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When fourth-generation owner Innegrit Volkahrdt took over the management of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof from her father Falk Volkhardt in 1992, one of her first tasks was the renovation of the Garden restaurant. True to the hotel’s belief that living in luxury is to live without annoying time constraints, the restaurant’s gourmet kitchen offered its largesse to guests seven days a week throughout lunchtimes and evenings.

But a hotelier’s work is never done. As a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the hotel’s restaurants naturally attracted a cosmopolitan and demanding clientele – in substantial numbers. In 2009 the restaurant was renovated again, expanding the hotel’s offering with fresh, exciting features and adding the new gourmet restaurant Atelier.

For a hotel with such a strong heritage, change can be a huge operation. “Thorough research was required to make a break from the past; to find a style which would underscore the new but not betray the timeless spirit of the grand hotel,” says Elena del Carlo, director of public relations for the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. “The scale had to be truly international. Our prize-winning luxury is continually compared to the greatest and the best all over the world, and we must never cease to develop our own tone in providing the best service for our guests.”

That five star service has won the hotel several awards over the years. It offers 350 rooms including 60 suites; the rooms are decorated in six distinct styles, so that visitors can always expect something different, while the suites are so individual and personalised as to defy thorough description. A ballroom and 40 additional function rooms provide excellent surroundings for events with up to 2,500 people, while the Blue Spa – designed by star architect Andrée Putman – offers breathtaking views over the city of Munich and the highest levels of wellbeing service.

Renovating one of the hotel’s key venues, then, is clearly serious business.

“We asked, how has the idea of gastronomic pleasure changed in the last few decades?” says Ms del Carlo. “What has become more important? What are the demands of well-informed customers in terms of food? Service? Aesthetic atmosphere? What mood, what ambience do they seek?” Fortunately, the gastronomic side of the equation was already there with the excellent skills of Steffen Mezger, who selects the very best regional products and serves a cuisine of versatile classicism and contemporary refinement marked by Mediterranean lightness and south German influences.

The issue was not just to create a beautiful, contemporary design, says Ms del Carlo, but rather the perfect experience in the perfect place. The Belgian interior designer, art collector and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt, primarily known for his design of private homes, luxury apartments and palaces, was brought in. With the Atelier and Garden restaurants at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof he completed his first public restaurant project.

The Garden, the main restaurant, fills the area within a tall conservatory. The indoor space offers 70 seats, and an outer area under a pergola of wisteria and clematis has 40 seats. There is a private lounge – the 20 seat Garden Salon – which shares the restaurant’s open fireplace. The decoration is authentically rustic: a Venetian hand-crafted limestone floor gives way to oak floorboards with an antique finish in side rooms; walls appear almost unplastered, while newly assembled furniture contrasts with carefully selected antiques. The unusual and reserved colour palettes all create an atelier or workshop atmosphere, feeding into the overall renovation concept for the restaurant.

The Atelier is a smaller, more intimate restaurant seating 25, with an additional ‘Privé’ with six to eight seats, separated by a mobile wall by artist Dirk Vander Eecken. A small terrace sheltered by Japanese maple, boxwood and well-grown Amur maple trees, seats a further four. Here, chef Steffen Mezger and his team offer gourmet meals with a selection of two menus, five evenings a week, from Tuesday to Saturday.

At the same time as the remodelling of the Atelier and Garden restaurants, the hotel’s guestrooms and junior suites were restyled. Investment costs for the restaurants ran to a total of €4m, and the same amount was invested in the accommodation. A further highlight by Axel Vervoordt will be presented in summer 2010: a private luxury screening room for business and private events.

The Sheraton La Caleta Resort and Spa is the perfect place to combine business and leisure. Located in the beautiful landscape of south Tenerife, its home at Costa Adeje is an exclusive area of the island blessed with mild temperatures of 23ºC all year long.

The hotel is set on the coast within splendid gardens and features three swimming pools, six restaurants and bars, spa facilities, and numerous meeting venues allowing visitors to tailor-make their event.

Business needs are met in any of the 10 meeting and banquet rooms, as well as a multifunctional meeting room located by the pool, offering a total of 3,500sq m.

From a spectacular reception by the pool village, a cocktail on the roof terrace or an exceptional banquet for up to 600 people overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Sheraton La Caleta can turn any event into an unforgettable experience.

In order to ensure the success of any event, a dedicated team led by the resort’s Executive Meeting Specialist provides support all the way from initial planning to the actual day of the event, taking care of all the details needed to guarantee the smooth running of a meeting, gala dinner or celebration.

