The WestCoast Silverdale Hotel is perhaps Kitsap’s most popular meeting venue.

• Best Western Bremerton Inn

• Holiday Inn Express Poulsbo
19801 7th Ave NE, Poulsbo
(360) 697-4400
Number of Rooms: 63
Floors: 2
Credit Cards: All major credit cards are accepted including JCB.
Date Built: 1987
Date Remodeled: 1995
The 63-room Holiday Inn Express in Poulsbo is owned by Chang Choe, former owner of the Seattle Travel Lodge.
According to General Manager, Dawn Eldridge, plans are in the works to add 40 suites, an exercise room, and a conference facility capable of seating up to 75 people. If all goes according to plan, they expect to break ground on by early in 2003. Poulsbo’s Holiday Inn Express offers corporate and group rates.

• Holiday Inn Express Port Orchard
1121 Bay St., Port Orchard
(360) 895-2666
Number of Rooms: 63
Floors: 3
Credit Cards: All major credit cards
Date Built: 1995
The 63-room Holiday Inn Express in Port Orchard was built in 1995 and is managed by Sharon Pierce. Smoking and nonsmoking rooms are available, as well as those equipped for handicapped persons. All rooms have voice mail, and 30 have two telephone lines for those who like to have access their e-mail without tying up the voice line.
Other features include a large outside spa, and guests have free use of the West Coast Fitness Center at Lund Ave. and Bethel Road.
Port Orchard’s Holiday Inn Express has a 25-person meeting room available for $60.00; Holiday Inn provides coffee. Morningside Bakery can provide pastries and coffee cakes at a nominal cost. Fax and copy machine business support is available at the front desk.
Corporate and group rates are available, and all major credit cards are accepted. Aside from Port Orchard’s small town ambiance, Pierce said “We have a view to die for.” She added, “With the donation of a couple cans of soup for Kitsap Helpline, we’ll let you park on the grass for next year’s Fourth of July fireworks show.”

• The Manor Farm Inn
26069 Big Valley Road NE, Poulsbo
(360) 779-4628
Number of Rooms: 6
Floors: 2
Credit Cards: The Discover card is not accepted. All other major cards accepted.
Date Built: It’s been a while; formerly a family dairy farm.
Date Remodeled: 1980s
The Manor Farm Inn is owned and operated by Janet, Christopher and Suzanne Plemmons. The Inn, a converted dairy farm, has six guest rooms and two dining rooms. The dining rooms can be converted into conference space and, depending on configuration, the larger is capable of holding up to 25 persons and the smaller room can hold 15. Food is prepared on site by the Inn’s restaurant, Christopher’s at the Inn. Rates for the dining/conference rooms are negotiable. Presentation equipment is available for rent from an off site source.
The Manor Farm Inn is, “a tranquil retreat for people looking to get away,” according to owner Christopher Plemmons. “We try to keep it quiet for people.”

• WestCoast Silverdale Hotel
3073 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale
(360) 698-1000
Number of Rooms: 150
Floors: 3
Credit Cards: All major credit cards are accepted.
Date Built: 1986
The WestCoast Silverdale Hotel is a very capable conference facility. The large ballroom can hold up to 250 people when configured for meal service, or 300 without meals. For smaller groups, the ballroom can be divided three ways. The ballroom’s rate of $1200 per day is negotiable depending upon the amount of food purchased. The hotel also offers boardrooms of various sizes ranging in cost from $100 to $150 per day, suitable to accommodate 12 to 50 people.
Business support includes use of the hotel’s copy and fax machines and data ports. A full complement of audio-visual equipment is available for rent. Teleconferencing is also available through a local contractor.
Hotel amenities include a gym, tennis courts, indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi. Kevin Wojcik, General Manager, said of his WestCoast Silverdale, “We offer a very high level of service, very flexible meeting space and menus, and full support service.”

• Selah Inn
NE 130 Dulalip Landing, Belfair
360) 275-0916
Number of Rooms: 4 rooms, 5 cottages
Credit Cards: Only MasterCard and Visa are accepted.
Date Built: 1996
The Selah Inn in Belfair offers a quiet place for an organization to meet. The 50-seat room rents for $100 per day. A smaller room seats 12 to 14 people for $75 per day. Food is prepared on site. Sound and other presentation equipment is available. The large room has data ports for seven computer stations. Fax and copy machines are available.
General Manager, Bonnie McCullogh said the Selah Inn, “Is only 45 minutes from Olympia or Seattle, but seems much farther. We will fit our schedule to the conference’s schedule,” adding, “We are small scale and can even adapt meals to fit the schedule.

Other Conference Centers:

• Admiral Theatre
515 Pacific Ave.
Bremerton
(360) 373-6743
The Admiral Theatre in Bremerton was built in 1941. It operated until 1981 when the propagation of multiplex mall theaters put it out of the popular film business. The Admiral Theatre Board Foundation renovated the building and reopened it as a performing Arts Theatre in 1997.
Aside from theater productions, Admiral Theatre business manager, Brian Johnson, said the theater is commonly used for business meetings and conferences, banquets, proms, class reunions, and more.
The theater is capable of seating a maximum of 1000 persons — 500 on the main floor and 500 in the balcony. The floor seats 304 when configured cabaret-style. Rates vary with requirements, but base cost for use of the theater is $1575 per day (9:00 am to 1:00 am). A contract caterer prepares food off site. The theater is equipped with a holding kitchen and cleaning facilities. The caterer can serve sit-down or buffet type meals but logistics generally limit meals to groups of 304 and fewer. The theater is too large and not practical for groups smaller than 100 people.
Electronic presentation equipment, copy and fax machines are available. Hourly and daily paid parking is available in the theater’s vicinity. Free parking is available for Admiral Theatre patrons after 5 p.m. in three designated lots.

