Imagine your next meeting or event is not only productive and collaborative, but attendees come away feeling as though they were at a wellness retreat. At Hotel Viata, an Italian-inspired resort tucked in Texas Hill Country, but close to Austin’s downtown, you can strike that ideal balance.
Wellness can be woven into just about every aspect of the meeting experience, from guided meditations and yoga before the day’s meeting schedule gets underway to smoothie and snack menus designed to energize attendees during their breaks. For those feeling jetlagged, Hotel Viata can even arrange for IV drips, which deliver nutrients and fluids into the bloodstream and can help travelers feel rejuvenated and hydrated after long travel days. That way, attendees feel recovered and ready to meet and collaborate the next day, says Ashley Quarles, Spa and Wellness Manager at Hotel Viata.
“Wellness is part of our culture,” Quarles says. “It’s the culture of our staff and also our space. We’re in a very beautiful Hill Country environment, and it feels like a retreat here. We’re close, but away from the city. We have this ability to create boutique, curated experiences for meeting guests.
From spirulina-boosted smoothies to guided group hikes and wellness hours at the spa, here are some unique ways wellness is incorporated into meetings at Hotel Viata, which boasts 12,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor meeting space.
Eating to Feel Energized at Hotel Viata
Hotel Viata’s food and beverage team works with purveyors in Hill Country so that local microgreens are used in dishes and fresh fruit can be frozen and blended into smoothies.
Meeting planners have plenty of wellness options on the menu, says Danielle Porter, Director of Food and Beverage at Hotel Viata. “But we’re also very open to creating custom menus that work specifically for your group and that can accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences,” she says. As an example, the hotel is hosting a professional sports team for five days ahead of a game, and they’ve crafted specialized menus to fuel athletes.
Some popular snack break options Hotel Viata rolls out include a made-to-order smoothie bar, where guests can choose from a variety of fresh-frozen fruits like mangos, bananas, strawberries, cherries, and peaches. They can also add nutritional boosts like chia seeds for energy, whey protein to help improve strength, or vitamin-packed spirulina as well as greens like kale or spinach, Porter says. Another popular option is the build-your-own trail mix break that comes with assorted nuts, dried fruits, and antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. For some teambuilding, meeting planners can arrange for a chef-led, make-your-own guacamole session.
The hotel also has a partnership with Ritual, a top-rated, non-alcoholic brand that delivers the flavor and aroma of spirits, but without any booze. At Laurel Restaurant and Bar, which is the hotel’s Italy-meets-Texas restaurant, guests can order zero-proof cocktails like Cool Runnings, which is made with cucumber, a non-alcoholic gin, mint, and a simple syrup or the Not Your Average Rum Punch, made with the booze-free rum. Some other popular non-alcoholic drinks available on property (and at the Spa Viata) include the Italian Basil Lemonade and, at the spa, the Spa Vibe Spritz, with cucumber, mint and sparkling water. Lemonades are scratch-made in house.
“We are this retreat against the hills with this Amalfi Coast and Italian vibe,” Porter says. “We try to embody that as much as we can.” On menus that means lighter food options like seafood dishes, salads, and wraps as well as indulgent fresh pastas made in-house.
Laurel also has a variety of cold-pressed juices, like orange, beet, pineapple, orange-mango, and an orange-ginger-carrot combination.
An extension of the hotel’s focus on wellness, Porter says the food and beverage team is also prioritizing sustainability and is moving away from plastics to use biodegradable cups, paper and agave straws, and works with local purveyors to help create more locally sourced menus.
Meetings With Movement
Today’s meeting goers and planners are prioritizing movement throughout the day, Quarles says, and the spa team at Hotel Viata has plenty of unique ways to allow for stretching and movement during meetings and events. Early morning yoga sessions with meditation or breath work and light stretching helps people go into meetings with a clear mind, Quarles says.
Hotel Viata’s yoga teachers, she says, can teach to all levels, which is great for corporate meeting settings where some have never done yoga before, and others practice yoga regularly and want to keep up with their practice when traveling.
The hotel has several scenic spots for yoga and sound baths (a meditative practice that involves singing bowls), including the pool deck, the open-air courtyard that features a fountain and florals and greenery, as well as the Magnolia Room, an indoor space that has French doors opening to the courtyard. The sound bowl yoga sessions for groups up to 20 are a unique offering.
The Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve near Hotel Viata also has hiking trails, and the hotel plans on leading small group hikes in the scenic area.
Groups can also arrange to have mini chair massage breaks during the day, Quarles says, which helps keep the blood flow going so that attendees can stay energized and productive throughout their meetings.
Another unique offering? Groups can book out the spa where they can enjoy access to the sauna and steam room, the lounge area with teas and infused water, and arrange for catered bites like charcuterie and fruit platters.
It begs the question: Could wellness hours be the next happy hours?