Looking Good, GTR

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – CAR Management Briefing Seminars attendees are enjoying some updated digs this year.

The 19,000-sq.-ft. (1,765-sq.-m) Governor’s Hall of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa here completed a top-to-bottom renovation in December that includes a fresh, modern aesthetic and technological upgrades sure to keep CAR MBS as a guest for another 32 years.

The meeting space adopted its name for twice hosting the National Governors Association Conference. And when CAR MBS visits, Michigan’s governor usually graces its halls, as first-termer Gretchen Whitmer did this week.

The facility already boasted space to accommodate 2,500 people, with the capability to divide its cavernous central room into six smaller meeting areas. It features 20-ft. (6.1-m) ceilings and a pillarless design for unobstructed views of auto executives and vehicles. Over the years, it has accommodated a Coast Guard helicopter and a live elephant.

The updates include a state-of-the-art Crestron audio system, digital signage, all-new air walls for partitioning and a private office for meeting planners. The design was inspired by the natural beauty of the Traverse City area, resort officials say. The décor, lighting and carpet draw upon a lake-effect theme. Traverse City is seated at the base of two Lake Michigan bays, and the surrounding area contains many large inland lakes.

Brett Smith, director-Propulsion Technologies & Energy Infrastructure at CAR, says he made the connection immediately.

“It feels like walking into an aquarium,” he says. “It is great to have it redone.”

And like the automaker executives prowling its halls for CAR MBS, the resort is doing its part for a greener, more sustainable future. The update added linenless tables, full LED lighting and locally made banquet chairs.