• Kitsap Pavilion
1200 NW Fairgrounds Rd., Bremerton
(360) 337-5350
Kitsap Pavilion is part of the Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department. It is managed by Debbie Baker, Kitsap County Business and Marketing Manager. The facility comprises four separate rooms: the 43,000 square-foot Kitsap Pavilion, which can seat 4400; the 20,000 square-foot President’s Hall, which can seat 1350; the recently remodeled Conference Center, with seating for 150; and the 125-seat banquet room.
The Pavilion rents for $1400 per day, the President’s Hall goes for $700 per day, the conference center for $350, and the banquet room for $30 an hour including equipment. Copy and fax machines are available. Audio-visual equipment is available for rent in nearby Silverdale. Eagle’s Nest Catering on the fairgrounds is not Pavilion’s exclusive caterer but their location makes them the most convenient.

• Kiana Lodge
(360) 598-4311
Poulsbo
Despite its name, Kiana Lodge has no overnight facilities. The Lodge’s conference spaces consist of a log cabin capable of seating 80 persons, and the Garden Atrium capable of seating 920. The two buildings are connected by a walkway. Room rates vary with services. Kiana’s catering staff offers meal services. Fax machines and copiers are available for conference use, and the Lodge will coordinate audio-visual equipment through nearby Flamingo Studio. Although lodging is available in the area, client groups often stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle and charter boat transportation back and forth.
Built in the late 1920’s as a beach and golf club, Kiana Lodge became privately owned in the 1950s. The Lodge occupies six acres and 1000 feet of choice waterfront on Sandy Hook. According to owner, Bob Riebe, “We were featured in Time-Life Magazine as one of the more famous gardens in the United States.” His four full-time summer gardeners keep it that way.
In terms of exclusivity, Kiana Lodge ranks near the top in the Northwest. When Baseball’s All Stars played the Kingdome in July 1979, then-baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn selected the site for the post-game players banquet. Four years ago Kiana Lodge hosted a luncheon attended by the Fortune 500 CEOs. High-end weddings are a specialty and the Lodge is booked-up every Saturday July through September of 2002.
Despite its attractive grounds and superb reputation, the Kiana Lodge is not open to public viewing. Riebe’s clients select the site as much for the privacy it affords as its beauty. Prospective clients are invited to contact Riebe for an appointment.

• Kitsap Golf and Country Club
3885 NW Golf Club Hill Road
Bremerton
(360) 377-0166
The Kitsap Golf and Country Club is located in Chico between Silverdale and Bremerton. The ballroom is capable of seating 300 people for meals or 500 people theater-style. The dining room can comfortably seat 75. It is a private club and the ballroom cost for non-members is $600 for eight hours, $300 for members. The dining room costs $450 for non-members, $200 for members. Sound and other presentation equipment is available on site, as are copy and fax machines.
Food services are available exclusively through the restaurant on the premises. The appeal of the club, said general manager, Gary Campbell, “...is our unique setting and the quality of the food.”

• McCormick Woods
5155 McCormick Woods Dr. SW
Port Orchard
(360) 895-0142
McCormick Woods has four meeting rooms that can hold from 10 to 160 people, and up to 350 people if outside seating is used. Candice Ralston, McCormick’s catering manager said they customize the rooms to suit each function.
Room costs, therefore, are determined by services, and range from $25 to $300 for four hours. Electronic presentation equipment is available as are phone lines, fax machine and copiers. MaryMac’s Restaurant & Bar (895-0142) handles catering duties.

• Olympic Lodge
PSNS, Bremerton (requires a military or DoD sponsor)
(360) 373-6454
If you are a member of the military or DoD, or are sponsored by such a person, consider the Olympic Lodge for your next conference. They offer a meeting space capable of seating from 100 (cabaret-style) to 350 (theatre-style). The facility is also divisible into four separate rooms: Mt. Eleanor and Mt. Jupiter, each capable of seating 20 to 50; and Mt. Constance and The Brothers, each capable of seating 60 to 110. Full catering services are available through West Sound Catering, and Olympic Lodge offers audio/visual equipment for presentations. Room costs vary with meal packages and time of day.
Robert Wood is the general manager.

• Seabeck Conference Center
www.seabeck.org
(360) 830-5010
Perhaps you belong to a non-profit organization looking for a quiet location to conduct your annual planning conference. Why not Seabeck? The Seabeck Conference Center was started by the Seattle YMCA in 1915 and, according to SCC Executive Director, Larry Hill, “It is the oldest conference center in Washington State.”
Commonly used for retreats by religious groups and for meetings by service organizations, the Seabeck Conference Center has 13 meeting rooms capable of seating from 12 to 250 people, and 100 guest rooms. Costs for overnight accommodations vary. Rates range from $50 to $70 per person per day, which includes meals and lodging. The Center has overhead projectors, TV/VCRs and newsprint charts available. Business support includes copiers, fax machines, and telephone lines.
The Seabeck Conference Center is available to organizations with IRS tax designation 501C3.

• Trident Ballroom
(360) 535-5928
Submarine Base Bangor
The Trident Ballroom holds 350 persons. Room costs vary with services. Full catering services are available through West Sound Catering. Presentation equipment is available, including PowerPoint, DSL, TV/VCR, and newsprint. Use of the ballroom requires the client to be a military or DoD member or sponsor.
Robert Wood is the general manager.

• Alderbrook Resort
The facility, located on the shores of Hood Canal in Union, will close in October for about a year while a major remodeling project is undertaken.