Alabama Gulf Coast
Pleasure Island Hooks Meetings Business
By Michelle Martin When the Governor’s Conference on Tourism was held in September at
Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala., state and local tourism officials had much to celebrate, as tourism along the Alabama Gulf Coast had set new records for spring 2007. According to a news release issued by the
Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), taxable lodging rentals for the spring were $57.1 million—a $1.3 million increase from spring 2004, which serves as a benchmark since fall 2003 through summer 2004 was the most recent statistical period in which spending was not impacted by storm recovery and rebuilding.
Groups choosing “Pleasure Island” for their annual conferences, corporate retreats and other professional meetings are contributing to the record-breaking tourism along the Alabama Gulf Coast, which includes Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. Beth Gendler, director of sales for the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB, estimates the CVB will assist 250 groups for more than 41,500 room nights during 2007. “That number just represents those groups serviced by the CVB or with which the CVB was somehow involved in the sales process—not all the groups meeting in the area,” she said.
Chartered fishing boats take groups out to some of the Gulf of Mexico’s prime fishing spots. Red snapper and grouper are two of the many species available. |
Gendler said some of the ways the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB assists meeting groups considering the area are by procuring proposals from properties that would meet their needs; coordinating site visits of guest rooms, meeting space and attractions in the area; and arranging welcome addresses by local dignitaries. “We would like to help any planners coming to the area and encourage them to use the CVB.”
Meeting planners can choose from more than 125,000 square feet of meeting space and 14,800 overnight accommodations in hotels, condominiums and beach houses in the Alabama Gulf Coast region, according to Gendler, who added that the number of available accommodations is expected to increase to 16,000 by 2009.
Although the 125,000 square feet of meeting space in the Alabama Gulf Coast area does not include a traditional convention facility, Gendler said local hotels, condominiums, restaurants and unique venues have meeting rooms that can accommodate groups. “Most groups are willing to be flexible to be on the beach, but we’re still hoping for the development of a convention center because we hate to see business go to another state,” she said.
A convention center might well be on its way to the area. According to an Oct. 5 article in Mobile’s Press-Register, the Orange Beach City Council voted unanimously Oct. 2 to pursue a 30-year revenue-sharing arrangement with developers of Bama Bayou, a 144-acre multi-use development at the northern landing of the Foley Beach Express that would include a 68,000-square-foot convention center, hotels, condominiums, a marina, a marine park, retail shops and restaurants. If a deal is reached, the city of Orange Beach would rebate Bama Bayou developers 2 cents for every dollar that the city would have levied on sales and lodging over 30 years (the city collects a 3 percent levy on sales and 5 cents on every dollar spent on lodging throughout the city). Additionally, Bama Bayou developers would like to levy another 2 percent sales and lodging tax through the creation of a special district at Bama Bayou.
Many groups overlook the lack of a convention center and choose the Alabama Gulf Coast as the location of their meetings because of the area’s 32 miles of beaches, family atmosphere and hospitality, Gendler said. That family atmosphere is why Kitty Robinson has chosen the Alabama Gulf Coast for many of the annual meetings of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Charles A. McCallum Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Alumni Society. Robinson has held the last three alumni meetings, which usually draw up to 150 people including members, instrument representatives and their families, at
Caribe, The Resort in Orange Beach. “We like to hold our meetings where people can bring their children, and everyone enjoys the beach,” Robinson said. “Alabama has beautiful beaches, and the children could spend a year there and never get bored. Caribe, The Resort is a fantastic venue for our meetings because the meeting space is large enough and there is so much for the children to do, like the Lazy River and water slide.”
Caribe, The Resort has 14,000 square feet of meeting space that includes two banquet areas in Towers C and D, in addition to the pool’s 50,000-square-foot deck that can be used for outdoor events, according to Group Sales Manager Christie Crenshaw. The resort has 600 two- and three-bedroom units; more than 170 of those units are managed through an on-site rental program. According to Crenshaw, a new restaurant that will seat up to 300 people and will include pizza and oyster bars—and could provide catering for group meetings—is planned to open in 2008.
Unique Venues
The Alabama Gulf Coast area offers several unique venues that can accommodate meeting groups. Christian Life Church on Canal Road has been used since 2003 by Student Life, a youth ministry that hosts summer camps and conferences for 60,000 teenagers across the United States, including a five-day camp held each week in July in Orange Beach, according to Student Life President and Founder Randy Hall. Morning and evening worship services for the youth camp are held in the auditorium at Christian Life Church, which Hall said “is the largest room on the island. We’re at full capacity with 650 people. If there were a place on the island that could seat 2,000 people, then we would bring 2,000.”
Hall said Student Life hosts a smaller group at the Orange Beach youth camp because “we love the location and love the beach. More people can come than we can host, so we’re evidence that there is a growing demand for meeting space in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.”
According to Gendler, other venues include rental offices and restaurants that have meeting rooms, such as Kaiser Realty and Mientje’s and Live Bait at The Wharf. The Wharf is a 220-acre, mixed-use development on the Intracoastal Waterway that also features restaurants, retail shops, a 112-foot-tall Ferris Wheel, a RAVE Motion Pictures Movie Theater, a marina, a 10,200-seat amphitheater and condominiums. “The Wharf provides one-stop entertainment for anyone here in association with a conference,” Gendler said.
