Incentive - March 2008 - (Page 72)

TRAVEL connect Palm Beach to Minneapolis and to dents who used to overindulge on its sandy New York’s JFK airport. beaches, Fort Lauderdale has grown up fast. The newest comer to the high-end hotel “[Fort Lauderdale’s] old image was spring market here is the all-suite Resort at Singer break and college kids running amok,” says Island, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Teresa Harrington, president of Boca Worldwide Inc.’s The Luxury Collection. Raton–based destination management comThe property opened in April with 239 con- pany Ancomp. “The Fort Lauderdale CVB dominium hotel suites, 4,000 square feet of has worked diligently to change that image, meeting space, three restaurants and a spa. and that has happened.” Meanwhile, local veterans are upgrading. More than the image has changed. Fort The Breakers, Palm Beach recently debuted Lauderdale has backed up its talk with an its 20 “Old Florida”–style explosion of new-build Beach Bungalows. The luxury properties. With Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach that has come an influx recently finished a $60 of fine-dining restaumillion makeover that rants and activities that emphasized making cater to a more sophistiguestrooms even more cated crowd. luxurious. Each suite “Fort Lauderdale is now contains amenities going from what you worth $10,000. And this probably thought of as a spring, Four Seasons spring break destination Resort Palm Beach to an evolving luxury unveils a new 10,000beach chic destination,” square-foot Asiansays Christine Tascione, inspired spa. It will feadirector of convention ture 11 treatment rooms, and group sales for the including a “Man’s Greater Fort Lauderdale Room” that’s lets male Convention and Visitors incentive winners stay in Bureau. touch with their manly Both St. Regis and W side while they enjoy the Hotels recently chose finest pampering. A bigFort Lauderdale as the screen TV showing location for their sports programming and brands’ Florida debuts. an old-fashioned barThe St. Regis Resort, Florida’s Gulfarium next to the Gulf of Mexico (top) ber’s chair will make Fort Lauderdale opened and a group relaxing on the Emerald Coast (bottom) them feel right at home. last May. The plush 187Palm Beach is well room property features known for its many golf courses and year24,000 square feet of meeting space, a St. round good weather. One of its leading Regis Spa with 10 treatment rooms and a clubs, the PGA National Resort & Spa, 29,000-square-foot pool deck. The W Fort recently finished a multimillion-dollar reno- Lauderdale, opening in June, will occupy a vation to its public areas, restaurants, 4.5-acre oceanfront site. Guests of the 346meeting rooms, pool and private Member room hotel will enjoy access to a signature Clubhouse. And at the end of January, the Stephen Starr restaurant, a Bliss Spa and resort opened a new Arnold infinity-edge pool. For incentives with a Palmer–designed course. meeting component, the W will offer 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Fort Lauderdale One of Fort Lauderdale’s exciting new If the mention of Fort Lauderdale conjures incentive properties, the Hilton Fort Laudup images of spring break revelry, it’s time erdale Beach Resort, opened in January of to take a second look. Like the college stulast year. With 373 rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space, it also offers a spa, a children’s program and access to Parkland Golf & Country Club. “Fort Lauderdale—oh my goodness,” Harrington says when asked about the changes the area has seen recently. “You have got the St. Regis, which is a lovely property. And the Hilton and W coming, all of which are transforming Fort Lauderdale.” Joining Fort Lauderdale’s luxury listings in 2009 will be the Michael Graves–designed Trump International Hotel & Tower Fort Lauderdale and the Hollywood Grande Resort, a 225-room boutique hotel near Hollywood Beach with a rooftop pool. Also in the Hollywood Beach area will be the Marriott Ocean Village and Resort, a conference, retail and hotel complex. All of this new competition is raising the level of play among Fort Lauderdale’s more established properties. The Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel & Yacht Club, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort & Spa, Gallery One Fort Lauderdale and Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa all have recently completed, or soon will complete, multimillion-dollar renovations. To help planners navigate the area’s new high-end options, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a microsite at www.sunny.org/luxe. Along with the hotel industry, Fort Lauderdale is experiencing rapid growth in activities for groups. Improved shopping options, the new Broward Center for the Performing Arts and companies offering cruising on the Intracoastal Waterway are just a few of the exciting new choices that planners can offer groups. Incentive industry heavies will soon get a closer look at all of the changes in Fort Lauderdale. From September 11–14, the Bonaventure Resort & Country Club will host the International Society of Incentive & Travel Executives Foundation’s ISITE Classic golf tournament. For Tascione and her colleagues at the CVB, the selection of Fort Lauderdale as the tournament locale is an important indication of how far they have come: “We’re excited and feel very privileged to be seen by ISITE as an exciting incentive destination.” FLORIDA 72 | Incentive | March 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.sunny.org/luxe http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - March 2008

Incentive - March 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Delivering on Diversity In The News Cover Story: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace Incentive Interview: Paul Levesque on Why Awards Fail Case Study: AEIS’ Max!-imum Incentive Program Mine Employees’ Creativity with Innovation Incentives Incentive Must-Reads The Third Annual Gift Card Roundtable My Turn: Motivation or Bribery? Everybody Get Together In Her Shoes: Why Bosses Should Be Flexible Incentive Primer: Passport Problem-Solving potentials Here and Now Is CES Electronics Heaven? China and Crystal: More Than a Pretty Face Travel News Florida: What’s New on the Beach? Smooth Sailing for Incentive Cruising Come To Hawaii And Take It Fast Last Word: But Enough About You

Incentive - March 2008

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