Luxury Brand Hotel Openings, and more
Fairmont Pittsburgh Goes for Green Gold
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Billing itself as Pittsburgh’s first premier luxury hotel, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of the Fairmont Pittsburgh. Featuring 185 guestrooms, 12,000 square feet of event space and a 6,000 square-foot health club, Fairmont Pittsburgh is set in Three PNC Plaza, one of the largest mixed-use buildings to be certified by the United States Green Building Council in accordance with its LEED rating system. Later this year, Fairmont Pittsburgh expects to receive LEED certification at a Gold level, which complements the company’s industry leading Green Partnership, a program focused on operational sustainability and responsible tourism practices. (www.fairmont.com/pittsburgh)
Loews Hotel Opens in Atlanta
Located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, the Loews Atlanta Hotel opened April 1 as the anchor of 12th and Midtown, a local urban, mixed-use development. The property is the first new-build hotel opening for Loews Hotels in more than five years and the brand’s first property in Georgia. Loews Atlanta Hotel features 414 guest rooms including 44 suites, and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space. (www.loewshotels.com/atlanta)
L.A. Live Entertainment District Adds Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles opened on April 2, 2010 in downtown Los Angeles. The opening of the hotel is the final piece of L.A. LIVE, the $2.5 billion sports, residential and entertainment district, which was inaugurated with the opening of STAPLES Center in 1999. Perched on the upper floors of the 54-story tower that it shares with sister hotel the JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE and The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles has 123 guestrooms, including 14 suites.
The hotel is home to downtown L.A.’s only full-service hotel spa, The Ritz-Carlton Spa, and a signature restaurant by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Of special interest to meeting and event planners, the property’s Gallery Collection, with nearly 100,000-square-feet of flexible ballroom and meeting space, provides support for the Los Angeles Convention Center. (www.ritzcarlton.com)
Puerto Rico Adds W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island
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W Hotels Worldwide has unveiled W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island, the W brand’s 37th hotel globally and its first retreat within North America. The island of Vieques sits only eight miles off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. The new property is the second W Retreat in the world and follows the successful opening of W Retreat & Spa – Maldives in 2006. The hotel group is on track to expand its portfolio to more than 50 hotels by the end of 2011; nine new hotels are slated to open this year, including W Retreat properties in Bali and Koh Samui, Thailand. (www.whotels.com/vieques)
Secrets Resorts Debuts in Montego Bay, Jamaica
Jamaica continues to diversify and grow its tourism product with the recent opening of Secrets Resorts & Spas in Montego Bay. The newly built 700-room, side-by-side Secrets St. James and Secrets Wild Orchid resorts marks the debut of the Secrets brand in Jamaica. Secrets Wild Orchid, which had its soft opening on March 24, takes its inspiration from the island surroundings and features a total of 350 suites, 260 on the main complex and 90 in the preferred club. Secrets St. James, scheduled to open in mid April, boasts an additional 350 rooms and will feature a British colonial air. Both Secrets St. James and Secrets Wild Orchid will share a common area, The Promenade, featuring a number of bars, lounges and gourmet a la carte restaurants, spas with oceanfront massage cabanas, private concierge on every guest floor, state-of-the-art open-air theater, and a full array of activities. Guests can also avail themselves of over 16,000 square feet of meeting space for business conventions and weddings. (www.secretsresorts.com)
Orient-Express Reopens Six Italian Properties
Orient-Express is pleased to announce the re-opening of the brand’s Italian properties – Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Villa San Michele in Florence, and Hotel Caruso in Ravello. The hotels close each year at the end of October for renovations, re-opening at the beginning of April.
The 2010 season will also see the introduction of two additions to Orient-Express’s Italian portfolio with the re-opening of Villa Sant’Andrea and Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Sicily. Upon acquisition, both historic properties were closed to upgrade key facilities, and will reopen to Orient-Express standards in late spring 2010. (www.orient-express.com)
The Rocco Forte Collection to Unveil First Property in Middle East
The Rocco Forte Collection, with 13 luxury hotels in major markets across Europe, has unveiled the details of its first property in the Middle East, due to open in Abu Dhabi in fall 2010. The 300,000 square foot, 281-room Abu Dhabi property will be located in a district set to become the new commercial center of the city, within easy reach of downtown Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center, the airport and Yas Island.
The hotel will have extensive conference and event facilities with its own dedicated meetings entrance, reception area, business center, and Executive Lounge. There will be seven meeting rooms, a large ballroom hosting up to 500 people seated and a pre-function area with a capacity of 500 people standing. There will also be a traditional Arabic VIP majlis lounge for meetings of local dignitaries and members of the royal family.
The hotel group will continue its expansion into the Middle East with a 146-room property set to open in Jeddah in fall 2011, a 90-room all-suite golf resort opening in Marrakech in 2011 and a 275-room property scheduled to open in Cairo in 2013. (www.roccofortecollection.com)
The Oberoi Group Announces the Re-Opening of The Oberoi, Mumbai
The Oberoi, Mumbai will re-open on April 24th, 2010 following extensive restoration and renovation. All guest rooms and suites have been renovated, and include spacious marble bathrooms. New dining options include Ziya, an Indian restaurant under the direction of the Michelin starred Chef Vineet Bhatia; a new all day dining restaurant; a new bar and a completely redesigned lounge. (www.oberoihotels.com)
Starwood Debuts 1000th Hotel
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc announced that the company has reached an important milestone in its history, opening its 1000th hotel and resort: the Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort located on the shores of China’s famed Qiandao Lake, also, aptly known as the Lake of Thousand Islands. The property will feature over 18,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
Qiandao Lake is well known as home to “the Atlantis of the East,” the 1,800 year-old remains of an ancient Chinese city, an archeological treasure submerged beneath the water. The city walls and architecture have remained preserved and are heralded as some of the most substantial sunken artifacts in the world.
