Sales Kit - The Porches Inn

Inspiring
Meetings
and
Retreats
Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in The Porches Inn! Housed in six restored Victorian-era row houses, and located across the
street from MASS MoCA, this distinctive 47-room Inn is noted for its innovative re-use of former millworker housing and
its retro-contemporary design.
Whether you come here for business or pleasure, we strive to make your visit a relaxing, productive and memorable
one. Porches offers a number of amenities to assure productivity during your time with us, including free WiFi and
Internet ports, A/V equipment, a business “nook” available 24/7, several function rooms and much more. Guests will
enjoy our year-round heated outdoor pool with heated deck, bonfire pit, woodland gazebo (wired!), sauna, fitness center,
DVD/Blu-Ray players in room (free movies are available at the front desk) and enjoying a cocktail in our livingroom. There
are plenty of cultural activities to immerse yourself in – from top notch summer stock theater to cutting-edge contemporary art. In addition, Porches is located in the beautiful northern Berkshire hills, near the highest peak in Massachusetts
(Mount Greylock), top-notch skiing, incredible rivers to fish in or raft on, bike paths to explore, and broad swaths of fields
to daydream in… we encourage you to get out and enjoy all the incredible full season outdoor recreation of the region.
The Porches Inn offers a striking alternative for your next executive retreat, business meeting or corporate outing. Two unique
function rooms, each with free WiFi and high-speed Internet access, keep you connected. Continental buffet breakfast is
included in your room rate, providing an extra value as you plan your meeting or event, and a variety of other meal and
break options are available. We’d be happy to provide sample menus and work with you to customize lunch and dinner
menus according to your needs.
*Ask about special rates that make it easy to extend your stay and enjoy all that the Berkshires have to offer.
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
Table of Contents
• Amenities
• Meeting Accomodations
• Indoor
• Board Room
• Building 7
• Breakfast Room
• Outdoor Fun!
• Woodland Glen
• Woodland Gazebo
• The Bonfire Pit
• Relax! (outdoor Amenities)
• Group Activities
• Teambuilding
• North Adams
• The Berkshires
• Accolades
• Contact Us!
www.porches.com 2
[email protected]
413-664-0400
Amenities
• Breakfast included in rate!
• Cordless Phones
• Free WiFi, High-speed Internet Connections
• DVD | Blueray players
• Business Nook
• Self-Service Honor Bar
• State-of-the-art Fitness Center
• Retail Closet (gift shop)
• Valet/laundry Services
• Twice daily Housekeeping Service
• Wall safes in Guestrooms
• Jacuzzi-style Bathtubs in Suites
• Full Liquor License-Cocktails in Lounge
• Year-Round Heated Outdoor Pool & Hot-tub
• Sauna
Business Services Available:
Audio Visual Equipment Available:
• Flip Charts
• LCD
• Free WiFi
• LCD Projector
• Flat Screen Sony HD TV
• Biz-Nook, including high speed Internet access
• Fax capability
• Photo copies, etc.
• iPod Docking Station
• Surround Sound
• Slide Projector
• Portable Screen
• Wii
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
The Board Room
The Board Room, located in the Reception Building and
perfect for executive “think tanks” and brainstorming
sessions, offers old-fashioned blackboard walls and can
accommodate up to 25.
Dimensions: 19’ x 17’
Ceiling Height: 8’
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Capacities:
Reception Theater U Shape Conference Banquet Hollow Square
[email protected]
30
20
15
18
16
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413-664-0400
Building 7
Building 7, located just behind the Reception Building and
adjacent to the pool, is a spacious room with a 20’
ceiling and comfortably accommodates up to 25
people. This former schoolhouse overlooks the 14x38’
heated lap pool and houses our sauna. Armed with a
60” wall-mounted Sony HD TV, iPod Docking Station, Wii
and Surround Sound, our state-of-the-art technology
assists guests in carrying out effective maneuvers, whether on
PowerPoint or Wii! Ask about post-meeting gaming options!
Dimensions: Ceiling Height: Capacities:
Reception Theater U Shape Conference Banquet Hollow Square
50
40
21
27
36
27
20’ x 24’
20’
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
Breakfast Room
The Breakfast Room, located in
the Reception Building, is suitable for
private luncheons, break out sessions
and dinners for up to 24 people.
Dimensions: Ceiling Height: Capacities:
Reception Theater U Shape Conference Banquet Hollow Square
22’ x 17’
8’
36
20
15
18
24
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
Outdoor Fun!
Our Woodland Gazebo, located at the top of our wooded hill, is wired for both power and the
Internet; consider this space for an executive retreat.
The Woodland Glen, located in the woodland garden at the top of the hill behind our pool - is
perfect for a alternative meeting space, breakout session or teambuilding activity; your group will
be inspired by sights and sounds of nature.
