Whether perched poolside with a laptop in the lush 'Garden Atrium', taking advantage of the complimentary high-speed, or celebrating a family wedding with 599 close friends, guests of the Best Western Highland Inn & Conference Centre in Midland can expect hospitality befitting "the premier full-service hotel in the Southern Georgian Bay area," says sales manager Joyce Campbell.
The three-level Garden Atrium, she says, is the focal point of the hotel.
The sun-washed pool area shares the first floor with a sauna, hot tub and fitness room. Just above that is a tropical garden that serves as a natural backdrop for weddings, trade shows and the hotel's popular Sunday brunch.
Overlooking the entire atrium is the café, offering daily breakfast and lunch. The rest of the facility, however, has not been neglected.
"We're constantly renovating," Campbell says. "Last year, we spent about $250,000 to upgrade 30 rooms. The owners are really good at keeping up with the times. The year before, all public washrooms and corridors were done - new carpet, lighting, wall covering."
Also recently renovated is The Georgian Room, a meeting space for up to 150 people.
It is one of nine meeting rooms that range in size and style from The Oaks, a cozy space that seats 22 around a large oak table, to The Burgundy Ballroom, a large space boasting a permanent stage area, projection screens and the ability to be divided in two.
In all, there are more than 11,000-square feet of meeting space, the largest capacity in the area, says Campbell. And an in-house event planner has the expertise to maximize events of all sizes using the amenities, both within the hotel and throughout the Georgian Bay area. Many guests, she adds, use the hotel as a home base, while taking in the many nearby attractions. Hotel staff can help arrange boat cruises and outings to such places as the Martyr's Shrine, Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons,
Huron-Ouendat Village and Discovery Village, a 19th-century British navel base.
"We're a kind of unique property because in the summer and fall we do a lot of coaches and leisure market," explains Campbell.
"We do regular bus groups from Germany and the United States."
The hotel also brings the local history to their leisure guests. "We're starting something new this year," says Campbell, of the aboriginal storytelling that will be presented on Monday nights. Such programming can also be incorporated into conference agendas or enjoyed after a day of meetings.
As can the varied amenities of the 120 bedrooms. Traditional rooms offer mini-refrigerators, data ports, irons and coffee makers, while suites can house Jacuzzis, fireplaces or even a heart-shaped bed for the Honeymoon Suite. Hospitality suites, with a seating area and couch, offer a relaxed area to entertain.
But in a role reversal, it is Best Western that has something to celebrate. Although the Midland hotel has been locally owned and operated since the 1970s, the chain, the largest in the world, turns 60 in 2006. It doesn't have to go far to book a party room.