The group plans to double its footprint in China by expanding to 100 properties by 2012. Beyond its 1,000th hotel, Starwood expects to open 80-100 additional hotels in 2010; 70% of these will be outside the United States, with the majority in Asia Pacific. In China, Starwood is slated to open more than 20 hotels this year. Growth is also accelerating in India where Starwood already has 26 hotels and plans to increase its portfolio by 60% by the end of 2012. (www.starwood.com)
Rebranding: Orlando’s Reunion Resort, now a Wyndham Grand
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts announced that the exclusive 400-unit Reunion Resort and Club, located in the 2,300-acre Reunion golf community in Orlando, Fla., has joined the brand’s prestigious Wyndham Grand Collection and will be known as Reunion Resort and Club Wyndham Grand Resort. Just six miles from Walt Disney World Resort, the resort features more than 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space as well as onsite audio-visual capabilities. There are also three signature golf courses on site. (www.wyndham.com/hotels/MCORR/main.wnt?cid=ROMGWD)
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Features Conference Center
A first for the Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos brand, the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana (currently the Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort Punta Cana) announced the completion of its 65,000 square foot meetings and conference facilities. The 1,800-room hotel is located on Macao beach on the Dominican Republic’s easternmost tip. Scheduled to be re-branded in late summer, the hotel will combine the Hard Rock brand with the five-star Moon Palace Resort all-inclusive experience.
A property spokesperson said that to help provide planners with the best value and added peace of mind of no cost overruns, the property will extend its all-inclusive pricing to groups with rates below that of traditional European plans. For instance, included in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana’s group rates are all meals and drinks without limitations, luxurious accommodations, all hotel taxes and gratuities, and surcharge-free banquet menus, coffee breaks, and additional function spaces as needed. In addition, groups will enjoy the convenience of not having to total each and every expense separately, plus attendees can relax knowing that everything is covered. Meanwhile, upgrades, staff rooms, ancillary services, comps and discounts are available on an individual basis based on group size and other considerations.
The 121-acre Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana can accommodate groups up to 2,800 in size, with a variety of venue options available. Inside, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana’s 65,500 square foot conference center includes the 37,500 square foot Grand Moon Ballroom and the 18,700 square foot Orion Ballroom, as well as the Apolo and Odeon meeting rooms, with 43 breakout rooms in all and a VIP Boardroom also available. The property also offers 15 outdoor space options including three terraces, a choice of eight pool areas, an amphitheater, and two solariums. (www.hardrockhotels.com)
Venue Ideas
Patriot Center Features Central Wisconsin Location
The Wausau Builder’s Association’s saw a 25% increase in vendors and a 20% increase in attendees after moving its event to The Patriot Center, Wausau/Central Wisconsin’s largest and newest event and conference center. Due to its central location in the state, The Patriot Center has coined the term “meet in the middle” when working with event and meeting planners.
The 60,000 square foot facility breaks down into 17 different spaces, seating five to 4,000 people. The ballroom space accommodates over 1,000 guests, and the three expo areas can combine to offer over 26,000 square feet of exhibition space. The Patriot Center offers a full bar and concession area, large garage doors for easy set up and break down and a large, free parking lot. Planners are provided with unlimited pre-event consultation and customized rate proposals.
In addition to the versatility and size of the facility, another benefit of The Patriot Center is its connection to the Cedar Creek Mall. Attendees of events and conferences have access to national retail stores, a grocery store and a movie theater without ever taking a step outside. Wausau/Central Wisconsin also has over 2,200 hotel rooms including six lodging properties, with a total of 575 rooms, within walking distance of The Patriot Center. (www.thepatriotwausau.com)
Corporate Social Responsibility
Colonial Williamsburg Announces New Scholarship Incentive For Meetings
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (www.colonialwilliamsburg.com) is helping corporations, businesses and associations give back to their communities with the creation of a new scholarship program. Beginning immediately, companies that utilize any of Colonial Williamsburg’s 67,000 square feet of function space (www.colonialwilliamsburgresort.com/groups) will be given an Electronic Field Trip Series (www.history.org/history/teaching/eft) scholarship for a school in their district. The scholarship is available to all organizations, regardless of meeting size. In addition, proceeds from group business – including food and beverage, recreation, lodging and programming — support the Foundation’s educational initiatives. This Meetings with a Mission philosophy allows groups to host meetings in a place where their investments make a difference, locally and nationally.
The new scholarship program aims to expand the reach of Electronic Field Trips, educating students in thousands of schools across America. Through interactive programming, live call- and email-in opportunities, and extensive online components, Electronic Field Trips helps engage students without leaving the classroom. Topics are approached in an interdisciplinary manner, helping to strengthen history, social studies, literacy, civic, math, and science skills.
Corinthia Invites Attendees to “Meet for Free”
Luxury hospitality brand, Corinthia Hotels, has expanded its a “Meet for Free” business package for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) market, offering completely free meeting space for groups of ten rooms or more booked before December 31, 2010, and valid for meetings up till the end of December 2011. The offer was originally offered at the Lisbon property but is now available for all Corinthia Hotels in Budapest, Lisbon, Malta, Prague, St. Petersburg, and Tripoli.
Besides a daily theatre-style meeting room, the “Meet for Free” delegate package also includes single accommodations with American buffet breakfast, free in-room Internet, a buffet lunch with two soft drinks, and two coffee breaks. On top of this, groups of 25 paying guests receive one free standard room and one upgrade to an executive floor, while the meeting organizer is supplied with a pre-programmed mobile phone and free local calls, use of an office for private meetings, and a complimentary upgrade to a special “Five Senses” room. (www.corinthia.com/meetforfree)
