In today’s global business climate, personal assistants are often tasked with organising meetings with European clients. PA Life goes further afield to visit some of the continent’s best conference venues
Hotel Arts Barcelona (pictured)
Marina 19-21, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
hotelartsbarcelona.com
Spaces available: The hotel offers 3,500m2 of modern function space, equipped with state-of-the-art conference equipment. The venue’s outdoor areas and open-air restaurants provide an additional 1,000m2 of terraces and gardens. Its 14 indoor meeting rooms feature flexible seating to suit any type of event and can accommodate up to 1,000 delegates. Meanwhile, the exclusive Arts 41 duplex complex provides more intimate spaces.
Hire rate: From £960 per room
Unique selling point: Considered one of the finest luxury events spaces in Barcelona, Hotel Arts offers stunning panoramic views of both the city and the sea.
Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay
Kizilagac Koyu Gerenkuyu Mevkii Yaliciftlik, 48400 Bodrum
kempinski.com/bodrum
Spaces available: The Kempinski Hotel offers a variety of event spaces that can accommodate up to 750 people. Executive meeting rooms provide an ideal setting for smaller groups of up to 30, while the ballroom can host 190 for a sit-down meal.
Hire rate: DDR from £44, including room hire and refreshments.
Unique selling point: The hotel has a silent beach (no kids, mobile phones, or boats), chill-out DJ sundeck and a spa with an authentic Turkish hammam bath. In addition to its indoor spaces, the venue offers a host of open-air spaces, including a private beach, suitable for cocktail parties. Its in-house team of chefs can cater for an event with unique menus and bespoke dishes.
Belmond Grand Hotel Europe
Nevsky Prospekt, Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7, 191186 St Petersburg, Russia
belmond.com/grand-hotel-europe-st-petersburg
Spaces available: The Belmond Grand Hotel Europe features a number of function spaces, from the intimate Museum Room to the large Kryscha Ballroom. Each of the venue’s meeting areas can be arranged to suit any type of event.
Hire rate: Varies depending on the room; from £130 per day.
Unique selling point: The Belmond Grand is Russia’s first five-star hotel and features the largest presidential suite in the city. The building is steeped in more than 130 years of history and features stunning architectural design throughout. It’s ideally situated in the city centre, with its numerous historic attractions.
L’Hotel du Collectionneur
51-57 rue de Courcelles, 75008 Paris, France
hotelducollectionneur.com
Spaces available: The hotel boasts 1,700m2 of event facilities, with a maximum capacity of 650 people. Its six rooms feature fully flexible layouts to suit any type of event, from board meetings to gala dinners. Each space opens on to the central courtyard, with its Andalusian patio, which allows for lots of natural daylight.
Hire rate: Varies depending on the room; rates on request.
Unique selling point: The hotel is located close to the famous Champs-Elysées, providing easy access to Paris’s boutique shops and numerous historic sites. Its beautiful art deco style brings the sophistication of the 1930s to life, while wifi and AV equipment updates it to the modern age.
The First Luxury Art Hotel
Via del Vantaggio 14, 00186 Rome, Italy
thefirsthotel.com
Spaces available: The First Luxury Art Hotel has 23 suites and six guest rooms, as well as a restaurant for lunch and dinner. Its outdoor spaces are ideal for private meals and cocktail parties.
Hire rate: Starts from £263 a night
Unique selling point: Located in the heart of the city, the hotel welcomes guests to a new concept of luxury lifestyle with dedicated multilingual staff available 24 hours a day to make the stay a memorable experience. More than 150 contemporary artworks are showcased and available for sale. Guests can enjoy the Michelin-star All’Oro restaurant and taste amazing creations by chef Riccardo di Giacinto. The Roof Garden is a unique destination for a meal and from there guests can sip on a cocktail with 360-degree views of the city.
La Cala Resort
Mijas Costa, 29649 Malaga, Spain
lacala.com
Spaces available: The resort sits in 1,050 acres of land, which provides a remote setting for outdoor events with beautiful views. In addition to 107 guest rooms, the hotel features five function spaces that can accommodate up to 180 people. Meanwhile, the Clubhouse Laurel has a maximum capacity of 300, making it ideal for receptions and conferences. The venue also has its own 18-hole championship golf course, a spa, tennis courts, a FIFA-specification football pitch and three restaurants.
Hire rate: Available on request
Unique selling point: La Cala is secluded and private, but it is also located a short drive from Malaga airport and has easy access to the vibrant town of Marbella. Its leisure facilities allow delegates to take a break and unwind, whether they’re relaxing in the spa or having fun playing their favourite sport.