The resort is also fully equipped with high-speed wireless internet access to make it easy for visitors to connect. Guests can access the internet with their wireless laptops from any location within the resort area, as well as use the workstations equipped with internet and office applications in the Link@Sheraton area.

Organisers can make the most of all the facilities at the Sheraton La Caleta Resort and Spa with the hotel’s group offer. Special room rates start from €110 including buffet breakfast, complimentary use of the main meeting room, one complimentary coffee break, one complimentary room for every 25 paid rooms per night, and a 50 percent discount when hiring breakout rooms; as well as complimentary internet access in meeting rooms and guestrooms.

Sheraton La Caleta Resort and Spa, Calle La Enramada 9, 38670 La Caleta, Adeje, Tenerife;
tel: +34 922 162 000; luisa.garcia@sheraton.com, www.sheraton.com/lacaleta

The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt is an idyllic venue to hold a conference, incentive trip or off-site meeting due to its proximity to Dublin airport (40 minutes) and the city centre (30 minutes). With 945sq m of dedicated meeting space and a unique outdoor Secret Garden exclusively available for events at the hotel, this venue can cater to groups of all sizes while providing delegates with a relaxing, thought provoking environment. The resort offers a variety of activities such as golf, cycling and archery for team building, or the luxurious ESPA for a relaxing treatment or massage after a long day of meetings.

The meeting and events team at The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt creates unique, memorable and personal experiences for all their guests. By tailoring each event, the team promises to deliver a seamless function going above and beyond client and guest expectations. Events at the hotel are not only limited to the conference area: in the past a car park has been transformed into an impressive bar and entertainment area, and the Secret Garden has been tented to create an outdoor night club. Alternative events continue to be popular and the team is experienced at creating bespoke venues for their corporate clients. Recently they erected a marquee on the helipad so that delegates could enjoy the captivating views of the Sugar Loaf Mountain from the best possible vantage point.

Complimentary, secure and reliable internet access to guests and visitors has been introduced in all of the hotel’s guestrooms, lounges and food and beverage outlets. Guests who have their own laptop or compatible device are able to avail of this service in these selected areas of the hotel for the duration of their stay.

For groups who wish to combine their meeting, incentive or team building day with a corporate social responsibility initiative, the hotel has designed an exciting programme in association with County Wicklow’s Orchard Centre. Many organisations that already have strong environmental and ethical principles have chosen to increase their focus on these programmes in recent times. The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt now offers companies the opportunity to use the hotel, not only for business purposes but to give something back to the community. A typical programme at The Orchard Centre – home to the 130 cow ‘vineyard’ producing milk for Baileys Irish Cream – includes rejuvenation of the ancient Tomnafinnoge wood where the removal of growth over recent years is threatening the natural balance of flora and fauna. As the last of Ireland’s great oak forests it provides a unique social, environmental and educational amenity to the local community and visitors to the area.

The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt is reaching out to corporate executives, meeting planners and conference attendees in an effort to encourage the scheduling of meetings, incentive trips and annual retreats. There are many benefits to selecting the resort even during the current challenging times and with this in mind it has launched its Meetings Within Reach package with attractive rates starting from €169 per person.

Judith Heberer, UK Sales Director; tel: +44 129 667 1662; judith.heberer@ritzcarlton.com; www.ritzcarlton.com/powerscourt

The Mare Nostrum Resort is located right in front of the white sandy beach Playa del Camisón, in the best commercial area of south Tenerife, in Playa de Las Americas. Only 15 minutes drive from Reina Sofia international airport, Mare Nostrum is a collection of three hotels of four and five star quality and a state of the art convention centre: the ideal place to host big events. An awesome creative team focused on meeting clients’ needs will help from creating the concept for an event all the way through to managing its success.

The Pirámide de Arona houses a spectacular auditorium and has a total seating capacity of 1,815 delegates, with direct access from the street and hotel interiors. The stage has the option to open out onto a vast pool-side quad, large enough to seat 3,000 delegates for a dynamic display. Alternatively, this open access to the auditorium stage allows spectacular presentations – superb for a car launch. There are 26 versatile meeting rooms, accommodating from 10 to 3,000 delegates; the Hall of Mirrors has the largest capacity in the Congress Centre and is the ideal location for exhibitions, workshops and presentations.

