Need to take a group out of the city? These venues, within two hours of Manhattan, are suited to a variety of corporate outings.
Secluded Incentive Trip
Although the Lodge at Woodloch is not new—the resort and spa originally opened in 2006—it still continues to receive awards for its food, classes, treatments, and facilities from high-end travel sites and publications. Sitting on 75 acres of private land by an idyllic 15-acre lake, this getaway is just 90 miles from Manhattan and is designed for incentive meetings and group retreats.
Summer Retreat
Coming later this month, the Allegria Hotel & Spa is billed as Long Island’s first oceanfront hotel west of the Hamptons. Developer Allen Rosenberger is building a 143-room property that will have a rooftop pool, a restaurant from chef Todd Jacobs (owner of the Atlantica restaurant in Westhampton Beach), a lounge overlooking the water, and a spa. For events, there will be a 200-seat ballroom.
Theatrical Presentation
To open the Wellmont Theatre last fall, the principals behind Bowery Presents—operators of the Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Terminal 5—partnered with New Jersey-based promoter Andy Feltz. The historic site, originally a live-theater venue converted into a cinema in 1929, is now a flexible facility capable of hosting large musical performances. The renovation made structural changes to improve the layout and restore original plasterwork. Newly installed are sound, lighting, broadcasting, and recording systems, as well as bars, greenrooms, and concession areas. Total capacity is 2,500.
Group Dining
Marlon Abela, who owns A Voce in the Flatiron district, reopened his Connecticut spot Gaia as Morello Bistro late last year. Near Greenwich Harbor, on an avenue dotted with stores, the airy bilevel eatery sits inside a former bank with the original vaulted tile ceiling. Executive chef Townsend Wentz serves a modern Italian menu to match the 650-label wine selection. The 140-seat space includes two areas on the mezzanine that are available for private events, each overlooking the main dining room; one seats 50, the other 35.
Function on the Water
With the launch of the Atlantic City Express Service (or ACES) trains in February, getting to Atlantic City is quicker than ever. And by fall, the seaside town will have a new, independently run venue designed exclusively for events. At the eastern end of the Pier Shops at Caesars, One Atlantic will extend 100 yards over the ocean and offer 10,000 square feet of space, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a terrace. Providing on-site management and planning will be the Icon Group; Jon Weinrott, founder of Philadelphia’s Peachtree & Ward, will handle catering.
All-Day Conferences
Formerly the Merrill Lynch Conference Center, the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel & Conference Center in central New Jersey recently completed a $7 million upgrade, which improved the center’s interior. In addition to 364 guest rooms, the lakeside business facility offers 64 function rooms across 64,000 square feet of space. There’s a 360-seat tiered auditorium with projection capabilities, a 3,741-square-foot section known as Woodrow’s dining room, and several boardrooms that can be combined into larger suites.
