Gaylord Palms, a landmark resort and convention center in the Kissimmee-St. Cloud resort area, is the Central Florida marvel. The resort features high-tech convention facilities, award-winning restaurants, the prestigious Canyon Ranch SpaClub and colorful Florida themes that carry throughout an expansive 4.5-acre glass-topped atrium and into each of the 1,406 guest rooms.

The 2.1-million-square-foot resort, located five minutes from the gates of Walt Disney World, is designed in the tradition of a grand 19th-century Florida seaside resort. The hotel's appearance is distinct and completely themed to the Sunshine State, including the locales of St. Augustine, Key West, the Emerald Coast, Miami's South Beach and the Everglades.

For two years in a row, Gaylord Palms has been named the top Florida resort by Florida Monthly magazine. The resort has also received a host of other honors in its first two years of operation, including the prestigious AAA 4 Diamond Award, and every major meetings industry award.

With 400,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and convention space, Gaylord Palms is the first resort in Central Florida to focus on meetings and conventions business. Gaylord Palms has a higher rooms-to-meeting-space ratio than any other resort in the world. Under the resort's glass-covered atriums, guests are transported to three distinct Florida locales: Key West, St. Augustine and the Everglades. Each atrium reflects the architecture, natural resources, beauty, and personality of the destination. Standing tall inside the St. Augustine atrium is a reproduction of Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest Spanish fort in America. Guests can explore caves adjacent to the fort, encounter species of Florida turtles, and take a drink from the "fountain of youth." The focal point for the Key West atrium is a 60-foot sailboat in a 161,000-gallon wave-filled coral reef. Every evening, the atrium is the setting of a sunset celebration reminiscent of Key West's Mallory Square. In the Everglades, the mysterious "river of grass" comes to life with an eerie fog and lush vegetation.

The resort features the best in guest amenities, including Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Gaylord Palms, the most prestigious spa and fitness center in Central Florida. The spa is operated by the legendary Canyon Ranch and features a taste of the treatments and services for which Canyon Ranch famous. Children can enjoy La Petite Academy Kids Station, a 4,000-square-foot activity center where youngsters engage in supervised activities in interactive play areas. It is operated by La Petite Academy, the nation's largest privately held early childhood education company.

© SPA MANAGEMENT JOURNAL - APRIL 2005

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