One of the largest demographics in hotel customers is the business traveler. Often, a home office brings in associates from out of town and, if the company doesn’t have on-site facilities for large meetings, they book their travelers in hotels that provide rooms for meetings. The larger hotels in the urban areas and beach areas of Delaware usually offer a variety of meeting-room sizes and technological support in the form of audio-visual equipment, copy and fax machines and Internet accessibility.
Dover, Delaware, the state’s capital and largest city, is home to Dover AFB, Dover International Speedway and Delaware State University. It has mostly medium-sized hotels and inns with a number of smaller establishments as well. Available facilities in Dover mostly lie along a main road through town, Highway 13. Hilton Garden Inn Dover has five meeting rooms that can support up to 150 people, depending on the seating arrangement. It offers non-smoking guestrooms and suites. Have your breakfast and dinner in the on-site Great American Grill. The Sheraton Dover Hotel can accommodate as many as 1,200 people in its largest room, the Champagne Ballroom. Dine at Chop’s Grille or order from the pub menu in the Z Bar. Guests enjoy the heated pool and, during down time, a choice of several nearby golf courses.
Doubletree Hotel Downtown Wilmington-Legal District puts you in walking distance of the Delaware State Superior Court as well as the Federal Courthouse. The largest room, the Grand Ballroom, accommodates up to 1,080 people. Doubletree has guestrooms and suites, including office suites for the business traveler. The Metro Café offers steak and seafood fare for lunch and dinner. The Courtyard Wilmington Marriott provides a meeting room that holds up to 40 people and a buffet breakfast. The Public House nearby offers lunch and dinner menus, plus a private dining room ideal for groups. Open for lunch and dinner, Paradise Palms Caribbean Restaurant serves curried goat, oxtail and several jerk dishes. Friday night guests enjoy the buffet.
Newark, Delaware lies about 20 minutes south of Dover on the border of western Delaware and eastern Maryland. Home to the University of Delaware, Newark is the third largest city in Delaware. The Newark Howard Johnson Inn and Suites and Conference Center provides meeting space for up to 50 people and a complimentary breakfast buffet. The Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware Hotel has room for 200 guests in its Marriott Center for Hospitality and Tourism. Your morning meeting can be catered with a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, reception and break menus. Guests can also have breakfast and dinner in the Courtyard Café.
Companies that want to treat business people to a little rest and relaxation during a convention or company get-together often book hotels on the beach and conduct meetings while allowing time for recreational activities. Best Western Gold Leaf in Dewey Beach, Delaware, has meeting facilities for up to 100 people. This hotel features a rooftop sundeck and pool, and the beach is just a block away. Walk two blocks to the Rehobeth Boardwalk when your business meetings place you in the The Breakers Hotel and Suites. The hotel has facilities for up to 100 people in the meeting room. The hotel features a rooftop covered pool, and provides a microwave and small refrigerator in all units.
