Meeting News - March 24, 2008 - (Page 42)

Destination Insider: Las Vegas CityCenter Now Booking Meeting Space With space parameters ﬁnalized, group reservations starting to roll in CityCenter began accepting reservations in December for the approximately 300,000 sf of meeting and convention space at its 61-story, 4,000-room casino resort. When it opens in late 2009, the convention facility of the $8-billion complex will be able to host groups from 10 to 5,000 participants. Along with fully functioning theatrical stages, the convention center will have a 51,000-sf ballroom with a 25-foot ceiling and the ability to divide into 10 meeting rooms; two 38,000-sf ballrooms that each divide into eight spaces; and a fourth ballroom with 20,000 sf of space that is able to divide into three rooms. A total of 38 breakout rooms will be available, ranging from 800 to 2,000 sf. The north facade will feature a glass curtain wall overlooking the resort’s pool and gardens. CityCenter also just announced details on the last of its four hotel/residential projects. The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences, which will be operated by the Light Group and was recently accepted as a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, will have 400 hotel rooms and suites, and 207 condo units. Open in late 2009, the Harmon’s other amenities will include Michael Chow’s Mr. Chow restaurant, a Frederic Fekkai salon, a spa, and a pool deck perched 100 feet above the Strip. The other three properties in the CityCenter complex are the Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Residences, with 400 hotel rooms and 227 residences; the Vdara Condo Hotel, with 1,543 units; and the twin Veer Towers, with 337 residences. —HWB Harrah’s Entertainment Greens Up with the EPA On March 3, Harrah’s Entertainment announced that it joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders, described as a “select group of companies taking demonstrable steps to reduce carbon footprints.” “By setting a long-term greenhouse gas reduction goal and committing to reducing its carbon footprint, Harrah’s is demonstrating corporate climate change leadership,” said Robert Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator of the EPA’s Ofﬁce of Air and Radiation. Many of the 74 green projects set in place at Harrah’s Entertainment casinos across the U.S. over the past four years have been at the company’s Las Vegas properties. The eco-friendly practices include reduction of indoor and outdoor lighting and retroﬁtting heat-recovery systems and thermostats. The conservation programs have eliminated, on an annual basis, 155.7 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to 164,443 barrels of oil. Harrah’s Entertainment is developing a plan to expand its existing initiatives to lower energy usage and water consumption, recycle and reuse resources, and build to green standards. What this move means for the meetings and conventions market, according to Michael Massari, Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment’s vice president of meeting sales and operations, is that the company is “committed to meeting the needs of its planners and their attendees, many of whom are asking for environmentally friendly options.” —HWB Please Sign Here: CityCenter is putting group business on the books. Teambuilding That Awakens Attendees’ Inner Artists T he worlds of art and business rarely intersect, but the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa’s new Executive Insight program attempts to build corporate culture and enhance leadership through teambuilding arts classes. Booked through the 548-room resort’s Aquae Sulis Spa, Executive Insight is a one-hour program for groups of up to 100 attendees, where they will examine pieces of art together and experiment through their own drawings. “Art is a silent language—oftentimes revealing the truth of our thoughts, emotions, and feelings more ﬂuently than words,” said Sue Segal, who facilitates arts programs at the resort. Holistic analysis of art is said to help attendees discover their individuality but at the same establish connections with one another. For groups up to 15, classes are held in the spa’s motion studio; larger classes are held in a meeting room at the resort. However, they can be customized to group needs. When attendees are not examining art, the 40,000-sf spa provides a full menu of treatments from 36 treatment rooms. Or, they can get their heart rates going in a full-ﬂedged ﬁtness center. The JW Marriott has three ballrooms, 20 breakout rooms, and a total of 65,000 sf of meeting space. —William Ng 42 MeetingNews March 24, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - March 24, 2008

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