JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles To Open In 2010
 |
| The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live, shown here (second building from left) in a rendering of L.A. Live, which will offer guests world-class entertainment, dining, sports, theater and music experiences. |
LOS ANGELES, CA — The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live, scheduled to open in 2010, will provide meeting groups downtown accommodations and direct access to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The property will feature 879 guest rooms, 35 suites and 77,000 square feet of meeting space.
L.A. Live is an ongoing revitalization project for the downtown Los Angeles area that aims to bring more business and business meetings to the city. For more information, visit www.lalivemarriott.com.
Impact 4 Good Teams With Recipe For Success To Offer “Fare To Share”
EAST HANOVER, NJ — Impact 4 Good LLC, a East Hanover, NJ-based leader in corporate community service teambuilding, and Recipe For Success Inc., a division of Teambonding Inc., a leading corporate teambuilding company headquartered in Canton, MA, recently announced they will offer a unique teambuilding/corporate social responsibility activity to help feed the hungry across the U.S. “Fare to Share” is a new teambuilding experience where participants form teams and compete to prepare meals in fun and challenging ways. The food is then donated to area food banks. For more information, contact Alan Ranzer, Impact 4 Good’s executive director, at www.impact4good.com.
The Peabody Orlando Expanding
ORLANDO, FL — The Peabody Orlando announced extensive expansion plans, which include 750 additional guest rooms in a new 32-story tower, bringing the total to 1,641 guest rooms. The hotel’s meeting space will be expanded by 153,000 square feet for a total of 210,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The newly expanded hotel has been designed primarily for meetings and exhibitions, and also will be “family friendly,” providing meeting attendees’ spouses and children with diverse and self-contained recreational options on-property. The expansion of The Peabody Orlando is expected to be complete in late 2010. For more information, visit www.peabodyorlando.com.
Hilton Meetings Launches Premier Small Meeting Service
BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Hilton Hotels is introducing their premier small meeting service in properties throughout North America. Hilton Meetings promotes an environment specifically tailored for productive, successful and hassle-free meetings for groups of 50 guests or fewer. “Hilton’s global experience in hosting events of all sizes keeps us aware of what business travelers need and expect from meeting and event space,” said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president of brand management, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “Our goal with Hilton Meetings is to provide personalized meeting services for groups ranging from two to 50 people.”
Hilton Meetings, first introduced in 2000 at Hilton Hotels in Ireland and the United Kingdom, should be in place at the majority of Hilton Hotels in North America by the end of 2008. For more information, visit www.hilton.com.
M Resort, Spa And Casino Now Booking Meetings
LAS VEGAS, NV — Property officials for the M Resort, Spa and Casino, which is slated to open next year, have unveiled new details about its luxury meeting and conference facilities. The resort, which will offer 60,000 square feet of conference space, is now booking group business. M Resort, Spa and Casino will feature venue options such as the Villaggio del Sole Pool and Entertainment Piazza, which has a built-in stage and can accommodate up to 4,000 attendees, three outdoor terraces or the 2,000-square-foot Canyon restaurant and entertainment lounge. For more information, visit www.themresort.com.
CityCenter Property Named Aria Resort & Casino
 LAS VEGAS, NV — CityCenter, a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Dubai World, recently announced that its new resort casino will be named Aria. Scheduled to open in late 2009, Aria Resort & Casino forms the core of CityCenter, a more than $8 billion vertical city under construction between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. CityCenter also will feature three non-gaming hotels, Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental, The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences and Vdara Condo Hotel; Veer Towers, residential buildings; and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district.
Aria Resort & Casino will feature 300,000 square feet of meeting and convention space for up to 5,000 attendees. The resort casino will have 4,004 guest rooms, including 568 suites, a variety of dining experiences, lounges, bars and nightclubs as well as a luxurious spa, full-service salon, barbershop, fitness room and group exercise studio. For more information, visit www.citycenter.com. |
The Convention Collection At Centennial Park Adds New Hotels
ATLANTA, GA — The W Atlanta and Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Downtown will join the Convention Collection at Centennial Olympic Park to provide more upscale accommodations and flexible meeting space to the existing hotel group. The Convention Collection, which will feature approximately 3,000 hotel rooms and 200,000 square feet of function space, also includes the Omni Hotel at CNN Center, the Embassy Suites Hotel Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park, the Marriott Atlanta Downtown and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. Each hotel in the collection surrounds Centennial Olympic Park and is within steps of major Atlanta attractions and one another. For more information, visit www.centennialcollection.com.
Lodge At Suncadia Opens In Washington
CLE ELUM, WA — Suncadia, a new year-round mountain resort located 80 miles east of Seattle, WA, recently announced the grand opening of the Lodge at Suncadia, a 254-room destination hotel offering a unique combination of activities and amenities.
The Lodge offers 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 50 miles of trails, the 18,000-square-foot Suncadia Club Swim & Fitness Center, two new restaurants and a 9,600-square-foot spa opening this month.
An all-season destination, activities include golf, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, fly fishing, sledding, ice skating, cross-country skiing and more. For more information, visit www.suncadia.com.
Borgata First Atlantic City Casino To Go Smoke-Free
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced plans to be the first Atlantic City hotel to go 100 percent smoke-free. To accommodate guests who smoke, the hotel will designate several outdoor lounges. Subject to NJ Department of Community Affairs approval, the plans will become effective in compliance with the new Atlantic City smoke-free ordinance.
