Deerhurst Resort's Muskoka G8 Summit Expertise Will Translate to Every Meeting

Landmark Ontario Retreat Returns to Conference and Vacation Central June 30

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HUNTSVILLE, ON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ - With less than 24 hours to go until the official opening of the Muskoka 2010 G8 Summit, Deerhurst, the landmark Ontario resort chosen as the host venue, is not just ready, but looking ahead.

"It's been two years almost to the day since Canada's prime minister came to Deerhurst Resort to make the summit site selection announcement and the start of the G8 tomorrow," says Deerhurst general manager Joseph Klein.

"We've had time to coordinate the complex logistics that are part of any major gathering like the G8," notes Klein. "Now it's show time, and our entire Deerhurst team is thrilled that what we and many consider the best Ontario meeting facility is being used to showcase Muskoka to the world."

While the world's attention is focused on the decisions made by the eight leaders at the centre of the summit, Deerhurst is demonstrating its flexibility by serving about 3,000 meals a day in eight different on-site venues to the support staff, RCMP, hotel team and media who accompany them. It has seen its spa transformed into an on-site first aid and emergency care centre. And Deerhurst is juggling the demands of this executive retreat for 10 of the world's most important clients (the G8 Summit includes the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission) with its peak summer meetings, golf tournament and school holiday season.

"Right now and for the duration of Canada's G8 Summit, think of Deerhurst as a small self-contained nation with eight embassies," says Klein.

"Each country has their own needs and preferences. But whether it's the G8 Summit for prime ministers and presidents, or meeting for any other client, the hotel essentials stay the same: functional space, efficient service, a comfortable place to sleep and work, and satisfying food. And that's what Deerhurst will continue to deliver, this G8 Summit weekend and beyond."

As soon as Deerhurst reopens June 30, the Ontario vacation hot spot will be running a stay-over package for Huntsville's post-G8 celebration concert with Blue Rodeo, marking Canada Day weekend with "cake in the lake," welcoming the Olympic gold medal winning Canadian women's hockey team for their annual golf fundraiser, and gearing up for Muskoka's biggest barbecue festival, Thrill of the Grill (www.deerhurstresort.com/summerfest/index.html), with celeb chef Ted Reader.

"We're already getting calls from potential clients who are thinking Deerhurst for their own meeting because of what they've seen of our facilities and about the G8 Summit dining in the news," notes Deerhurst director of sales & marketing Clee Varon.

In fact, not long after the leaders and their entourages depart, the resort has two to-dos on the top of a long list: prepping menus to share the leaders' meals with everyday guests and posting behind-the-scenes photos for their eager Facebook fans (http://www.facebook.com/Deerhurst).

A cottage country landmark since 1896, Deerhurst Resort is located two hours north of Toronto, on Peninsula Lake in Huntsville, Ontario. Muskoka's largest and most comprehensive meeting and vacation retreat encompasses 45,000 sq. ft. (4,200 m2) of interior venues, 400 accommodations with a capacity for 1,000 guests, two 18-hole golf courses and an extensive waterfront. Known for offering the most on-site activities of any resort in Eastern Canada, Deerhurst is also home to Adventures in Excellence teambuilding and Canada's longest-running live stage production. Deerhurst is the only hotel in North America to produce both its own maple syrup and wild flower honey, as well as herbs and shiitake mushrooms, as one aspect of its environmental commitment. For more information visit http://www.deerhurstresort.com.html or call 1-800-461-4393.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

SOURCE Deerhurst Resort