Sunday River Resort and Conference Center
Newry, Maine
The Sunday River Resort and Conference Center in Newry, Maine, is one of the state’s largest ski resorts, with 135 trails across eight interconnected mountain peaks. Whether or not attendees ski, many planners choose the resort for meetings because “they picture sitting around a fireplace with winter boots and a cup of hot chocolate in their hands,” said Mark Look, director of sales.
The resort’s three hotels offer nearly 500 guest rooms as well as 46,000 square feet of meeting space, in addition to another 30,000 square feet of event space throughout the resort.
In the Grand Summit Hotel, one wall of the 5,800-square-foot Grand Ballroom is all glass, and the room connects to an outdoor reception area with a fire pit, an arbor and grass for lawn games. In the same hotel, a slopeside conference room can accommodate up to 30 people, who can “can literally step right outside the room onto the slopes,” Look said.
At the Jordan Hotel, the resort plans to build a new indoor function space in the next several months, and groups of up to 200 can also use the Sliders Restaurant and its large deck in the offseason.
Guests can also take the “chondola” ski lift, which offers both chairs and gondolas, to the midmountain Peak Lodge for dinner or a cocktail reception.
In addition to the full slate of winter activities, attendees can go zip lining, hiking, canoeing and kayaking; take guided moose tours; hunt for gems at an area mine; and play a round at the Sunday River Country Club.
Gurney’s Newport Resort and Marina
Newport, Rhode Island
Gurney’s Newport Resort and Marina sits on Goat Island in Narragansett Bay, so the resort is almost completely surrounded by water, and so are its guests.
The resort in Newport, Rhode Island, has 257 guest rooms, 27,000 square feet of indoor function space and more than 50,000 square feet of seaside lawns and pavilions.
The 4,000-square-foot Rose Island Ballroom has an adjoining deck where guests can take in views of Newport Bridge. The 8,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom can seat up to 600 guests for banquets or be divided into four salons, and solid wood doors connect it to the 4,500-square-foot Brenton Hall.
The Waterfront Pavilion is a covered open-air space where up to 300 guests can soak up water views. Groups often use the South Lawn next to it for team building. To add an “only in New England” flair to events, guests can mingle on the North Lawn beside the 1842 Newport Harbor Lighthouse.
Scarpetta is a waterfront restaurant with two semiprivate dining rooms and multiple outdoor spaces for groups. The Regent Lounge has a three-tiered deck where guests can gather around fire pits or take in sunsets over the bay.
