Any corporate honcho can impress his management team into spending its working hours imprisoned in a generic hotel meeting room undergoing team-building rituals. But how many hotels can commandeer your smartphone, hand you a box of crayons, and let you sketch out a corporate strategy on butcher paper? Only the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, and only through its "Be a Kid Again" session.
The "nostalgic catering" on hand harks to cinematic upbringings involving Gramma's farm and enchanted, flying Schwinn bicycles. Rather than deli trays and pitchers of lemon-infused water, your next corporate reorganization summit could include Yoo-hoo, housemade Twinkies, grilled cheese sandwiches chased with tomato soup, crustless miniature PB&J sandwiches, and a "Build Your Own S'mores Bar." (The price tag for this feast can meet and exceed $50 per plate.)
Wandering through the 18,000 square feet of meeting space available at the Sir Francis Drake, one comes across the odd motto or cat-dangling-from-a-branch corporate credo. And yet, one phone call could change all that. High-powered executives could well be decorating the wall with finger paint and engaging in "breakout sessions" featuring pattern scissors, jump ropes, and Legos in a ploy to, per promotional materials, "increase positive energy, enhance creativity, and draw upon the retelling of childhood memories for a much-needed dose of bonding."
(Elmer's Glue works for that, too.)
Jim Gross, the Drake's general manager, says the seeds for this promotion were planted after observing guests play Jenga after partaking in a hotel wine happy hour. He is, alas, still awaiting his first troop of young-at-heart executives. In the meantime, he's always looking for a way to keep the nascent promo fresh. Asked if naptime could be incorporated into the "Be a Kid Again" program, Gross pauses for a moment. "We hadn't thought about that. That's a great idea."
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