Meeting News - March 24, 2008 - (Page 34)

Destination Insider: Mississippi Gulf Coast continued from page 30 offerings, said executive director Bruce Frallic. “Before Hurricane Katrina, we had four airlines and six nonstop cities,” he said. “We have nine airlines [as of May] and 12 nonstop cities, and there’s potential for more, based on new hotels and condos under construction and planned.” Among the recent airline additions, American Eagle began daily nonstops between GulfportBiloxi and Chicago O’Hare in December.“Chicago was our most important markets without direct air service,” noted Gulfport-Biloxi Airport Authority Chairman Richard Matheny. Low-fare carrier Skybus Airlines began ﬂights from Gulfport-Biloxi to Greensboro, NC, in January and to Columbus, OH, in December. Also, in January, Myrtle Beach Direct Air began ﬂying three times weekly between Gulfport-Biloxi and St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport in Florida. The ninth carrier will land next month when US Airways begins service between Gulfport-Biloxi and Charlotte, NC. “The entire Gulf Coast is showing exciting growth,” said Jason Reisinger, US Airways’ director of express planning. “We are thrilled with the resurgence of the Mississippi coast,” he said, “and are pleased to offer additional worldwide travel options to southern Mississippi.” accommodate up to 400 guests classroom-style, a pair of breakout rooms, and a boardroom. The hotel’s pool area and front lawn, which overlook the Gulf, also will be available as event spaces, said Beaugez. “With fully refurbished guest rooms, upgraded and expanded meeting space, and a new regional restaurant concept, the Courtyard by Marriott Gulfport will welcome guests with an upscale experience that is unmatched by any hotel along the Gulfport coast,” said Bill DeForrest, president and CEO of hotel management ﬁrm Lane Hospitality, a Northbrook, IL-based concern that owns the renovated hotel. The Courtyard by Marriott will be a full-service hotel, featuring the Shrimper’s Cafe, a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily with room service, as well as a 1,000-sf ﬁtness center, an outdoor pool, and complimentary wireless Internet access throughout the property. Groups Can Have ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ Meeting planners may not be able to book rooms at Graceland, but attendees can meet and stay at the Biloxi hotel that was Elvis Presley’s home away from home during the 1950s. The King and his friends often took over the 52room Gulf Hills Hotel, on Biloxi’s Back Bay, and now small groups can do the same. The property’s conference center was renovated last fall and includes a 3,500-sf, divisible banquet hall that can accommodate up to 100 guests classroom-style or 300 for receptions. Gulf Hills Hotel also has a 400sf conference room and a 10-seat boardroom. The Elvis-inspired and ’50s-themed “Love Me Tender, Love Me Suite” was unveiled after a guest room renovation completed in January. Other amenities include an Olympic-sized outdoor saltwater swimming pool, tennis courts, and a championship golf course. and beachfront venues. Beauvoir, which was built in 1852, suffered severe wind and water damage but survived the storm, in part because it was built on 10-foot piers. By early this month, however, the restoration of Beauvoir was 90 percent complete, and ofﬁcials are planning to open the grounds to tours starting in April. House tours will resume on June 3. Prior to Katrina, the lawn on the eastern side of Beauvoir was a popular space for tented events. Such events will eventually be welcomed back, ofﬁcials said. However, the timing for that depends on how the reconstruction of Beauvoir’s grounds pro—Section by Bob Curley ceeds, they added. r Historic Beauvoir Mansion Nears Post-Katrina Return Beauvoir, the historic Biloxi, MS, home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, is set to reopen after being pummeled by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. That comes as welcome news for meeting planners, who have been facing a dearth of off-site event venues along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. “We’re a little limited on off-site venues, but Beauvoir is on track again,” said Susan Gaffney, owner of Dynamic Events, a Biloxi-based destination management company. The storm wiped out countless historic homes New Gulfport Marriott Courting Non-Gamers When the Courtyard by Marriott Gulfport opens on April 1, it will have several unique features. “We will be the only non-gaming hotel property on the Gulf Coast with meeting space,” said sales director Stefanie Beaugez. She expects the property to appeal to regional associations, corporate meeting groups, religious groups, and others who want to have meetings without the distractions of a casino. The hotel’s location is also a selling point, according to Beaugez: The Gulf of Mexico and beaches are right across the street. The property, which was formerly the Gulfport Beachfront Hotel, was forced to delay its conversion and renovation in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Next month, it will debut with 148 brand-new guest rooms and ﬁve suites. The property’s 6,400 sf of meeting space will open for business by May, Beaugez said. Located about 12 miles from Biloxi and its casinos—and about an hour’s drive from New Orleans—the Marriott will feature a 4,000-sf ballroom that can 34 MeetingNews March 24, 2008 The former home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is about to reopen to visitors. www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - March 24, 2008

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