Hilton Baltimore To Open In Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE, MD — The new Hilton Baltimore, scheduled to open in August, is now accepting group reservations. Located opposite Camden Yards, the 757-room property is the only hotel with direct access to the Baltimore Convention Center via an enclosed pedestrian skybridge. The hotel features 60,000 square feet of function space, including a 25,000-square-foot grand ballroom, a junior ballroom and an additional 20,000 square feet of meeting space. For more information, visit baltimore.hilton.com.
Mexico Showcase And Travel Expo Reports Record Attendance
 |
 |
| (left photo) Cutting the ribbon to open the 7th Annual Mexico Showcase and Travel Expo are (left to right) Gabriela Verduzco, director of promotions for the Riviera Maya Bureau; Lizzie Cole, director of marketing, Tourism Office of the State of Quintana Roo; Artemio Santos, COO, Mexico Tourism Board; Andy Ortiz, managing director, Global Incentive Management, Mexico DMC, founder, president Mexico Showcase; José Bayón, under secretary of tourism for the State of Quintana Roo Tourism Office. (right photo) Jeannie Van Hoesen, meeting manager, corporate meeting solutions, American Express Global Travel Services, and Andy Ortiz, Global Incentive Management, chat at the Mexico Showcase. |
CANCUN, Mexico — The 7th Annual Mexico Showcase and Travel Expo 2008 held in April, a four-day event hosted by Palace Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels and Excellence Luxury Resorts, had record attendance. Attendees participated in a variety of site inspection trips, presentations on upcoming Central American destinations, educational seminars and a day trip to Market 28 in downtown Cancun. Andy Ortiz, president of the Mexico Showcase and managing director of Global Incentive Management, a Cancun-based DMC, reported that 180 meeting planners from the United States and Mexico attended the event, as well as more than 80 exhibitors from Mexico, Central America and the U.S. Oritz commented that the turnout for the event was the best he had seen over the showcase’s seven-year span. For more information, visit www.incentivemanagement.com.
Jekyll Island To Break Ground On New Convention Center And Hotel
 |
| Rendering of proposed convention hotel. |
JEKYLL ISLAND, GA — The Jekyll Island State Park Authority and its redevelopment partner, Linger Longer Communities, expect to begin construction this summer on a new convention center, 400-room convention hotel, residential cottages, mixed-use village center with shops and dining, and an Environmental Conservation Center. The $325 million project will replace the aging convention and meeting spaces on Jekyll Island with a new center boasting 146,000 square feet for meetings and events.
Jekyll Island, a barrier island on Georgia’s coast midway between Jacksonville, FL, and Savannah, GA, offers 10 miles of beach, four golf courses, a 250-acre Historic Landmark District, a water park, tennis center and a variety of lodging options. For more information, visit www.jekyllisland.com.
Signature Marketing Group Acquires RK Global Meetings & Events
LANGHORNE, PA — Signature Marketing Group (SMG) recently acquired RK Global Meetings & Events, West Chester, PA, a meeting planning company founded by Stephanie Krzywanski and Jennafer Ross, CMP. The pair will bring 30 years of combined experience to SMG, a full-service corporate event management company, merchandise distributor and communication design firm established by CEO Craig Peck in 1993.
“Acquiring RK Global Meetings & Events puts us in a strong position for continued growth,” said Julie Smith, CMP, president of Signature Marketing Group. “Stephanie and Jennafer bring us a wealth of talent and industry experience, including strong revenue management and strategic client development. Their recognized leadership within our industry, coupled with their creativity and commitment to excellence, is a significant new asset for SMG.” For more information, visit www.s-m-g.com.
 |
|
Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay |
Komodo Dragon Makes A Spash At Mandalay Bay Aquarium
LAS VEGAS, NV — This summer the fearsome Komodo Dragon, with its dagger-like, serrated teeth, deadly saliva and razor-sharp claws, will join more than 2,000 dangerous animals at Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. The 90,560-square-foot, predator-based aquarium is the only one of its kind in North America. Open daily, Shark Reef Aquarium is available for special group events Monday through Thursday evenings. For more information, call 702-632-4555.
Hilton Miami Downtown Now Open
MIAMI, FL — The Hilton Miami Downtown hotel is now open on Biscayne Boulevard after a multimillion-dollar refurbishment. Located in downtown’s performing arts district near South Beach, Coconut Grove, the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts and Bayside Marketplace, the Hilton Miami Downtown offers 527 newly renovated guest rooms, including 58 suites that overlook Biscayne Bay and the downtown skyline. The hotel features more than 45,000 square feet of flexible event space. For more information, visit www.miamibiscaynebayhotel.com.
Mohegan Sun Breaks Ground For “Project Horizon”
UNCASVILLE, CT — Mohegan Sun broke ground in May for its latest expansion project, “Project Horizon,” a 39-story, 922-room Earth Tower complex that will feature 261 House of Blues-themed rooms, a House of Blues music hall, more than 11,000 square feet of meeting space, restaurants such as Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe, retail outlets and the Casino of the Wind, set to open in October 2008. The entire complex is due to be completed in 2010. For more information, visit www.mohegansun.com.