It had been a long time since I spent the night anywhere without my kids. So long in fact, that I can’t remember if it was when I was pregnant with my third baby or my fourth. The thought of spending the night away from my kids sounds amazing, but when I start planning the logistics of childcare, thinking about the destruction my house will undergo in 24 hours without me, and calculating the cost of my absence versus one full night of sleep, I give up and go on with life. “It’s only worth it to me if it is going to be amazing,” I think.
Y’all! Amazing is right down the road at The Chattanoogan. If you want to escape to luxury and max out your childcare time, this is your place! The Chattanooga Moms Blog, along with its Knoxville Moms Blog partners, held its business meeting at The Chattanoogan. We were treated wonderfully by all the staff at The Chattanoogan.
One of my favorite features of The Chattanoogan and its conference center is that you can be in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, yet feel like you’re in a retreat center. The hotel’s beautiful entrance, tree-filled courtyard and flowing landscapes with quiet outdoor rooms, all contribute to finding the perfect place in which to enjoy one another’s company or finish a great book. Instead of hustling for a parking spot in a dark, hot garage, the valets won’t blink an eye at your trash can on wheels, will take your luggage to your room, and will even run back to your car to retrieve a forgotten item.
The CMB and KMB teams met for several hours in a quiet meeting room generously stocked to meet any dietary or personal preferences. The set-up staff had thought of everything from food to audiovisual needs. It’s amazing how much a person can accomplish with proper hydration, caffeine, and not having to multitask or change a diaper for a few hours at a time. Who knew working could feel like a vacation?
After conquering the blogging world’s issues, we visited The Chattanoogan’s spa for mani/pedis, massages and facials. Assuming that the conference room hosts hadn’t provided us with enough sustenance, the spa host brought us a fruit and cheese platter accompanied by peach Bellinis — this gave us all the opportunity to enjoy being together and talk like the mid-20-year-olds we still feel like we are.
Having a spa in the hotel feels even more relaxing, because after our pampering, we were able to go back to our beautiful, modern rooms to unwind some more!
That evening, we enjoyed a night out on the town with several other moms and writers on the CMB team, and slept in luxurious beds without any kids. The next morning we feasted on endless options during brunch at the Broad Street Grille, which has quite possibly one of the best breakfasts in town. Waffles, pancakes and omelets made to order, as well as a full buffet of breakfast goodies — it doesn’t get much better than that!
Often I think the ultimate getaway has to be exotic — a once in a lifetime, yet completely unattainable experience. Our weekend stay at The Chattanoogan proved that it can be found so much closer to home, however.