Carey Seimssen, group sales coordinator for Kaiser Realty, said groups staying in any of Kaiser’s 662 condominiums and beach houses in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores could also use the meeting space of its Orange Beach and Gulf Shores offices. The Orange Beach facility features a business center, an outdoor terrace and almost 2,500 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate up to 150 people. The Gulf Shores office, which held an open house in October, includes conference rooms, an outdoor terrace and a large boardroom that can accommodate 250 people, theater style; 240, banquet style; and 144, classroom style. “Whether your group needs a small, intimate boardroom setting or a large space suitable for your annual meetings, we now have the opportunity to host your group with both meeting space and lodging accommodations,” Siemssen said.
Additional Meeting Spaces & Accommodations
Many hotels and condominiums in the Alabama Gulf Coast region offer meeting and lodging space in a single accommodation. Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, for instance, has 346 guest rooms and more than 45,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and exhibit space, including 18 conference rooms and two beachside decks. “We pride ourselves on creating the whole package for our groups,” said Director of Sales Sandi Roose, who added that Perdido Beach Resort offers “superior service” and on-site dining and activities to achieve successful meetings for groups ranging from 30 to 500 attendees.
Island House Hotel, also in Orange Beach, has 161 gulf-front guest rooms, three meeting rooms that include a 1,020-square-foot conference center and 435-square-foot pre-function area, a pool deck that can accommodate up to 150 people for outdoor functions, and corner penthouses, a café and a lounge for additional meeting and function areas, according to General Manager Barbara Walters.
The 137-room Hilton Garden Inn in Orange Beach has a 2,000-square-foot meeting room, which Director of Sales Brenda Lazenby said can accommodate up to 120 people or can be divided into two small rooms that each can seat up to 45, classroom style.
Orange Beach’s Holiday Inn Express has 119 guest rooms and a 925-square-foot meeting room that can hold up to 85 people, theater style, 49, banquet style, or 45, classroom style, according to General Manager Jason Nicholson.
Key Info: · Sales Tax: 9 percent
· Hotel Tax: 2 percent
· Rates: Hotel and condominium rates vary by season, with a reported average daily rate of $74 hotel/$66 condo in the winter and $155 hotel/$186 condo in the summer for 2006, according to CVB officials.
· Explore: Groups staying in properties not located directly on the beach still can enjoy Alabama’s 32 miles of beaches at various public beach and Gulf State Park areas, with covered pavilions, restrooms and concessions. Daily parking fees apply and vary by season. |
Meyer Real Estate manages more than 1,700 condominiums and 315 beach houses in the Alabama Gulf Coast area, including 25 larger homes that “would be ideal for an executive retreat or small meeting,” said Corporate Relations Director Sarah Kuzma, adding that meeting attendees could qualify for Meyer’s group discount program. Also, Meyer’s new gulf-front, 11-bedroom, 11.5-bathroom Halekai III beach house sleeps up to 28 people, has five living room areas, three kitchens, a media room, desks and wireless Internet access, and is “conducive to break-out sessions and class service to meeting attendees,” she said.
Brett-Robinson Realty manages 1,925 guest rooms in Alabama Gulf Coast condominiums and hotels, including 15 meeting rooms capable of accommodating from 20 to 150 people, according to Director of Marketing Marie Curren.
In Gulf Shores,
The Beach Club recently celebrated its first year as a Sterling Resorts property, featuring 656 condominium units, 27 private cottages, and new guest amenities that include Children’s Club activities, nightly entertainment and poolside theme nights, on-site DVD rentals, fitness center access and more, according to General Manager Ed Evans. The resort has nine meeting areas for a total of 13,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, making it the “perfect setting for functions with 40-650 attendees,” he said.
The 70-acre
Gulf Shores Plantation features studio to three-bedroom condominiums, three- and four-bedroom duplexes, indoor and outdoor pools, lighted tennis courts, an exercise room, hot tubs and sauna/steam rooms. Director of Marketing Donna Gordon said a 925-square-foot meeting room—which can accommodate corporate meetings and small groups of up to 50 people, classroom style, 65, banquet style, and 100, theater style—is located in Plantation East. Kiva Dunes golf course is adjacent to the property.
Also in Gulf Shores,
Craft Farms Golf Resort offers “Stay and Play” golf packages in 38 condominiums at Cypress Point and the adjacent 89-room Courtyard by Marriott, which has one meeting room that can hold up to 40, theater style, or 24, classroom style. In addition, Craft Farms’ 1,600-square-foot Palmer Dining Room seats up to 160, theater style, or 80 for dinner; the 2,000-square-foot Cypress Bend seats 100, theater style; the 400-square-foot Wingo Room seats 15 in a boardroom setting; and the 1,100-square-foot Cotton Creek Grill can accommodate meeting groups as well, according to Craft Farms General Manager Grant Brown.
Several smaller properties with fewer than 100 guest rooms offer limited meeting space as well, including surrounding areas such as Foley.
