It just might be the original team-building experience: Sitting around a campfire, compressing molten marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers into a toasty if tongue-singeing sandwich.
Yesterday, August 10, 2010, as National S’mores Day was celebrated throughout the land, thousands of hotels, restaurants, and venues offered s’mores on their bill of fare.
For groups meeting at these properties, the appearance of s’mores was a welcome addition to the agenda:
- At the Sheraton Dallas (the largest in Texas), began serving s’mores at its Kitchen Table dining venue, patio, and Kitchen Table lounge at 1pm, and continued through until 10pm.
- At the outdoor fire pit at the base of Colorado’s Beaver Creek Mountain, the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek offered a "s'more-gasbord" with homemade marshmallows in a variety of flavors (M&M, creme de menthe, Grand Marnier, etc.), both milk and dark chocolate and graham crackers. The s'moregasbord took at 4pm and was open to all guests, including in-house meetings.
- At the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Puerto Rico, National S’mores Day was celebrated at the property’s recently launched Fire Pit, which overlooks the beach.
- Palm Springs, CA’s Riviera Resort & Spa hosted a poolside s’mores hour from 8pm to 9pm, offering free s’mores and a “S’Moretini,” made with Level 42 Vodka (for $5).
- The Hilton Orlando also offers a handcrafted s’mores cocktail at its David’s Club Bar & Grill (as well as a gourmet s’mores dessert at Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops), but guests were also exhorted to bring their s’mores kits to its fire pit.
In Arizona, where fire pits are de rigueur, National S’mores Day was marked by a host of events:
- The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa celebrated with a special Kierland Kampfire, featuring its very own Arizona S’mores (cinnamon-and-sugar crisps instead of graham crackers) for in-house guests and meeting groups. (In another regional twist in the recipe, the Wigwam Resort offered an infusion of “decadent” prickly pear compote.)
- At the Enchantment Resort, chefs hosted a cooking demonstration for children at the Resort’s Camp Coyote. Kids were inspired build the ultimate s’mores using traditional fan favorites, plus extra goodies like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chocolate mints, caramel, berries, and banana slices.
- At the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, toasting sticks were made available to those bearing s’mores kits at the fireplace on the plaza (which was lit from 12 to 9pm), but the venue also a s'mores cheesecake and a marshmallow brulee all day (for $10).
Still other hotels have a built-in s’mores program for groups. For example, Arizona’s Boulders Resort offers s’mores toasting as part of the Cocopelli Cookout banquet menu. And at Florida’s Ocean Reef Club, toasting S'mores is a big hit, says Emily Kresser, director of sales: “Most groups that hold a dinner event on our private beach decide to add a campfire pit for an after-dinner fun activity.”
But for all of the fun involved, there is a down side for groups. As one hotelier put it, “Ideally, we’d like to really roast the marshmallows, though we could use marshmallow whip. The concern is that the yummy creation, which the chef and I so loved as campers, will spurt when the guest bites into it, making a mess on their business attire.”
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