Abundant waterfronts and iconic resorts make Maryland an ideal place for mixing business with pleasure.
Because of its proximity to the nation’s capital, Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, Maryland has attracted some top-notch hotels and resorts. These five standouts offer everything from fine dining and world class spas to golf, boating, water sports and nice, sandy beaches.
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
Cambridge
The 342-acre Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina is a AAA Four Diamond resort on the Choptank River near Chesapeake Bay. It features: 400 guest rooms, including 47 suites; six dining outlets; a year-round indoor pool and seasonal outdoor pools; an 18-hole golf course; a 150-slip marina; a full-service spa; and numerous ways for guests to get outside and play in the sun. The resort offers water sports, tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, miniature golf, Frisbee golf, horseshoes, Captain’s Parlor game room and several nature trails.
The area is known for its cycling and horseback riding, and along with all of the watersports available at the resort, guests can book fishing and crabbing excursions.
The resort has 37,000 square feet of indoor meeting space. Chesapeake Ballroom is the largest at 11,259 square feet. The room can host banquets for 850 or receptions for 1,300 and can be divided into seven smaller sections for classrooms or breakout sessions.
The smaller Choptank Ballroom can host 300 for a banquet, and the space can be broken into three smaller spaces. The foyer that runs in front of the ballrooms serves as pre-function or reception space for 500. The Manor Lawn is adjacent to the 18th hole of the River Marsh Golf Club and overlooks the Choptank River. The space can hold up to 500 guests.
The Inn at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club and Spa
Stevensville
Set on Kent Island, the Inn at Chesapeake Bay Beach Club has 77 guest rooms, suites and cottages and a full-service spa and salon. The resort has plenty of dining options, including the Market, a gourmet café and marketplace that specializes in locally sourced small bites, and Knoxie’s Table, a restaurant that features scratch-made seasonal cuisine inspired by the region’s farmers and watermen.
Guests can enjoy two dipping pools with cascading water features, a fitness center, complimentary bicycles for guests 14 years of age and older and a chef’s garden, where they can explore seasonal plantings. The resort also offers complimentary yoga classes on Fridays and Saturdays in the courtyard.
The property has more than 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, with 5,000 square feet at the inn, 16,000 square feet of waterfront event space and 12,000 square feet of outdoor space. Tavern Bayside features sliding windows to let in the fresh breezes coming off Chesapeake Bay and offers sweeping views of the bay and Bay Bridge. The site can host 50 to 180 guests and offers lawn games on its beachfront grounds. The Garden Rooftop, which sits above the Garden Room, offers breathtaking views of Chesapeake Bay and has 16-foot-high wood ceilings, a stone gas fireplace and a custom-built bar.
Beach House Ballroom can accommodate up to 220 guests and overlooks a sunken garden at the water’s edge.
Rocky Gap Casino Resort
Flintstone
Rocky Gap Casino Resort is a destination resort that features 198 guest rooms, a casino, a full-service spa and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. Situated in Rocky Gap State Park, the resort is perched on Lake Habeeb, a 243-acre lake where resort guests can rent canoes, paddleboats and paddleboards. The resort recently partnered with Wheelzup Adventures to oversee boat and fishing rentals from the boat house.
Groups hosting events on property can plan group paddle sessions or golf tournaments. There are nearby fishing spots and hiking and mountain biking trails all around the park. The resort hosts comedy shows once or twice a month, as well as live musical entertainment.
The resort features a casino with 630 slot machines, 17 table games and two casino bars that are open 24/7. The Allegheny Event Center offers 5,070 square feet of meeting space that can host 400 people. The space can be split into two separate rooms that can host 200 guests each. Several small breakout spaces include an executive boardroom.
Lakeside Grill offers a private dining area for groups of about 30. Signatures Bar and Grill has an outdoor patio that groups can utilize, and the restaurant offers acoustic entertainment on weekends. Lakeside Terrace offers a more casual space for drinks and appetizers.
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
National Harbor
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is a short drive or train ride away from Washington, D.C., in National Harbor, a development built on a former plantation site in Prince George’s County. It sits on the Potomac River, just south of D.C., and is the largest resort in the area with 1,996 hotel rooms. It has several on-site restaurants, entertainment, a full-service spa, a lush indoor garden atrium and shops.
National Harbor itself has plenty for groups to do, including shopping at Tanger Outlets, water activities, and the Capital Wheel, a 175-foot Ferris wheel that sits on a pier on the river.
The convention center has 546,889 square feet of event space, including 94 event rooms, 101 breakout rooms, and exhibit and pre-function spaces. Five ballrooms range from 8,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet, including RiverView Ballroom with 270 degrees of floor-to-ceiling windows. The resort features more than 75,000 square feet of outdoor event space, including an 11,000-square-foot private event pier. There are private dining options at all of the resort’s restaurants, including Pose Rooftop Lounge, which is also home to Replay at Pose Rooftop, an ’80s-themed pop-up bar with river views, neon lights, retro arcade games and music from the 1980s.
Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort
Ocean City
Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort is in the heart of Ocean City, right on the Atlantic Ocean. Guests can stroll along the coast, lounge by the pool in the resort’s four-story tropical atrium, or get a massage, manicure or pedicure at the full-service Creative Day Spa.
The resort offers golf packages for groups at any of 14 local golf courses that include lodging and three rounds of golf. Guests have several dining options on property, including Royale Roasters, which serves coffee, tea, pastries and baked goods; the Current, open-air dining with great views of the Atlantic and East Lawn; and Schooners Oceanfront Restaurant, which serves breakfast favorites. Ice Tiki offers Chesapeake Bay Farms Ice Cream, and Tropical Tiki in the atrium serves tropical drinks and light gourmet fare.
Princess Royale Oceanfront has 10 indoor meeting spaces. The 5,670-square-foot Palmetto Ballroom can accommodate groups of up to 400 but also can be split into five smaller rooms. The Caribbean Foyer offers space for pre-event cocktails or between-meetings refreshment breaks. Caribe Ballroom is 5,400 square feet and can host groups of up to 400. The resort also has an 8,000-square-foot exhibition hall, and the atrium is perfect for receptions by the pool.
