BizBash | Area Hotels Take Their Marks, Get Set, and Go…

“This event is to get the hotels familiar with the facility, so that they can make a recommendation to their guests, as well as large groups who are looking for teambuilding activities,” said Stephanie Shapiro, director of marketing and PR for Xtreme Indoor Karting.

Upon arrival, guests gathered in the Daytona Room, one of the seven available meeting spaces, for a security briefing. There, track marshals for the facility explained the rules of the road and important safety precautions.

The event then kicked into full gear with the first five qualifying laps. Next, racers were lined up in order of qualification. Before beginning the subsequent 95 laps, the four drivers from each team—which consisted of hotel staff such as general managers, concierges, marketing directors, and front desk managers—determined their racing order.

Whiteboards on the sidelines let the drivers know how many laps they had left before they had to make a pit stop. Drivers for each team switched out during pit stops until one kart reached 95 laps to complete the race. Throughout the competition, employees and family members cheered from the sidelines holding handmade posters. In the end, the Westin Diplomat came out victorious, followed by the Hilton Fort Lauderdale in second, and Lago Mar Resort & Club in third.

After the race, guests headed to the on-site Finish Line Sports Bar and enjoyed stadium-style fare such as hot wings, mini sandwiches, and chicken tenders, compliments of the facility’s exclusive caterer.