A resort hotel is a hotel which often contains full-sized luxury facilities with full-service accommodations and amenities . These hotels may attract both business conferences and vacationing tourists and offer more than a convenient place to stay. These hotels may be referred to as major conference center hotels, flagship hotels, destination hotels, and destination resorts . The market for conference and resort hotels is a subject for market analysis .
14-1027: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is a 2,400-acre (9.7 km) destination resort in Miramar Beach, Florida , United States, on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast. The resort is located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay . Sandestin was built on undeveloped land but was designed to look like it had grown out of a historic fishing village. Sandestin has 30 neighborhoods with 1,600 condominiums , houses, villas, town homes, and hotel accommodations. The accommodations are group into four resort areas: Beachside, Village, Bayside, and Lakeside (formerly Dockside). Sandestin has two conference centers – Linkside Conference Center and Baytowne Conference Center. The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin
28-626: A clubhouse, private tennis courts, ladies tennis and children's offerings, and a tennis shop. Spa Sandestin provides hairstyling , nail design , facials, therapeutic body treatments and massage. The Sandestin Fitness Center has specialized services and equipment supported by certified instructors. Sandestin has jet skis , canoes , boogie boards , kayaks , pontoon boats , sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving . The Baytowne Marina also offers evening cruises, bay fishing and deep sea fishing . Sandestin has three public golf courses, plus
42-559: A variety of settings from major cities to remote locations. Since the 1800s, the traditional concept full-service conference and resort hotels have been based upon a venue which is typically remote and has a natural feature as its attraction. For example, the Kviknes Hotel in Norway is a difficult to reach remote location which provides visitors access to the scenic fjord at Balestrand or The Brando Resort on Tetiaroa which
56-492: Is only accessible by a private plane from Tahiti . Historically there were certain built-in amenities such as gourmet cuisine , music recitals , and shoreline trails ; however, the amenities of modern (post-1980) destination hotels dwarf the scale of these earlier models. Many of the Las Vegas and Caribbean resort hotels have complete shopping malls , conference centers and large entertainment halls on site; thus,
70-488: Is the resort's central dining and retail venue, with shops and boutiques, restaurants and eateries, and nightlife. Sandestin has over seven miles (11 km) of beaches and bay front, four golf courses, 15 tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 113-slip marina, children's programs, a fitness center and spa. It also includes a zip line , carousel , ropes course , and bungee jump . Sandestin has 15 private tennis courts in hard and Hydrogird clay. The tennis center includes
84-704: The Las Vegas Strip are most typically thought of as mega-resorts owing to their immense size and complexity. Kirk Kerkorian is credited for building the first mega-resort in 1969 earning him the nickname "father of the mega-resort". Two projects in Las Vegas in 1969 and 1973 by architect Martin Stern, Jr. and entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian , the International Hotel and the MGM Grand, set
98-904: The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts feature multiple hotels, multiple theme parks, a shopping complex , and other features. Other mega-resorts exist with no specific centerpiece, having many features that are considered prominent, such as Atlantis Paradise Island and its upcoming sister park in Dubai . Natural feature A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as waterfalls, cliffs, craters, fossil, sand dunes, rock forms, valleys and coral reefs. Locations important to faith groups may be considered natural monuments. Archeological and historical sites linked to
112-462: The bay. The Links Course plays from 4,969 yards (4,544 m) to 6,710 yards (6,140 m). 30°22′47″N 86°19′49″W / 30.37972°N 86.33028°W / 30.37972; -86.33028 Destination resort These hotels as destinations may be characterized by distinctive architecture, upscale lodgings, ballrooms, large conference facilities, restaurants, and recreation activities such as golf or skiing. They may be located in
126-417: The contemporary version of a destination often features large on-site capital investment in activities, although the access to a local natural feature is still retained by many newer destination hotels. A mega-resort is a type of destination which is of an exceptionally large size, sometimes featuring large-scale attractions ( casino , golf course , theme park , multiple accommodations ). The hotels along
140-517: The natural environment are also included, such as cave art . This is especially true when relevant to the land of Indigenous Peoples. Under the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources guidelines, natural monuments are level III, described as: This is a lower level of protection than level II ( national parks ) and level I ( wilderness areas ). The European Environment Agency's guidelines for selection of
154-497: The semi-private Burnt Pine Golf Course. The Raven Golf Club was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and opened for play in March 2000. It annually hosts a PGA Champions Tour Stop. This course meanders through wetlands and is noted for water features, bunkering and fairways lined with tall pines. The Tifeagle greens are fast in speed. Raven plays from 5,060 yards (4,630 m) to 6,931 yards (6,338 m). Burnt Pine Golf Club
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#1732790449724168-410: The standard for such casino resorts. The Mirage gave its size and emphasis on non-gaming entertainment options like shopping and fine dining to draw in customers. Mega-resorts use the same fantastic or mythical theme (medieval life at Excalibur , tropical at The Mirage, famous cities, etc.) throughout their properties. Many mega-resorts have a large theme park as its centerpiece . Resorts such as
182-448: Was designed by architect Rees Jones , and opened for play in 1994. This 18-hole course winds through wetlands and marshes. The many water features of this course come into play on 14 holes including three holes on the bay. The greens are medium in size and fast in speed with large undulations. Burnt Pine plays from 5,153 to 7,001 yards (6,402 m). Baytowne Golf Club is Tom Jackson's second golf course at Sandestin; it opened in 1984 and
196-673: Was renovated in 2005. The rolling fairways of this course are lined with tall pines and lead to large, undulating greens that are moderate in speed. Water comes into play on twelve holes and the entire course is heavily bunkered. Baytowne is a par 71 course, and plays from 3,002 yards (2,745 m) to 6,804 yards (6,222 m). The Links Golf Club winds alongside the Choctawhatchee Bay. Designed by architect Tom Jackson, this course opened for play in 1973. The medium-sized greens are moderately undulating and moderate in speed. Water hazards come into play on 14 holes including five holes on
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