Bridgeport village, Meeting Planners, Tigard, Tualatin, Weddings

It is a little known secret that The Grand Hotel at Bridgeport is one of the best options for Group Meetings and events in our area.   Our hotel is ideal for wedding parties, family functions, church, garden tour, wine tour, professional, convention and government groups.  Whatever your needs are, we have  over 2,150 square-feet of flexible meeting space to accommodate your event.

Here are 7 reasons why you should consider hosting your next event with us:

1. Exceptional Services and Amenities

Business, meeting and leisure travelers are frequently impressed with the level of service and amenities our hotel offers:

• A luxurious indoor pool and Fitness center,
• Our spacious and warm hotel lobby- ideal for meeting and socializing,
• Free Covered Parking,
• Free Wifi,
• Free Breakfast Buffet.

2. Location Location Location

We are located across the street from the Bridgeport Village Shopping Center, the Pacific Northwest’s preeminent fashion and lifestyle shopping center. Endless shopping, dining and entertainment options are available for our guests.

We are also less than 30 minutes away from The Portland International Airport (PDX) and a 20 minutes or less to many of Portland, Oregon’s  top attractions.  We are located right off of I-5 and easy to find.  See our map for exact location.

3.  Our full-service, professionally trained staff:

We take a great deal of pride in our outstanding level of customer service.  At every turn, you’ll find uniformly friendly and professional service from our staff at every level.  From the front desk to catering to cleaning and hotel maintenance to management – we are here to serve you!

4.  Our Unique and Sustainable Approach to Banquets & Catering Services

Inspired by sustainable, local farms and ingredients, our on-site catering team brings the Northwest’s freshest seasonal offerings to the table. Select items from our extensive menu or work with our staff to create a customized meal that you and your guests are sure to remember.

4.  Guests Will Be Impressed and Comfortable with their Accommodations

The warm, inviting interior will let your guests know they are staying at a  distinctively different luxury facility.   Each of our over-sized rooms and suites comes standard with leather furniture in the living room area, a working desk and ergonomic office chair, complimentary high-speed Internet access (either hard-wired or wifi), refrigerator, microwave, coffee station complete with organic NW coffee and local teas and a double-sized bathroom complete with a separate shower and tub.

5.  Our New Technology Equipment and Outstanding Staff to Assist with all Needs

The Grand Hotel can provide:
• LCD Projectors
• Screens
• Plasma Television
• Wireless Microphones and House Sound
• DVD/VCR Players
• Flip Charts and Whiteboards
• Speakerphones

6.  Flexible and Impressive Meeting Spaces:

Here is a description of the meeting rooms we have available- click on the link to each room for additional  information:

Bridgeport Room
The Bridgeport Room offers 1,750 square feet of flexible meeting space, perfect for your next special event. In the summer months, open the French doors for access to almost 600 additional square feet on our stone patio.

Breakfast Room
Available in the afternoon and evening, our Breakfast Room is perfect for casual luncheons, dinners and social events. The Breakfast Room features 1,650 square feet of meeting space on an as-is basis.

Board Room
At 415 square feet, our Executive Board Room is ideal for board meetings, breakout sessions and workshops. Located past our lobby on the first floor, the Board Room offers natural lighting and plenty of privacy.

7.  We are a “Green Hotel”

Our company engages in sustainable practices in everyday operations, and strives to do business with other companies who share dedication to “green” business practices.  A few of our green operational practices include:

• Use 100% recycled paper for all printed material
• Utilize Earth friendly cleaning solutions
• Installation of earth friendly drainage systems
• Energy Star appliances used throughout the hotel
• Sleeping room towel and linen program
• Recycling in all guest rooms as well as public areas
• Use of compact fluorescent light bulb throughout the hotel

Please contact our Special Events Coordinator for more information.  Call us at 503-968-5757 or toll free at 866-968-5757 and ask for “Special Events”….

When we opened our doors in August of 2009, one of our objectives was to make the The Grand Hotel at Bridgeport as earth-friendly as possible.  More and more travelers and meeting planners are choosing hotels that engage in sustainable practices in everyday operations.  And when you are a luxury hotel in one of America’s “Green-ist” cities such as Portland, it is very important to pay attention to this fact.  It also makes us feel good as a company to try and reduce wasteful operations and toxic products.