Wi-Fi is accessible in all hotel areas, and a large selection of modern audiovisual equipment is available on request. The full time support service team provides event management, concept development and branding opportunities, as well as comprehensive ground floor service, including excursions, transfers and teambuilding activities.

The resort’s hotels offer 1,037 rooms, including 971 double rooms, 66 suites and two imperial suites. All rooms offer Wi-Fi internet access, air conditioning, a balcony, cable channels and a minibar; 102 rooms have a private swimming pool and solarium. As well as four large swimming pools and excellent tennis, squash and gym facilities, the resort offers access to a spa health and beauty centre, entertainment programmes, and a 160 seat catamaran for excursions or private events. Golf and watersport activities are available nearby.

Mare Nostrum Resort offers fine dining in several international restaurants and bars, providing a cultural mix of flavours from traditional to exotic specialities combined with exceptional service. A buffet breakfast is served each morning – the best way to start the day. The Beach Club and the Roman and Mediterranean pool terraces can be used in the evening for spectacular gala dinners with up to 2,000 delegates, live music performances, amazing fireworks and partying into the night.

Mare Nostrum Resort, Avenida de Las Américas s/n, Playa de las Américas, 38660 Tenerife, Spain; tel: +34 92 275 75 00; fax: +34 92 275 32 26; mnrgrupos@expogrupo.com; www.marenostrumresort.com

The Adam and Eve Hotel’s world of mirrors, glass and pristine white surfaces is just 35 minutes from Antalya airport, right on the coast of the Mediterranean. The hotel is vast: rooms range from the standard 64sq m Design Rooms to the 1,000sq m Adam and Eve suite, while 24 villas offering up to 1,212sq m of private space are also available.

The rooms are decorated in a minimalist style with floor to ceiling windows, a luxurious Jacuzzi for two in the centre of the room, a 42” plasma television and private 16sq m balcony with daybed. A ‘Clima Click’ air conditioning system and bespoke LED illumination makes each room uniquely customisable: 13km of lighting equipment is installed throughout the hotel, transforming each room and every Jacuzzi into a light therapy centre capable of dozens of lighting solutions. Showers, steam baths and therapy baths are also equipped with light and colour therapy features.

The 28 suites, ranging from 128sq m to 1,000sq m, are situated on every floor of the hotel’s main building. In addition to all the features of the design rooms, they offer a sauna for four people, access to a private beach club immediately in front of the villas, and an additional living area – in some suites this space features a square bed measuring 4.6m by 4.6m.

The Special Adam and Eve Suite is exactly 1,000sq m and is situated on the 5th floor of the main building. It has two living rooms, two bedrooms, two therapy baths, two saunas, two bars, two large terraces, a full home cinema system and a kitchen. This top-of-the-line exclusive suite is the most distinguished symbol of the ‘heaven on earth’ concept that the Adam and Eve Hotel aims to create.

Throughout the resort, personalised service is provided by the Adam and Eve Angels, who ensure guests’ wishes and needs are fulfilled, while villa guests can also enjoy the services of a Butler, who serves as a special holiday assistant.

Angel delight
The hotel’s spa suites are another symbol of this heaven on earth concept. The 10 EdenSpa suites, arranged in a special garden, offer Turkish baths, saunas and special therapy beds, with private audio systems playing in each suite’s personal terrace, helping visitors relax next to the ornamental pool. Two of the suites are designed in Thai style and two are special skin care units. Other facilities in the spa include a 65 m long indoor pool and Thai, Klang and Ayurveda massages.

Extensive and modern sport and wellness facilities are also available: the fully equipped fitness centre is open 24 hours a day, and a vast array of indoor, outdoor and watersports are supported either by the resort or nearby providers. There are also six golf courses less than 10km away. Guests who like a swim will enjoy the 104m long Relax Pool; surrounded by designer sunbeds and served by a specialist cocktail bar, it is just one of the seven pools around the resort. For children there are four water slides and a pool at the Adam and Eve Mini club.

The hotel offers even more opportunities for keeping active through the night. The 175m long Atrium features six restaurants and three bars – including the 96m Bluetooth Bar – and is the venue for the nightly DJ performances, parties and concerts that keep the hotel’s nightlife vibrant. The 25m high space is decorated with five million individually placed mirrors; it is a dazzling and highly flexible venue, suitable for decadent parties as well as formal congresses.

Adam & Eve Hotels, Belek, Antalya, Turkey; tel: +90 (242) 444 0596; mice@adamevehotels.com; www.adamevehotels.com