Meeting News - October 20, 2008 - (Page 12)

Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Upgrades Its Hotels’ Environment Meeting attendees may breathe easier at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts’ 83 properties, thanks to the brand’s new Wyndham ClearAir initiative. Using a system designed by Cheektowaga, NY-based Pure Solutions, Wyndham ClearAir rooms undergo a multi-step cleaning process designed to remove up to 98 percent of allergens. First, guest room walls, carpeting, bedcovers, and fabrics are sanitized and treated with a long-lasting microbial shield, making them free from odors and resistant to bacteria and viruses. Next, the hotel installs a medical-grade air purification system. Air-handling units and vents are deep-cleaned and equipped with Pure’s signature tea tree oil cartridge, which acts as a natural antiseptic and disinfectant to maintain sanitary conditions. In hotel meeting rooms, air is purified at greater intensity and filtrated eight times more frequently than standard air-handling systems. The goal is to achieve 99.9percent effective treatment of air and surfaces. “We want to offer amenities that are smart, innovative, and—more important—useful to guests,” said Peter Strebel, president of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. “As travelers continue to focus on wellness, we’re excited to offer ClearAir Rooms as a healthy amenity for Wyndham guests and meeting attendees.” The program calls for all Wyndhams to have either 10 guest rooms or 10 percent of their room inventory be ClearAir rooms, effective immediately. Among the properties adding this feature this fall are the Wyndham Cleveland; Hotel Galvez, Galveston, TX; Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & By Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com Conference Center, Glen Allen, VA; and Wyndham Drake Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL. ClearAir rooms are already in place at the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center; Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, Lisle, IL; Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, Atlanta; the Tremont House, in Galveston; the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico; Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa, St. Thomas, USVI; the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center, Princeton, NJ; and Wyndham Glenview Suites, Glenview, IL. Guests Can Leave Home Without Anything If Going To the Ritz-Carlton Chicago After providing guests with various personal items and services on an ad-hoc basis for some time, the Ritz-Carlton Chicago (a Four Seasons hotel) formalized its offerings as the “Stay as Long as You Like” package last month. Under the program, the hotel allows guests to store clothing and luggage until their next visit. On a guest’s return, any stored clothing will have been laundered and placed in the customer’s guest room before his or her arrival. In this era of heightened safety requirements, meeting supplies are also available so that no guest has to worry about smuggling a pair of sharp scissors onto an airplane. “Staplers, safety pins, and scissors are all here, so guests don’t have to worry,” said a spokeswoman. Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel Gets a Thorough Spruce-Up The Westin Atlanta Airport has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of its 500 guest rooms. All accommodations have received a fresh coat of paint, new beds, and window treatments, and the rooms now are meant to evoke a feeling of serenity, with warm greens, blues, and cream colors. Flat-screen televisions can be found in every room, and bathrooms have all-new hardware, lights, mirrors, and tile. In addition, hallways have been relit and wall treatments replaced, in order to appear brighter, as well as fresher. The rejuvenation is part of an $18 million upgrade, which included a refreshing of the hotel’s 23,000 sf of meeting space. The function rooms have new carpeting, chairs, tables, linens, lights, sound systems, air walls, and art. Improvements to the lobby and the hotel’s exterior are scheduled, while the restaurant and bar also are in for a complete redesign. Renovations are slated for completion by year end. A DC Hotel Takes a Big Bite Out of Presidential Election As a proud part of the Beltway looking for a role in the presidential election, the Loews Madison Hotel is having a food contest that is something of a homage to the two major party candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. The hotel’s PostScript bar last month began hosting a duel between senator McCain’s favorite dish—shrimp cocktail—and senator Obama’s favorite item to prepare: chili. Customers can cast their “vote” by ordering the entree they prefer. The one that garners the most orders through Nov. 4 will be declared the winner. “We think this will be a fun way to celebrate the electoral process,” said executive chef Stefan Jarausch. “And it will be interesting to see if our final result is the same as in the general election.” PostScript’s results will be updated and displayed daily. The bar derives its name from the halcyon days of the Washington Post, when reporters would gather at the bar to work their sources. The hotel describes PostScript as a continued gathering spot for the “who’s who of Washington, DC.” The 353-room Loews Madison has hosted every U.S. president dating back to John F. Kennedy. The property has 11,000 sf of meeting space, spread over eight rooms. r 12 MeetingNews October 20, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - October 20, 2008

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