Health and wellness are no longer optional for today’s meetings and events
Pamper the way to wellness
Shashi Hotel Mountain View in Mountain View, Calif., offers a salt-wall sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi for guests to unwind. “These are more geared toward individuals, but we can block them off for groups, which always works out very well,” notes Joseph Curran, corporate director of sales and marketing for the property
Focus on the food
Shashi Hotel Mountain View offers health-conscious menu options as part of its catering menu and daily grab-and-go. Its Carte Blanche Café features fresh organic fruit, two different types of wellness shots of ginger turmeric and coconut spirulina, and acai smoothies made from acai berries. “Our juice is single origin from France and has no additives,” Curran says. “Our coffee is a local roaster, which is a credited socio-eco-friendly producer of coffee. We offer ube, turmeric, matcha, and mushroom lattes as alternative caffeine options. Also, our wraps and breakfast bowls from the café are made daily from local organic produce and can accommodate different dietary restrictions.”
Shashi Hotel Mountain View’s Michelin-starred chef, Jarad Gallagher, focuses on offering healthy items for group catering. Some of his favorite group menus include dishes like Broccoli Cranberry Salad, Grilled Mushroom and Steak Fajitas, Watermelon Feta Salad, and Chia Seed Parfait dessert. “A big break favorite is our Raspberry Peanut Butter Smoothie, which sounds quirky, but we get a lot of requests for the recipe,” Curran adds.
Energizing activities
Shashi Hotel Mountain View sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, within walking distance of Google headquarters, Intuit, and Microsoft. The 200-room lifestyle hotel offers an array of wellness amenities, including a 24-hour, 3,000-square-foot fitness center, complete with Peloton machines and free weights. Guests also can take advantage of the nearby Shoreline Lake, where the resort can help set up group activities, Curran says. “In the past, we have pre-arranged for groups to have all sorts of water activities. We set up sailing, paddleboats, canoes, windsurfing lessons, and even kayak basketball. We provided bikes for a group of 30 to enjoy the one-mile ride over to the lake. When they came back to the property, the day was all they talked about during dinner.”
While golf may not typically be thought of in the realm of health and wellness, it allows meeting attendees to get active. The Quail Lodge boasts a Robert Muir Graves-designed par 71 championship golf course. Covering 6,500 yards and 18 holes, the course can be the ideal spot for attendees to enjoy their downtime or even serve as the morning activity for the entire group, Orser says. “Our golf course has been voted in the Top 20 in the country. It is a great fitness opportunity for those who cannot or do not want to run or who just want to enjoy nature.”