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
Relax!
In the mood to sit around a bonfire and trade camp stories? The bonfire pit is the perfect place
to do it – we’ll even get it started for you! We keep a huge pile of wood and kindling ready to
spark up and keep you toasty. Gather ‘round with your colleagues and enjoy a tradition that we
country folk hold dear.
Our 14x38-ft heated outdoor pool, surrounded by a radiant-heated stone patio, is ready for
your year-round enjoyment, 24 hours a day! Do your laps in the morning to gear up for a
productive day. Take an afternoon sunbathing break or cool off with a rejuvenating dip.
A sauna, shower and changing rooms are located in adjacent Building 7.
www.porches.com
[email protected]
413-664-0400
Group Activities
We’d love for you to enjoy what the Berkshire region has to offer! The Porches Inn can arrange all sorts of activities to
enhance your business function or corporate outing or make your event more engaging.
• Facilitators: Management consultants are available to work with your group in our distinctive, distraction-free meeting spaces
to conduct workshops designed to promote team work, leadership, writing, presentation, sales skills, creativity and more.
• Expert Speakers: An examination of times past can lend perspective or clarity to today’s challenges. Speakers and tours
highlighting significant regional events and personalities from the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution
and the Gilded Age, Suffrage, the Post WWII Industrial boom and the Civil Rights movement can be included in your visit.
• Preservation: How about architectural and land preservation? From the Hancock Shaker Village (the “City of Peace”) to
Chesterwood (where the Lincoln Memorial was designed) to a local farm to Mount Greylock, we can take you back in time
or whisk you away from your daily routine.
• Health & Wellness: The Berkshires has long been a place where the weary have come for rejuvenation. Health and
Wellness-related is an important part of our economy, community and lifestyle. Local restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisines.
We’ll arrange for yoga workshops or sessions, instruction in meditation, Tai Chi and other practices. As a reward for all your “hard
work,” we’ll see that you can get just the type of massage that will set you and your collegues right.
• Recreation: Fresh air and exercise should be part of your visit to the Berkshires and we’ll work with local guides, trainers
and coaches to lead your group in outdoor activities. From strenuous hikes, downhill skiing, bikes rides and kayaking excursions,
to more cerebral activities like bird watching, fly fishing or garden tours, we’ll help you and your staff stretch your muscles and
clear your head.
• Culture: For simple pleasure, we can arrange private group tours of most area museums highlighting art, history,
literature and natural science. Outstanding institutions include MASS MoCA, the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute,
Hancock Shaker Village, the Norman Rockwell Museum, Chesterwood, The Mount (Edith Wharton’s summer “cottage”) and more.
• Performing Arts: From the award-winning summer theatre at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, to live music at Pittsfield’s
historic Colonial Theatre, traditional and modern dance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, or original programming at Barrington
Stage Company, there are many options to enjoy live theatre, music dance and more than we can possibly list here!
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www.porches.com
[email protected]
413-664-0400
Team Building
Porches works with a number of professional teambuilding companies and group activity planners. Please contact us at
[email protected] or 413.664.0400 x 800 for more information.
• Otha Day, Drum Circle: Local musician Otha Day facilitates fun and lively drum/rhythm circle events from the deep belief
that rhythm has the power to build community, promote well-being and create joy. His Team Building Drum Circles
support the development of a relationship through sound and rhythm that creates, within the team, the shared memory of
a musical experience that is beautiful and fun while understanding and making practical real-life connections to the work
of the “team.”
• Greylock Discovery Tours: For work or play, Greylock Discovery Tours’ creative and fun teambuilding events will
challenge and stimulate your group to work together to solve a myriad of problems covering quantitative, verbal,
communication, artistic, physical and other skill sets. Activities include Scavenger Hunts, Orienteering Competitions and
Create and Build Programs (including boat building!) are sure to motivate your group.
• Zoar Outdoor: Since 1989, Zoar Outdoor has offered the best in New England whitewater rafting trips, kayaking clinics,
zip line canopy tours, canoeing instruction, rock climbing classes and bike rentals for adventurers of all abilities, from
beginners to experts.
• Deerfield Valley Canopy Tours: Deerfield Valley Canopy Tours is a part of Zoar Outdoor and is the first zip line adventure
in Massachusetts, offering zip lines, sky bridges and rappels as you descend from a ridge down to the base on a tour of
the forest canopy. You’ll experience spectacular ridgetop views of the Berkshires as you feel the exhilaration of zipping
through the trees! DVCT’s thoroughly trained staff promote an atmosphere of teamwork, mutual respect and fun.
