Meeting News - March 24, 2008 - (Page 10)

Hotels & Resorts Foxwoods Poised to Double Meetings Business Gaming mecca plans for many new customers, including more NY and MA groups Mashantucket, CT—Foxwoods is on schedule to launch a major salvo against casino rival Mohegan Sun and hospitality competitors from New York to Boston on May 17, when it debuts MGM Grand at Foxwoods—a $700-million casino, hotel, and entertainment complex—next to the original Foxwoods Casino Resort. Conducting a sneak-preview tour of the MGM Grand venue in late February attended by MeetingNews, Foxwoods senior VP and GM Gillian Murphy and resort sales VP Joan Esneault said the resort would make a bold statement on the Northeast’s meetings market. Foxwoods is looking to snatch regional associations and corporate groups of up to 5,000 attendees out of the hands of destinations up and down the Northeast Corridor, the executives said, but especially from New York and Boston. Small national groups are on the radar screen, too. Meetings currently represent 15 percent of Foxwoods’ total revenue, but Murphy expects MGM Grand at Foxwoods to raise that figure to between 30 and 35 percent. It’s no MGM Grand at Foxwoods is already winning back, in prebookings, some groups that had been lost due to lack of space, said Murphy, as she led press members through the new complex’s 50,000-, 25,000-, and 15,000-sf ballrooms. The 50,000-sf pillarless grand ballroom is slated to become the largest in the Northeast, which will draw new groups and larger ones. “The junior ballroom, with lots of breakouts, will especially suit pharmaceutical and financial groups,” Murphy added. Other meeting spaces will be a 20-person executive boardroom with a private bathroom, as well as 5,400- and 8,500-sf outdoor reception areas. A 4,000seat theater will be available for large groups. The new hotel will feature 825 guest rooms, and a destination management company will be on site full-time. MGM Grand at Foxwoods will also have celebrity-chef restaurants, brand-name retail, a 21,000-sf spa, and a 20,000-sf Asian-themed nightclub with a 40-person private lounge for groups. —William Ng Edited by Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com Fairmont’s Windy City Spa Gets a Makeover; Sister Hotels to Follow Chicago—Revamping its spa concept, the Fairmont Chicago this month debuted “mySpa,” a sanctuary offering customized treatments. Spanning 11,000 sf, the new spa concept will carry over to other Fairmonts, with another such facility slated to open in Miami this spring. However, it was unclear at press time how many others were in the offing. The new spot gives guests the option to choose from—and combine—a host of treatments. “Sure, you can get a massage or a facial at any spa, but at mySpa the guest controls the experience,” said.a spokesman.“At most spas, you would choose between, say, a deep tissue or a Swedish massage before you arrive. At mySpa you will sit down with a therapist and discuss your needs, and the massage will be tailored to you.” Among the spa’s more unique treatments are massages for better sleep and treatments to beat jet lag. Each treatment room includes iPod docks, providing guests with a customizable music experience. Glitzy MGM Grand at Foxwoods has great potential for groups. coincidence, then, that MGM Grand at Foxwoods’ 115,000 sf of meeting space will essentially be twice as much as the 55,000 sf at Foxwoods Casino Resort. The new complex is projected to assume the lion’s share of Foxwoods’ meetings business. Connected to Foxwoods Casino Resort by a 250-yard skybridge, The Fairmont Chicago’s new spa represents a revolution for the brand. Gaylord Goes Wireless Nashville—Gaylord Hotels now offers resort-wide wireless Internet connectivity at each of its four properties: the Gaylord Opryland, in Nashville; the Gaylord Texan, in Grapevine, TX; the Gaylord Palms, in Kissimmee, FL; and the Gaylord National, which opens next month in National Harbor, MD. The wireless access in the guest rooms and all public areas of the properties is provided as part of Gaylord’s pre-existing daily $15 resort fee. However, in the resorts’ 10 MeetingNews March 24, 2008 convention centers and meeting rooms, access must be contracted separately by each group’s meeting planner because additional firewalls and security are required. On the plus side, the planner then controls dispensation of the codes that provide meeting attendees access to the Wi-Fi service. “Wireless networks are an increasingly important part of the [hotel] experience, especially for meetings, conventions, and business travelers,” said John Caparella, Gaylord’s COO. “It makes life easier for our guests.” Additional applications to enhance the on-site use of cell phones, personal digital assistants, and laptop computers will follow. Marriott Offers Planners Chance to Rub Elbows With Tinseltown’s Stars Washington, DC—Marriott’s Red Carpet Rollout Sweepstakes, effective now through May 31, gives meeting planners a chance to shine among Hollywood’s stars. Meeting planners who book and hold events with at continued on page 12 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - March 24, 2008

Meeting News - March 24, 2008 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Chef Talk: Rosen Shingle Creek’s David Ramirez Convention Centers MN Webcast Report Successful Meetings University Advertisers Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - March 24, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.