Meeting News - April 7, 2008 - (Page 12)

Hotels & Resorts Hilton Makes Promoting Small Meetings Easier New website capabilities allow planners to create custom event sites through e-Events Beverly Hills, CA—Hilton Hotels last include two photos and event details month unveiled the capability for such as maps and schedules. The meeting planners booking up to 25 planner also selects a color scheme rooms to create their own webpage for an event. The new offering is available across all Hilton brands, at any one of more than 2,400 hotels across North America. This new feature is the second element of Hilton’s e-Events product. The sites include a booking mechanism linked to the room block, giving attendees more —Bob Brooks, VP of e-sales, Hilton Hotels accurate rate and availability information. The sites also furnish planners with one central platfor the site. form from which to promote a meet“The launch of personalized ing—the planner can choose to group web pages underscores our philosophy of putting even more choices and control into our customers’ hands by uniting aroundthe-clock online event planning with creative customization,” said Bob Brooks, vice president of e-sales for Hilton. “With event planners juggling their business, social, and family lives, Hilton Hotels’ e-Events makes it easier for them to take control of their event booking at their convenience.” The first part of Hilton’s e-Events, introduced in March of last year, is the online booking tool for meeting planners who need 25 rooms or less. Edited by Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com The Renaissance at World Golf Village Retools Property, Image St. Augustine, FL—As it approaches the end of a $10-million top-to-bottom renovation, the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village is looking to attract non-golfing corporate and association attendees—and their spouses—by casting a spotlight on spa, shopping, and beach options. “We’ve been marketing as purely a golf resort until now,” said Mark Schwantner, general manager, during a press tour. That meant focusing on the adjacent World Golf Hall of Fame, the Village’s two championship courses, golf instruction at the PGA Tour Golf Academy, and a massive, standalone pro shop. Now, revised marketing means a “The launch of group web pages underscores ” our philosophy of putting even more choices and control into our customers’ hands. Next-Gen Crowne Plaza Debuts in the Midwest Wauwatosa, WI—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) last month opened the first Crowne Plaza based on the brand’s prototype for new properties in emerging markets, unveiled two years ago. The 198room Crowne Plaza MilwaukeeWauwatosa, which has more than 7,000 sf of meeting space, precedes 10 such hotels in the pipeline. IHG plans to open prototypebased properties in several cities, including Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore, and Fort Lauderdale. The design is meant to be scalable so there is no set property size. However, on average, Crowne Plaza hotels offer room counts ranging from the “high one-hundreds” to 300, and 8,000 to 9,000 sf of meeting space, according to a spokesperson. Elements of the prototype benefit groups. For example, meeting space is separate from other areas, and 12 MeetingNews April 7, 2008 close to the kitchen. In addition, because many meeting-goers look to do business throughout a hotel, the lobby and lounge have soft seating with adjacent hard surfaces, multiple power sources, and Wi-Fi access. Furnishings that can be found in homes, and business traveler-friendly amenities, were put in guest rooms. Five Conscientious Conference Centers New York—A quintuplet of conference centers—three in Virginia that are managed by Benchmark Hospitality and two mid-Atlantic properties run by Destination Hotels & Resorts—are going green. The Founders Inn and Spa, in Virginia Beach; Virginia Crossings Resort, in Richmond, VA; and Lansdowne Resort, in Leesburg, VA, have earned the Virginia Green Lodging Certificate of Environmental Commitment, and Virginia Crossings also received the Clean Business Award. Meanwhile, at DH&R’s Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center in Florham Park, NJ, and Tarrytown House, in Tarrytown, NY, many ecoconscious upgrades have been made. At Hamilton Park, meeting attendees are now given the option to not change out their water bottles during breaks, employees participate in a program to reduce cars on the road, and wire hangers are recycled. At Tarrytown House, notepads now have fewer pages, water coolers outside the meeting rooms replace individual bottles, and motion-sensitive thermostats are in guest rooms. Officials at these facilities want to serve as role models. “We want to be a positive part of our community,” said Ellen Ruane, general manager at the Founders Inn. Added Steve Sackman, DH&R’s regional director of sales and marketing: “Our efforts hopefully educate our employees and customers, while giving other hoteliers ideas.” Guest rooms now have a bright look at the Renaissance Resort. partnership with the Serenata Beach Club, about 30 minutes away, where Renaissance guests have privileges at the private beach and pools. Also, the Renaissance offers complimentary shuttles to the PGA Tour Spa Laterra within the Village. And, it offers excursions to historic St. Augustine. “We’re highlighting what to do in and out of the Village,” said Scott Selvaggi, sales and marketing director. Slated for completion in , the hotel’s upgrade will include a renewed lobby and atrium and outfitting the 301 guest rooms with new soft goods and business travelerfriendly features. r —William Ng www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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