The Villas of Grand Cypress Earns 'Gold Key' Award for Meetings Excellence

ORLANDO, Fla. (August 2007)—Readers of Meetings & Conventions, a leading trade publication in the meetings industry, have given The Villas of Grand Cypress the magazine’s Gold Key Award for meetings excellence.

Fewer than 200 properties—179 in the U.S. and 20 in other countries—received the award. Voting criteria included staff attitude, quality of meeting facilities, quality of guest services, reservations proficiency, technical support and recreational facilities.

Earlier this year, Grand Cypress Resort completed a multi-million dollar renovation of all 146 rooms at The Villas of Grand Cypress, added a seasonal pavilion that expanded its Executive Meeting Center and enhanced a special events facility at Grand Cypress Equestrian Center.

The Gold Key Award complements the Gold Tee Award from the same magazine for excellence in golf operations that was announced this spring.

Grand Cypress Resort has 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed golf, which frequently receive top ratings from meetings industry and leisure evaluators. The combination of its North and East Courses was ranked No. 10 in the nation by Golf For Women magazine in that publication’s July/August issue.

The resort is nearing completion of a $600,000 renovation of its clubhouse that includes addition of a new restaurant called Nine18, enhancements to its pro shop and improvements to the Club Restaurant.

“Among our greatest pleasures is a compliment from a meeting planner after an important meeting. Receiving an award such as the Gold Key voted on by many meeting planners is very gratifying. It inspires the entire staff to maintain our reputation for excellence,” said General Manager Mark Cox.

Other recent evaluations of Grand Cypress Resort include:

+ Florida Monthly—“Florida’s Best Golf Resort”
+ Golf Digest—A region-high 4 1/2 stars for excellence on its “Best Places to Play 2006-2007” list and No. 55 on its “75 Best Golf Resorts” list
+ GOLF Magazine—“Top 25 Golf Schools in the U.S.” (No. 7 overall for Grand Cypress Academy of Golf)

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About Grand Cypress Resort

Grand Cypress Resort is owned and operated by Grand Cypress Florida, LP, which directly manages The Villas of Grand Cypress, Golf Club, Academy of Golf and Equestrian Center. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and Grand Cypress Racquet Club also are located at the resort. More information is available online at www.grandcypress.com or by calling 800-835-7377.