Press Release: Chateau Elan Hotels & Resorts
July 19, 2002
BRASELTON, GA -- The phrase, "the subtle difference of excellence," used by Chateau Elan Winery &
Resort in defining its guest services and amenities, strengthened its ranking among the very best leisure resort
and conference destinations in North America by winning 12 coveted awards thus far in 2002.
The categories honoring Chateau Elan, the 3,500 acre property located just north of Atlanta, includes the AAA Four
Diamond award representing Chateau Elan's extraordinary accomplishment in services and quality; Gold Tee, Gold
Key awards from Meetings & Conventions magazine signifying cutting edge conference facilities and spectacular
meeting and golf experiences; Silver Medalist Award from Golf magazine for its championship golf courses and services;
Greens of Distinction from Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine for outstanding resort conference facilities,
hospitality, and incentive golf programs services; Stars of the South award, from Meetings South magazine choosing
Chateau Elan as their meeting planners favorite conference resort; Paragon award by Corporate Meetings & Incentive
magazine awarding Chateau Elan, one of only 50 conference centers selected in the U.S., for its excellence and
services in conference facilities; Pinnacle award from Successful Meetings magazine achieving the prestigious mark
of excellence in state-of-the-art conference facilities and services; Spa Finder magazine naming the Chateau Elan
Spa "Among the ten best spas in the world for couples in love;" and Wine Spectator (May 2002) tasted
wines from 40 of the South's top wineries and named four Chateau Elan wines Great buys in their class: Chateau
Elan Essence de Cabernet Founders Reserve 2000, Chateau Elan Nouveau Georgia 2000, Chateau Elan Merlot Georgia
Founders Reserve 2000 and Chateau Elan Viognier Georgia Founders Reserve 2000.
Henk Evers, president and CEO of Chateau Elan Hotels & Resorts, said, "These prestigious awards honoring
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, covering nearly every facet of their amenities and services, is the essence of
our guests' unique resort and conference experiences. The high standards of guest services and quality of our amenities
are set at this resort which is why it is designated as our national flagship property."
The centerpiece of Chateau Elan Winery & Resort is a 16th century chateau and winery designed in the style
of a French royal retreat. The winery, surrounded by 200 acres of lush vineyards, is the largest producer of premium
and varietal wines in the state of Georgia. In addition, the resort includes four championship golf courses, Stan
Smith Tennis Center with seven courts lighted for night play, a four star, four diamond, 276 room Inn, a 30,000
square foot European Spa mansion, a 25,000 square foot conference center equipped with T1 high speed Internet access,
an Equestrian Show Center and eight distinctive restaurants. Chateau Elan is believed to be the only resort in
the world with its own race track which includes the Panoz High Performance Driving School. Road Atlanta, located
a few minutes from the resort is a 2.54 mile Grand Prix race course where guests and corporate groups can take
adrenaline pumping "hot laps" around the track with a professional race car driver through "S"
curves, blind corners and pedal-to-the-floor straight-a-ways. Guests may also opt to drive their own Panoz GTRA
racing car around the track after appropriate instruction.
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Worldwide.
More about Chateau Elan: Chateau Elan Hotels & Resorts is a branded group of luxury U.S. and International
properties which include: Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, Braselton, GA; Granite Steps, a beautifully restored
1881 B&B mansion located in the Historic District of Savannah, GA; Chateau Elan Hotel & Spa, an 81 room
boutique property sited on the legendary hairpin turn at Sebring International raceway, Sebring, FL; St Andrews
Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Conference Center, a $80 million, 520 acre property in St Andrews, Scotland; and Diablo
Grande, a 33,000 acre golf resort, winery & spa opening in January 2004 in Patterson, California, 90 miles
S.E. of San Francisco.
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Contact:
Chateau Elan Hotels & Resorts
Larry Mayran, 770/586-5703
Fax: 770/307-0836
Cell: 678/414-9911
lmayran@chateauelan.com