By James Wilkinson
Fiji’s newest, largest and most advanced MICE venue – InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa – is finally set to open on June 1.
InterContinental Fiji Gold Resort and Spa
Dubbed as one of InterContinental Hotels Group’s top five resorts globally, the new Fiji property features 216 rooms set across 35 acres of tropical gardens and a ballroom with the capacity to hold 450 guests banquet-style.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa general manager Neil Houghton said the property’s facilities will take the country’s MICE potential to whole new level.
“InterContinental Fiji is a true destination resort for MICE customers, offering both a luxurious Pacific retreat and a versatile, advanced meeting and event venue,” he said. “Its myriad of dedicated meeting and event spaces, skilled and enthusiastic conference and incentive management team, and stunning location will make it the pride of the Pacific when it comes to conferencing, incentives and events.
“This resort has already captured the industry’s collective imagination. Based on the seven figures worth of meeting, conference and incentive business we wrote out of our presence at AIME earlier in the year for example, and the daily requests for quotes and information we continue to receive, there is clearly a need for this type of product in the South Pacific.
“It seems to have transcended the current market conditions, with planners clearly thinking ahead,” he said.
Recently, Houghton took SpiceNews on an exclusive tour of the resort’s MICE facilities, which in this reporter’s opinion are some of the most advanced to be found anywhere in the Asia Pacific region.
“We have a ballroom for a dinner of 450, which is divisible by three, while we also have a further three event rooms that will each take 80 for dinner,” he said. “We also have a Meke lawn that will cater for at least 600 and we can then spill out on to the beach to offer a traditional Lovo dinner experience.
“There is a 24-hour business centre and a boardroom for 12 was well, plus the club lounge has additional work stations and a further boardroom for our club guests,” he said.
An exciting offering for conferences and incentive trips will be the private dinners available on the nearby island of Navo, a stone’s throw away from the main complex.
“We will offer the island of Navo to have a very special experience. It is not often that you will have an island to yourself for dinner, so this will be a very special dinner experience,” Houghton said.
This comes on top of no less than five restaurants and bars at the resort, offering a range of locally-inspired and international cuisine.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa will also be one of the region’s most technologically advanced properties, with IP phones, movies on demand, a Bose sound system with a DVD player and flat-screen Philips TVs in every room.
But one of the most exciting features of the resort is on the leisure side – an 18-hole, Vijay Singh-designed golf courses that Houghton said would challenge the most seasoned golfers.
The timing of the resort’s opening could not be better, with Pacific Blue launching direct flights to Nadi from Adelaide and Melbourne on June 4.
“Clearly we want all the airlines flying into Fiji to be as successful as possible, as all hotel operators will benefit from increased load levels,” Houghton said.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa has a number of opening specials for MICE bookings at present. To find out more call +679 673 300 or email meetings.fiji@interconti.com
