Fantastic Hotels

Tired of the same old corporate-chain ballrooms, dull speakers and stale coffee? Then shake things up by whisking your team away to some of the most incredible locales in the world. A visit to one of these special sites is guaranteed to break you out of the doldrums and get the creativity flowing.

The Ice Hotel. When the heat in the office gets to be too much, pack up your troubles and head for somewhere cool. Opened in 1990 and rebuilt with thousands of tons of ice and snow every winter, the 85-room Ice Hotel hosts visitors from around the world. Located in the tiny village of Jukkasjarvi in northern Lapland, Sweden, the Ice Hotel offers guests the opportunity to quaff Absolut vodka at the world-famous Absolut Bar and sleep on a bed of snow and ice while nestled in reindeer skins. Beware, though – indoor temperatures range from -5 to -9 degrees Centigrade. The hotel offers a variety of packages, including a snowmobile safari and more. For more information on packages and pricing, visit www.icehotel.com.

The Poseidon Undersea Resort. If water in its liquid form is more your speed, then make your reservations now for the Undersea Resort, slated to open in 2007 off the coast of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. The five-star luxury resort, accessible via tunnel from the shore, will offer a revolving restaurant, conference room and on-shore tennis and fitness facilities. Each of the Poseidon’s 22 rooms is designed so guests control the lighting of a private mini-reef outside their room’s windows. Costs are projected at $1,500 per night for each 550-square-foot suite. For more information, visit www.poseidonresorts.com.

Goldeneye. If your team regularly is asked to undertake the impossible, why not treat them like superstars and offer them the chance to stay at Ian Fleming’s own resort? The 18-acre seaside property in Oracabessa, Jamaica is where Fleming penned all his James Bond thrillers – and a whisper of that intrigue still lingers in its tropical forest and warm sands. Goldeneye’s four villas can host an intimate gathering; nearby accommodations are available for larger groups. For more information, visit www.islandoutpost.com/Goldeneye.