planning a meeting...help!

Hi. I am putting together a meeting/conference for about 100 people coming from all points New England. Hartford seems centrally located. Does anyone have any suggestions on where in the vicinity to look into? We will need meeting room/restaurant %26amp; of course hotel rooms. Willing to consider any convenient spots outside of Hartford if anyone has suggestions. For instance, even considering the casinos.

thanks!

planning a meeting...help!

You might want to start wit the new Ct Convention Center http://www.ctconventions.com/ . Its downtown on the CT river and next to a new Marriott Hotel with a very good restaurant. If that doesn%26#39;t work out you could look at the Marriott in Farmington or Rocky Hill.

planning a meeting...help!

Or the Hilton Hotel.....

The Hartford Marriott at the Convention Center is beautiful %26amp; there%26#39;s a pool on the 20th floor that overlooks the city %26amp; CT River. You can find all the facilities you%26#39;d need there. The Hilton is also a nice %26amp; although not new, it%26#39;s recently-renovated.

There%26#39;s also The Residence Inn (a couple years old), The Crowne Plaza %26amp; Holiday Inn Express. I%26#39;m not sure if the Homewood Suites are finished yet?

If you%26#39;re looking for a budget-friendly alternative, you might want to check into the Sheraton in East Hartford - it might be cheaper than hotels in downtown, but it%26#39;s right over the bridge.

Also, you%26#39;ll be pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of restaurants in Hartford. There%26#39;s a couple of Japanese places, a couple of Irish pubs, a brew pub, panini/wine bar, a couple of Italian restaurants. Two delicious places: Trumbull Kitchen %26amp; Max Downtown are also great restaurants.

The casinos could be a fun road trip for one night. They are a little over 1 hour drive from Hartford. Hartford also has a world-class art museum, The Wadsworth Atheneum.

It%26#39;s a small, but fun city.

Homewood Suites/Hilton Hotel is located in the historic BOND building that they remodeled. At the present time the hotel is taking reservations. It is located next to Black Eye Sally%26#39;s (a well known restaurant) and a block away from Union Station (bus/train station) also a block away from The Bushnell Park and two blocks away from downtown. Best bet is to call the Hilton in Hartford and request information on this brand new hotel.

All good suggestions. Do you have a budget for this meeting (what kind of places do you want to stay at?). There is also the Goodwin in Hartford which is great location too.

Also, depending on your time, I just recently ran a meting in Denver and to get the group out of the hotel after a long day of meetings, we went (as an option) to the CO Rockies game. While CT doesn%26#39;t have a pro league, there is the New Britain RockCats which may make for a fun outing.

Also, you may want to look into the CT River Cruises as another good alternative if your timing is during good weather.

Farminton has good hotels with places cose to it that can cater to 100 or more as well.

Hartford is strengthing its hold on the convention/meeting business. Just recently the United Church of Christ brough thousands to the city for its annual convention which also brough presidental hopeful Barack Obama who gave a speech!

The new 540,000 square foot Connecticut Convention Center is the largest meeting space between New York and Boston and is located along the banks of the Connecticut River. Attached to the convention center is the new Hartford Marriott Hotel Downtown which is a 22 story 409 room hotel that also offers meeting space and a ballroom plus a restaurant (Vivo), bar (Crush), Starbucks, pool and spa.

The Hartford Hilton Hotel Downtown on Trumbull Street was recently renovated through a $34 million dollar top to bottom renovation. The hotel features 392 rooms on 18 floors as well as a new restuarant (M%26amp;M) and bar (Element 315). The hotel also features numerous meeting rooms and ballrooms and is also connected to the Hartford Civic Center which you can also use for your meeting

The Hartford Civic Center is also downtown along Trumbull Street and is attached to the Hilton Hotel and to Hartford 21 (a new luxury condo tower). The center is home to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum which is 25,000 square feet with 16,500 seats, there is then the Exhibition Center which has more then 68,000 square feet of space in halls and meeting rooms.

The Goodwin Hotel is located on Asylum Street near Trumbull Street in the heart of downtown. One of the city%26#39;s finest hotels the Goodwin can accomodate groups of up to 400. The hotel itself features 124 rooms, a fitness center and 2 restaurants (Pierponts %26amp; Americas Cup Bar %26amp; Lounge).

The Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown is located at 50 Morgan Street steps away from the Hilton and the Civic Center and features over 7000 square feet of meeting space for up to 400 people. The hotel features 354 rooms on 18 floors plus a restaurant, pool and fitness center.

The Residence Inn by Marriott Hartford Downtown is located right along Main Street in the historic Richardson Building and features 120 rooms on 8 floors plus two rooms making 1600 square feet of meeting space.

In addition to this there are also many facilities that can be rented out including the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 960 Main (former home of the G Fox Department Store - now renovated and is home to a community college), Connecticut Expo Center, Harriett Beecher Stowe Center, Real Art Ways, Trinity College, the Hartford Club and the Wadsworth Atheneum.