Meeting planners have a long checklist. Accessibility. Meeting space. Technology. Catering. Transportation. Attendee experience.
And, somewhere near the top, one big question: Will this destination make my job easier or harder?
For some planners, West Virginia may not make the shortlist, at least not immediately. The hesitation usually comes down to assumptions about access, amenities, and whether the state can support a polished, professional meeting experience.
Shelley Gutta of Stonewall Resort hears those concerns firsthand. Her take? Many planners are ruling out West Virginia before they see what it actually offers.
That premature “no” could mean missing a destination that offers strong meeting infrastructure, outdoor appeal, professional support, and a setting that feels distinctly different from the usual convention-city rotation.
West Virginia for Meetings? Yes!
West Virginia Is More Accessible Than Many Planners Assume
“I believe the biggest question or hesitation about West Virginia is accessibility,” Gutta says. “I think there's a preconceived notion that West Virginia and properties in West Virginia are not easily accessible. They're taking us off the list a little prematurely.”
Destination selection often starts with a map.
If attendees have to navigate multiple connections, expensive ground transportation, or complicated arrival logistics, planners may decide the destination isn’t worth the trouble. That’s especially true when groups are coming from several different markets.
West Virginia can look more remote on paper than it actually is.
“When you take a closer look at West Virginia, you realize that we're only four hours really from Washington, D.C., just over the border from Baltimore, two hours south of Pittsburgh really, or an hour south of Pittsburgh, depending on where you're going in West Virginia,” Gutta says.
She also points to the state’s highway access, including Interstate 79 and Interstate 68, as an important part of the equation.
For planners managing regional attendance, driveability matters. A destination that attendees can reach without booking a flight can help simplify travel planning, particularly for associations, corporate retreats, leadership meetings, and regional conferences.
Gutta says she was surprised by just how much of the country falls within a reasonable driving radius.
“I looked at some data, and two-thirds of the United States is within a one-day drive from West Virginia, which I was like, ‘Wow.’”
That “wow” matters.
Meeting planners are under constant pressure to balance experience with logistics. A destination can be beautiful, but if attendees view the journey as a chore, enthusiasm drops before everyone is even gathered in the meeting room.
West Virginia offers another option: a destination that feels like a getaway without necessarily requiring getaway-level travel.
Flying In Is More Practical Than It May Seem
Driving is only part of the accessibility story. Gutta notes that planners can also use West Virginia airports and nearby regional hubs to build a transportation plan around their group.
“We have Yeager Airport in Charleston, which is on the southern part of the state, as well as a regional airport in Clarksburg, West Virginia,” she says. “And then I mentioned Pittsburgh Airport, and it's an international airport.”
For Stonewall Resort specifically, Pittsburgh can also serve as a practical gateway.
“It's one hour north of West Virginia, and then only two hours south from like Stonewall,” Gutta explains.
The key for planners is to think beyond the flight itself. Ground transportation can make or break the arrival experience.
A well-planned transfer can turn what sounds like an “extra step” into a smooth group arrival. Rental cars, rideshare services, shuttle vans, town cars, and motor coaches can all become part of the transportation strategy depending on group size and schedule.
“There may be an extra step in planning,” Gutta says, “but we're highly accessible, more accessible than most people realize or think we are.”
Extra planning does not automatically mean difficult planning.
For planners willing to coordinate transportation in advance, the payoff can be a destination that feels more private, more relaxed, and more memorable upon arrival.
The Amenities Question Has an Easy Answer
Accessibility is not the only misconception planners may have. Another is whether West Virginia venues can deliver the level of meeting infrastructure that attendees and organizers expect.
“Are they gonna get a quality venue in West Virginia that's gonna have everything that they need as far as technology and adequate conference facilities?” Gutta asks. “Are they gonna get trained professionals with their catering and conference managers, their conference concierges?”
Her answer is absolute: “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
That should give meeting planners the confidence that a venue can provide the amenities they’re looking for before signing a contract.
“You have a lot of facilities in West Virginia that have … plenty of amenities to accommodate smaller groups of 10 up to larger groups of 400.”
For planners, that opens the door to a wide range of programs, from board retreats and incentive gatherings to corporate meetings, training sessions, association events, and multi-day conferences.
