylord Texan
* Four Seasons Las Colinas
* AA Conference/Training Center
* OMNI Mandalay (Irving) - *qualified that I've heard things have gone downhill
* Westin DFW (formerly The Harvey) - *where we put our out of town staff/clients up
* Grand Hyatt DFW

There are lots of unique "activities" available depending on what you are looking for. The Grand Hyatt, for example, has a commercial teaching kitchen and can do team building events around culinary development. The Gaylord can put on great nighttime events for larger groups at The Glass Cactus (their "high end" nightclub which has quite the "scene"). The Four Seasons has world-class golf (the Byron Nelson on the PGA is played there).

Is the event going to be solely on the hotel site or will the group be venturing out - and how many days? Are the attendees from the region, local, or from far away? (What is "convenient" for a local DFW person would likely be "boring" for someone from out of state looking for some Texas flavor.)

SfoDtwFlr

Here's a little more clarification on the event. Actually, there will be two events. The first will basically be just a meeting for 1.5 days. We will have a dinner, and maybe a fun-type event, but the purpose is really to get an update on corporate goals and other boring stuff and to get buy-in for the next meeting. The second event will be 2.5 days and will be the real teambuilding event. This event will have speakers, group workshops, and fun events. My CEO actually mentioned the cooking thing and the client really liked that idea. There will be 30-35 participants, 20-25 will be from Forth Worth. The others will be from other locations in the US, however their division headquarters is in Fort Worth, and they seem to travel there quite often. For the first event, the local people will stay at home. For the second one, everyone will stay at the same place. I think we want as much as possible of the event to be at the facility. If it is not a hotel, obviously, people will have to sleep somewhere else, but we want to keep people as focused as possible so we do not want too much driving around.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions.

techgirl

Given that info, for the first event, I'd recommend going with something "in town" given traffic around for folks driving back and forth. The Ashton Hotel in downtown Fort Worth is a fabulous boutique hotel for the out of towners - and if they don't have the meeting space you need, I do believe they have a relationship with the Fort Worth Club (around the corner) to help there.

For the second event, my first suggestion might be to go for the W Hotel in Victory Park in Dallas (depending on the age/hipness factor of the group). Most Fort Worth folks will have been to the Gaylord and the size of the group is small enough that the Gaylord facilities would probably overwhelm. The W has meeting facilities that are geared towards the smaller groups without overwhelming them and the trend factor of the W will be a bit more "novel" to the FW crowd. They can section off part of Ghostbar, for example, for a cocktail event - and can add other touches that might be fun. (I've also got a couple of restaurant locations I can recommend that can handle a group that size that would appeal to the Fort Worth sensibility.

The second place I'd recommend is Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose (about an hour south of Fort Worth). Its not an inexpensive choice but its been ranked highly by Conde Nast and its definitely a memorable location.

http://www.elitemeetings.com/rough-c.../property.html

One thing to definitely keep in mind now that you've mentioned the FW word (Fort Worth) is that there is a pretty strong city pride divide between Fort Worth and Dallas. There may only be 35 minutes separating the two downtowns, but to many, it might as well be 1,000 miles. I grew up in FW, lived/worked in Dallas the last 14 years, and now live in FW and work in between the two by the airport. Much to even my own amazement, I've driven over to Dallas exactly twice in the last six months - its just not done that often by most so its an important cultural point I think to not ignore. I don't know who your client is, but many of the FW corporations have a strong sense of city pride and shudder a bit at letting their spending go to "Big D"... so just something to be aware of depending on their culture.

swag

Wow. Hector must miss you (and vice versa).

oldpenny16

When I go to Dallas (as seldom as possible) I take along my own bottled water and sandwiches.

Old Ft Worth tradition!

techgirl

That would be visit #1 and visit #2. On visit two, Blythe read me the riot act... she's finished filming the first half dozen episodes of her reality show.

Actually I had a third visit... for a FT dinner at the Galleria. Wow. So three times!

jayer

I'd second downtown Fort Worth. There are enough hotels you are bound to like one, and its kind of eclectic and fun. If the hotel didn't have any ideas, I bet the Stockyards could come up with a goofy teambuilder event for you. (But your attendees would love you if you can get that called off).

I'd second Glen Rose also. I haven't been to the Inn on the River since it got so expensive, but I'd still suggest it. Just not sure what kind of group meeting room they have.

And I'd second either of the airport Hyatts. Can't get much easier to get to, and they redefine an on-airport hotel.