Best New Corporate Retreat
Escaping the office on a team offsite has untold benefits for productivity. The break in routine, the change in scenery (as good as a holiday!) and the opportunity to connect with nature and each other all encourage clearer thinking and collaboration. It’s a simple recipe for business success: take your best people on a circuitbreaker getaway to brainstorm, build teams and bring renewed energy to shared goals. Just add fresh air.
Spring Hill Estate, Lancefield, Victoria lancemore.com.au/ spring-hill-estate
Set on 110 hectares of Macedon Ranges wine country, the justrefurbished Spring Hill Estate has 71 rooms, schmick meeting spaces and soothing vineyard and rural views. Mind the roos. The look and feel Updated meeting and common areas have a chic residential feel, with richly textured lounge spaces, pitched ceilings and glass walls framing pretty country vignettes. The crowd Crack sales teams and senior executives.
The wow factor A new infinity pool and fire pit.
Mitchelton Hotel, Nagambie, Victoria
hotel.qantas.com.au/ mitcheltonhotelnagambie
The reinvigorated Mitchelton winery’s debut hotel offers 54 light-filled rooms, a spa and infinity pool, plus innovative meeting options in cellar rooms or the onsite Aboriginal art gallery. Executive outings extend to wine tours and sunset river cruises.
The look and feel Interiors by design darlings Hecker Guthrie impress in stone, timber and tactile textiles but don’t detract from balcony views over vineyards or the Goulburn River.
The crowd Wine and design buffs. The wow factor Special events in the signature Ashton Tower.
Spicers Guesthouse, Pokolbin, NSW
hotel.qantas.com.au/ spicersguesthouse
In the Hunter heartland of Pokolbin, this 49-room hotel has just emerged from a makeover. Expect cutting-edge conference and event spaces, bucolic views and snug living areas. The vintage wines are a (corporate) bonus.
The look and feel The vibe is contemporary country estate, with bright guestrooms opening onto vine-fringed verandahs. Set amid 16 hectares of gardens and bushland, rooms fan across three wings – two with their own lounge. The crowd To the manor born.
The wow factor A private dining room with stone fireplace and soaring wine wall.
Mount Lofty House, Crafers, South Australia
hotel.qantas.com.au/ mountloftyhouse
Fresh from a face lift, the circa 1852 Mount Lofty House is back in vogue for workplace gatherings, with lodgings for 90 delegates and memorable events in the historic coach-house. Vineyard and Piccadilly Valley views inspire urban minds.
The look and feel Accommodation is decorated in antique-meetsmodern style with streamlined four-poster beds and comfortable armchairs. The high-end Sequoia villas, due to open at the end of the year, will appeal to the C-suite. The crowd Pinstriped gourmets and outdoors enthusiasts.
The wow factor Right on the doorstep of Adelaide Hills’ progressive wine scene.
Peppers Silo Hotel, Invermay, Tasmania
peppers.com.au
Launceston’s newest stay blends former silos and a starkly modern façade beside the Tamar River. The nine-storey hotel has 108 rooms, a small gym and spa, five conference rooms with alfresco spaces and refined catering from house kitchen Grain of the Silos. The look and feel Rooms in the silos are appealingly rustic, with Waverley Mills blankets and recycled 1930s woolstore timbers. Many have balconies overlooking the Tamar.
The crowd Mid-level executives and government agencies.
The wow factor Hotel mascot Archie, a four-year-old black Labrador, awaits guests in the foyer.