Start With the Attendee Experience, Not Just the Agenda
A meeting can run perfectly on paper and still feel forgettable. That’s why Gutta encourages planners to think first about the attendee’s total experience.
“I would consider first the overall experience of your meeting attendees,” she says. “You want to take a look at what your overall experience for that attendee who's visiting your conference is gonna look like.”
That starts with arrival but does not end there.
How easy is it to transition from a morning session to lunch? Are attendees comfortable between meetings? Can they step outside, clear their heads, and come back refreshed? Are there opportunities to connect with colleagues outside a ballroom?
These details shape how attendees remember an event.
“You want to look at the travel aspect, and then once they get to the venue, are they gonna have everything that they need to feel comfortable and productive and get the most out of your meeting?” Gutta says.
That is where resort-style destinations can offer a different rhythm.
Instead of scattering attendees across a downtown grid, a resort setting can keep lodging, meetings, meals, networking, and recreation closer together. That can reduce logistical friction while creating more organic opportunities for people to connect.
Sometimes the best conversations at a conference do not happen during a breakout session. It happens over coffee, on a walking path, after dinner, or during an outdoor activity when name badges stop feeling quite so formal.
For planners trying to create stronger engagement, that kind of environment can be a serious advantage.
Yes, You Should Talk About the Weather
Every destination has a weather conversation. West Virginia just happens to occasionally make that conversation entertaining.
Gutta recalls seeing a meme that featured “a guy out in snow boots and his shorts mowing the grass, but there was snow on the ground.”
Her reaction?
“Oh, my gosh. That's hilarious, and that is also very true.”
The joke comes with a practical point for planners: winter travel deserves a little extra attention.
“Usually January and February are our months where the weather is more unpredictable,” Gutta says.
That doesn’t mean planners need to avoid winter meetings. In fact, colder months can create opportunities for skiing, tubing, and other seasonal experiences that would not be available at other times of the year.
The better move is to build breathing room into the schedule.
If attendees are flying or driving during January and February, planners can consider earlier arrival windows, flexible opening-night programming, contingency plans, and transportation schedules that account for possible delays.
As Gutta puts it, “I think just allow for more time come January and February for those travel times for your meetings.”
Good planning does not eliminate unpredictability. It makes unpredictability less painful.
At Stonewall Resort, Planners Can Hand Off the Stress
There is a specific kind of exhaustion that hits meeting planners on arrival day.
Months of contracts, rooming lists, banquet event orders, agendas, dietary restrictions, speaker changes, AV requests, transportation details, and last-minute emails all lead to one moment: attendees start showing up.
That is when planners need their venue team most.
At Stonewall Resort, Gutta says the goal is for planners to feel the pressure drop as soon as they arrive.
“When they're planning a meeting at Stonewall Resort, to drive through our welcome gate and cross the porte-cochère into our beautiful lobby, they can expect to just exhale and know that they're in good hands,” Gutta says. “We have done all the preliminary work with you, with your catering and conference manager. We have a professional, well-trained staff of conference concierges. You're gonna be taken care of.”
Of course, meetings, being what they are, mean something will change. A speaker will need a different setup. Attendance will shift. A timing adjustment will ripple through the day.
Gutta is realistic about that too.
“What's a meeting or a conference if you don't have to pivot quickly on one little thing? Where's the excitement in that?”
The difference is having a team ready to pivot with you.
“You have a well-trained professional staff to help you navigate everything,” she says, “and you get to exhale and know that you're in good hands.”
For planners accustomed to carrying every detail themselves, that may be one of the most compelling reasons to look beyond the usual destinations.
A Meeting Destination Worth a Second Look
West Virginia may not be the first destination every planner considers—and that may be exactly why it deserves consideration.
The state combines regional accessibility, professional meeting facilities, flexible group options, outdoor appeal, and the chance to give attendees an experience that feels removed from the everyday without being impossibly far away.
The biggest hurdle may simply be perception.
As Gutta explains, “Once you take a closer look at the accessibility of West Virginia and getting to a venue in West Virginia,” the picture changes quickly.
And at Stonewall Resort, the destination comes with something planners value almost as much as a strong agenda: support.
Gutta sums it up simply: “You know you're getting a quality meeting when you plan a meeting at Stonewall Resort.”
Sometimes the smartest meeting choice is not the obvious one. Sometimes it’s one that the planners almost crossed off the list.
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