Our sister hotel, The Grand Hotel Salem/Phoenix Grand Hotel in Salem Oregon has been on the forefront on implementing even better Eco practices by developing a “Green Team” led by Sales Director Kristi Reed.

In fact- we are moving in a direction where operating a “green business” is becoming an industry standard.  This expectation is demonstrated in an article from Travel Portland

From 2009 Green Meeting Trends

…. the sustainable meeting industry is alive, growing and shows no signs of stopping.  In fact, the move from fringe to mainstream is well underway. According to the December 2008 Ernst & Young Report, Global Hospitality Insights: Hospitality Going Green, “Those companies with business models that revolve around green practices will have the strongest opportunity of achieving a ‘sustainable’ competitive advantage.”

“It’s a buyer’s market, and the buyers appear to want green,” reports Tyler Davidson, editorial director, Meetings Media. “There was a size able jump in the number of meeting planners who are planning or expect to plan a green meeting, led by 51 percent of independents [a 16 percent jump over the last survey] and followed by 46.8 percent of corporates [a 10.5 percent jump over the last survey], and 44.4 percent both of association planners and government planners.”

The MPI Business Barometer, November 2008, reports similar findings. “Many meeting professionals continue to expect a trend toward ‘green’ meetings. Technology providers and regional destinations may specifically prosper from current trends.” The same report identifies “green meetings” as a “Top Ten” trend planners anticipate influencing meetings and events business over the next six months.

A recent survey of corporate travel managers by the National Business Travel Association indicates nearly 30 percent of managers incorporate green considerations into their travel policies and that nearly 25 percent prefer green meeting suppliers. Another 30 percent will use hotels in the future that feature environmentally friendly amenities and practices.

Consumers are driving the demand. A 2008 survey on consumer choice and the environment found that customers “feel empowered when it comes to the environment and are taking some action in their daily lives to reduce consumption and waste.”  More than a third of American respondents in a TripAdvisor survey said they will visit an environmentally friendly hotel or resort in 2009. Additionally, 32 percent of respondents said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions than they were the year before.

What are your thoughts?  We would love to hear your comments on our blog or on our Facebook Page and hear your ideas on how you think we can make our hotel even “greener”.

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I was thrilled to discover MeetingsNet.com earlier this month, a wonderful resource for Meeting and Event professionals to network and find the latest industry news and information.  If you have not had an opportunity to explore their site, I highly recommend doing so.

I appreciate their articles for planners that provide sound advice and tips on locating and managing the most ideal venues for their event.  The first step is for planners to identify their objectives.  Here are is a list of excellent questions to ask directly from an article written by Wesley Harrington and Hugh K. Lee: Setting Objectives Before You Select a Site

There are 10 main things to consider when setting meeting goals:

1. What is the purpose of the meeting? Can we create a clear written statement of why this event is to be conducted? Does it agree with the top priorities of our organization?

2. Can we establish quantifiable goals for this event and clear thresholds of achievement by which we can determine its success? Make the objective specific, measurable, attainable and realistic, relevant, and time-based.

3. Whom are we trying to attract? Identify all stakeholders in the meeting (attendees, organization leaders, facilities professionals, etc.), and set priorities. Which group’s needs come first?

4. What do I want attendees to remember most about the event? Can we summarize the experiences our attendees should have?

5. What can prior history teach us about this meeting? Is there information that would be useful to us in determining the potential for success – or failure – of this meeting?

6. Who else has conducted the same type of meeting, and what can we learn from their experiences? Talking with meeting planning peers can be a big help in setting effective and realistic goals.

7. Do we have the resources necessary to achieve our goals? Can we successfully conduct the event with the staff we have, or do we need to consider outsourcing part or all of it? How much can we rely on volunteers, and how will we go about recruiting them?

8. Have we sought input and commitment from our staff? Have we asked previous attendees for their comments and suggestions?

9. How will we reach our intended audience? What type of marketing and promotion will we do to spread the word about the event?

10. How will we monitor and determine the success of this effort? Develop measurement tools that address the pre-meeting process, all on-site meeting elements, and the various post-meeting outcomes.