Adriatic Luxury Hotels, Dubrovnik Trip

 

After a very early start on Friday morning (3.30am to be precise) and a short flight we arrived in Dubrovnik. During the descent, the captain informed us the weather wasn’t glorious sunshine and blue skies but that didn’t deter us from being excited at visiting Dubrovnik for the first time.

With it’s stunning coast line, medieval old town, rich and fascinating history, backdrop to the very popular Hunger Games, delicious food and wine and the easy and direct access from the UK has made Dubrovnik a very popular destination for incentives. With this in mind we couldn’t turn down an invitation to see what all the hype was about.

We were all staying at the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, a lovely location about 10 minutes away from the old town. The area is quieter and has amazing views over the clear blue water and some of the islands dotted around.

The hotel is a destination in its own right. The hotel has just over 300 rooms (combination of rooms and suites) all with sea view and a balcony, 6 bars and restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, wellness centre with jacuzzi, steam room etc and 11 meeting rooms. There is also plenty of space inside and out to privatise for drinks receptions, dinners or parties.

Following a delicious lunch of seafood and fish accompanied by chilled white Croatian wine we ventured off into the old town. Our guide for the trip was Vesna, she was so knowledgeable about Dubrovnik and it’s history, culture, people and food as well as venues which can be used for groups and other incentive ideas. She truly made the trip memorable for everyone!

We walked around the old town, climbed up the 200 steps to Fortress Lovrijenac and simply drank in the clean sea air as our eyes feasted on the panoramic view and caught our breath.

That evening we had a few show-rounds of other AHL properties; Hotel Excelsior and Villa Orsula. These hotels are very different in style and size the the Dubrovnik Palace hotel and are more suited to the smaller incentives.

Golf Day at Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club

Recently, we organised a golf day at Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel for a client. The hotel is located in the heart of the west midlands, boasting to have two superb golf courses, suitable for players of all skill levels. In total, 100 guests participated in the days activities.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with tea, coffee and bacon rolls, which they enjoyed whilst registering.

Following this, they played golf on the grounds of the hotel from 12pm until 5pm, accompanied by guest celebrity, Jason Plato, former British racing driver. Throughout the day, competitions were held for the ‘longest drive’ and ‘nearest to the pin’. After completing the golf course, guests enjoyed drinks in the marquee of the hotel, followed by dinner.

They were seated at large tables of 10-12, and had the choice of two options for both the starter and main meal. To start, guests could opt for either smoked duck & pate, with apricot chutney and dried Brioche, or the vegetarian alternative: goats cheese with beetroot puree and salsa salad. For their main meal, guests were given the option of a succulent 8 hour braised blade of beef with parsley mashed potato, rosemary, red wine & tomato concasse, or alternatively, a grilled mediterranean vegetable stack with halloumi, puy lentils & braised leeks. Dessert was a seasonal fruit Crumble tart with vanilla ice cream.

After dinner, guest speaker Jason Plato took to the stage, retelling anecdotes of both his driving career and television career, contrasting the two. In the past he has hosted Fifth Gear and Mission Implausible, and is co-hosting the upcoming series Drive alongside Vernon Kaye. Afterwards, he participated in an organised Q&A session, followed by guests having the opportunity to ask him their own questions.

At the end of the night, winners were announced for the previously mentioned competitions, along with the top 3 best performers of the day and best performing team. The prizes for these competitions included various golf equipment, with the best performer receiving a Bushnell Tour V3 Rangefinder, worth £200.

Guests departed the venue at 11:30 having enjoyed a fun and eventful day.

Fine Fragrance Blending for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

A bespoke fragrance experience designed exclusively for MOHG (Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group). The event was held at Mandarin Oriental London, which is situated in Knightsbridge, overlooking Hyde Park. The event began at 7:30pm, coming to an end once the prize draw winners had been announced.

Upon arrival, the concept of the experience was explained to guests. They then moved round the various hotelier stations, testing the different fragrances and finding out about how the different ingredients related to the destination. At each stand, the hotelier gave the guests a presentation of their property. Each of the 18 hotels showcased had a unique perfume blend designed for them with ingredients related to the destination (for example: Paris, was a heady romantic blend). Guests were encouraged to sample as many blends as possible. Afterwards, they could choose their favourite fragrances, blending them together to create a unique scent.

Throughout the event, drinks and canapés were served. Guests were encouraged to leave a business card to be entered into the prize draws towards the end of the night, with guests having the opportunity to win mini breaks to various Mandarin Oriental Hotels across the world.