Lough Eske Castle
Lough Eske, Donegal Town, County Donegal, Ireland
solishotels.com/lougheskecastle
Spaces available: The hotel features three dedicated event spaces, including the Oak boardroom, the Glencar suite and the ballroom, plus expansive grounds that can host summer parties and team-building activities. The venue is also available for exclusive hire of its 96 guest rooms, giving delegates access to the property’s multiple lounges and leisure facilities.
Hire rate: DDR from £32, with 24-hour residential packages available; exclusive hire rates on request.
Unique selling point: Situated under the Blue Stack Mountains, the hotel features stunning views of Ireland’s diverse landscape. The venue can arrange extra accommodation at nearby hotels, as well as on-site team-building activities, fishing in the lake and day excursions. Delegates can also relax in the spa.
Park Hyatt Vienna
Am Hof 2, Vienna, Austria 1010
vienna.park.hyatt.com
Spaces available: Park Hyatt Vienna incorporates 800m2 of event facilities. The hotel’s meeting and banquet spaces include the Grand Salon, a ballroom that can accommodate 112 people cabaret-style and up to 200 for cocktail receptions, as well as a breakout space that is ideal for coffee breaks and post-event drinks. Two small salons can be used for admin purposes, or as a welcome area. The five boardrooms are filled with natural daylight and can be connected to offer extra flexibility.
Hire rate: DDR from £60; room hire rates available on request.
Unique selling point: Park Hyatt Vienna offers premier meeting space in beautifully refurbished, historical spaces in its Bel Etage area, located exclusively on the second floor. Plus, all of its board rooms face the oldest square in the city, Platz Am Hof.
Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel
18 Avenue de Suffren, 75015 Paris, France
pullmanhotels.com
Spaces available: Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel boasts 430 guest rooms, a ballroom and 23 meeting spaces that can be configured for any function. The hotel also boasts a unique private 280m2 function area on the 10th floor, with a glass roof and stunning panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower. Its “business playground” boardroom combines work with pleasure and offers a different approach to traditional meetings, with a poker-style table and break-out area for private conversations.
Hire rate: From £96 per person
Unique selling point: Situated on Paris’s Left Bank, Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel is a sleek four-star hotel in a prime destination for business customers. Following a complete renovation, the hotel was relaunched in May as a flagship of the Pullman brand and a leading Paris venue for meetings and events.
Royal Caribbean
Cruises available across Europe
royalcaribbean.co.uk/conference
Spaces available: A number of spaces are available for corporate event use on the company’s fleet of 23 ships. Royal Caribbean has invested as much in accommodating business as it has pleasure. Meeting facilities are sleek, modern spaces that can host everything from a small board retreat to a company-wide presentation, with group sizes from 16 to 1,400.
Hire rate: Contact the sales team for a quote
Unique selling point: Royal Caribbean offers a number of itineraries across Europe. Its ships feature state-of-the-art conference facilities, as well as a number of spaces to host cocktail parties, award ceremonies and product launches. From a rewarding incentive programme to a full itinerary, the team works with you to deliver the results you need. It can also arrange exclusive activities and shore excursions for corporate guests.
Swisstech Convention Centre
EPFL, Société pour le Quartier Nord de l’EPFL, Station 21, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
tstcc.ch/en/home/
Spaces available: At the push of a button, the large auditorium, with a capacity of 3,000, can be transformed into a 2,000m2 banquet hall. The basement can be used as one large hall, or split into separate rooms holding between 40 and 250 people.
Hire rate: From £3,250 per day
Unique selling point: The building is the result of years of planning and brings together cutting-edge multimedia technology with several pioneering devices to personalise the experience of each delegate. Intelligent signposts help participants navigate around the venue, automatically adapting the information displayed to their location. A unique mobile application provides visitors with access to information on all of the day’s events.
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Herengracht 542-556, 1017 CG Amsterdam, Netherlands
placeshilton.com/wa-amsterdam
Spaces available: The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam features a number of indoor and outdoor spaces that can accommodate any type of event. For large conferences and gala dinners, there’s the Hooft Ballroom, which can cater for up to 160 for a reception, or there are more intimate options such as the De Hartogh room. The venue also offers 93 elegant guest rooms.
Hire rate: From £1,200 a room per day
Unique selling point: The hotel is situated beside Amsterdam’s iconic canal, offering stunning views of the water and the city. It’s a historical property and home to the largest courtyard garden in the area, as well as the first Guerlain spa in the Benelux region. Its two restaurants provide fine dining options, while the Vault Bar is the ideal place to relax with a cocktail after a day of meetings.