• True North Teambuilding: True North Team Building is a dynamic teambuilding and capability development
organization, getting teams outside of the traditional meeting or training room and into a unique and collaborative
atmosphere that stimulates learning through experience and involvement. True North Team Building offers a wide range
of meaningful and relevant activities, ranging from fun and lively programs to more practical and professionally focused
workshops. True North works with all types of professions, from Fortune 500 organizations to educational institutions, to
non-profits and everything in between.
•All local cultural organizations are happy to handle group inquiries - ask us for contact info.
www.porches.com
[email protected]
413-664-0400
North Adams
Located in a valley created by the Hoosic River and named in honor of Samuel Adams, North Adams was first settled in
1737 and was officially incorporated in 1878 after separating from Adams. Since the Revolutionary War era, North Adams
has been primarily a milltown or manufacturing center, home to a variety of industries during the 18th and 19th centuries:
wholesale shoemakers, a saw mill, brick makers, cabinet-makers, marble works, sleighmakers, ironworks and textiles.
From 1860 to 1942, O. Arnold and Company was one of the world’s leading manufacturers of printed cloth and the largest
employer in North Adams. In 1942, the Sprague Electric Company bought the former print works site and became a major
research and development and manufacturing for weapons components, including some for the atomic bomb, and produced
important studies on the nature of electricity and semi-conducting materials. By 1966, Sprague was the largest employer in
North Adams, participating in the space race then the booming consumer electronics market. However, competition from
abroad lead to Sprague’s demise in 1985.
The closure of Sprague Electric devastated the local economy. In 1986, the business and political leaders of North Adams
came together to seek a creative re-use of the immense property. Thomas Krens, former Williams College Museum of Art
Director and later the Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, thought that the space would work as a large-scale
museum to exhibit the massive installations that had become an important part of the contemporary art world. In 1993,
MASS MoCA opened its doors to the public as the largest contemporary arts center in the United States. Since its opening,
MASS MoCA has provided the catalyst and anchor for a larger economic transformation in the region centered on cultural,
recreational, and educational offerings.
North Adams is a small, walkable city with the charm of a quaint New England college town infused with an arty vibe. Visitors
will find vibrant, up-and-coming contemporary art and craft scenes, plentiful galleries, mills reclaimed as artists lofts,
restaurants for every taste and price range, a “hi-lo” mix of boutique and five-and-dime shopping and, of course, the world
renowned MASS MoCA. Williamstown, where visitors find Williams College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
along with the Clark Art Institute and Williamstown Theatre Festival, just minutes away.
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www.porches.com
[email protected]
413-664-0400
The Berkshires
Western Massachusetts’ Berkshire County is nestled between two small mountain ranges—the Hoosac to the east and
the Taconic to the west—which create a natural ridgeline boundary from Vermont, New York and Connecticut. The
Berkshires is home to both verdant meadows and valleys rippled with streams, along with the highest peak in
Massachusetts: Mount Greylock. The beauty of the countryside combined with the area’s longtime cultural literacy have
attracted writers (Hawthorne, Melville, Bryant and Thoreau); artists (Norman Rockwell and Daniel Chester French); and
hundreds of other fine and performing artists and craftspeople—for generations.
During the Gilded Age, the southern Berkshires became the summer and fall playground of wealthy industrialists, who
built the grand mansions they called “cottages.” The original families who owned the “cottages” sold them off years ago,
but many have been lovingly restored to their original grandeur and are open to the public as museums, spas, lodging or
dining facilities, to name a few examples of re-use.
Today’s traveler will find a region filled with arts attractions with year-round programming. The area is rich with such
outstanding arts venues as MASS MoCA (the US’s largest contemporary arts center), the Clark Art Institute, Tanglewood,
the BSO’s summer home, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Berkshire Museum, Chesterwood, Hancock Shaker Village,
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Williamstown Film Festival and so much more.
For those who prefer to spend their time exploring the great outdoors, the Berkshires offers exceptional opportunities for
outdoor recreation for all ages and abilities, including: hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, whitewater rafting, canoeing and
kayaking. During the winter, visitors enjoy an array of wintertime sports, including downhill and cross country skiing,
snowboarding and snowshoeing. Berkshire County is located just 2 ½ hours from Boston and 3 ½ hours from
New York City.
Shopping in the Berkshires ranges from independently-owned boutiques to designer outlet shopping. While exploring the
many independent and locally-owned boutiques, visitors will note a strong local artisan presence and the use of a US
Constitution-sanctioned regional currency, BerkShares.
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[email protected]
413-664-0400
Accolades
Porches has been featured in the following publications:
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www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400
Contact Us!
The Porches Inn
231 River Street
P.O. Box 954
North Adams, MA 01247
T 413 664 0400
F 413 664 0401
Jana St. Germain
Sales Manager
[email protected]
Click here to submit a RFP
www.porches.com [email protected]
413-664-0400