With its beachfront location, plus a lawn and two swimming pools, there's plenty of alfresco meeting space at Centara Reserve Samui in Thailand.
More than ever, meeting planners recognise the need to be flexible to
delegates’ needs, with changing sentiments around Covid continuing to
influence attendance at face-to-face events.
One option to boost attendance and to address attendees’ safety
concerns could be to source a venue with outdoor areas. Here’s a
round-up of some of the latest offerings across APAC that feature
alfresco space.
Life's a beach
Spoilt for choice between pool,
beach and lawn? You can have all three at the Saii Laguna Phuket in
Thailand, which opened its stand-alone meetings and events centre in
May. This includes three ocean-facing outdoor spaces, featuring a
poolside lawn that can be used for outdoor cocktails and banquets and
the beach for team-building activities.
SAii Laguna Phuket’s Meetings & Events Centre offers 1,900sqm of function space.Elsewhere in Thailand, it’s a similar concept at Centara Reserve
Samui, which offers a choice of outdoor meeting spaces for up to 250
guests, including the beach area, a lawn surrounded by lush foliage by
the water’s edge, and an al fresco deck around the resort’s two swimming
pools. The colour of the water can also be customised for different
events.
See the forest for the trees
One of the most
hotly-anticipated venues in APAC, Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National
Convention Center, is slated to open in September, following extensive
renovations, with the venue five times larger than the original one.
It
is adjacent to the Benjakitti Forest Park, one of the largest green
spaces in Bangkok, which will have rare plants, a skywalk, a canal, a
pond, and an indoor and outdoor area for sports and activities,
providing the ideal environment for delegates to take a break from
business activities.
The Westin Yokohama, which opened in May, has a spacious outdoor garden located on the 5th floor, suited to breakout activities.
Sweeping views of the surrounding areas can be had at Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Hong Kong.Sweeping views
With Hong Kong gradually easing
its pandemic restrictions, venues are readying for an increase in
travellers. The new Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel held its soft opening
last month with an official debut expected later this year. An alfresco
vibe is never far away - rooms offer sweeping views of the ocean, while
the Courtyard outdoor space on the 3rd floor can host 100 for cocktails
or 80 theatre-style.
Park Hyatt Jakarta, which opened to guests in July, features The
Observatory on level 36, an event space with open-air-terraces and
panoramic views of Jakarta.
Outdoor dining is in
Four
Seasons Singapore unveiled Nobu Singapore in June, set in a sculpted
open-air designer Japanese garden. AC Hotel Seoul Gangnam, which opened
in April, features the rooftop bar Kloud, with floor-to-ceiling windows
and an outdoor terrace, which can be used for after-parties and more
intimate events.