Meeting News - November 10, 2008 - (Page S9)

Robinsonville Tunica Batesville Oxford Columbus Greenville 55 MISSISSIPPI Full-Service Hotel Precedes New Casino in Natchez be Natchez's second gaming venue. A third casino, to be built by the Lane Group, an Atlanta-based developer, is currently being developed. “Natchez is often described as the bestkept secret in the South,” Lee said. “We are hoping that this hotel will add to its attractiveness and give potential visitors— whether they’re leisure travelers or meeting attendees—an incentive to visit.” I Philadelphia Vicksburg 20 Meridian Jackson 55 Collins 59 Hattiesburg Natchez A new hotel, the Grand Soleil Hotel, has opened in Natchez, MS, with 124 rooms and 3,200 sf of meeting space. Overlooking the Mississippi River atop its tallest bluff south of St. Louis, the hotel will service a sister casino that’s scheduled to open on the river bank in February 2009. “The Grand Soleil will be the only full-service hotel in the city of Natchez,” said Baxter Lee, director of marketing for the Grand Soleil Casino Resort. “We add to the city a property that takes advantage of our bluffs and views, and promises to be the local hangout for all types of community events.” The Grand Soleil—French for “Great Sun”–officially opened on Oct. 15, slightly behind schedule due to Hurricane Gustav, which left construction crews without electricity for a week in September. It stands on the spot of a former Ramada Inn that was demolished in 2007 to make room for the new property, which features an on-site fine-dining restaurant, a swimming pool, a fitness center and a business center. “The locals are excited to have such a unique place to visit in their town,” Lee said. But more than just a local hangout, the hotel is also meant to be a destination for corporate events,he added. Its meeting space can accommodate as many as 400 people and is divisible into three separate, smaller meeting rooms. All three rooms feature audiovisual equipment, are enabled with wireless Internet access, and served by on-site event staff. A separate foyer, meanwhile, is designed for use as a reception and registration area. When the hotel opens, meeting attendees and hotel guests will have access to the Grand Soleil Casino Resort—which will have 850 slot machines, 19 table games, and a live poker room with six tables—by way of a 24hour shuttle service. Construction of the hotel began ahead of that for the casino. High worldwide demand for steel this past spring delayed this and many projects, Lee said. But now, the hotel and soon-to-be casino may just put Natchez more on the meetings destination map, he said. The casino, which will be housed inside a three story-high, 375 feet-long riverboat, will 10 Biloxi Gulfport We’ve Got all the Pieces. KNOXVILLE CONVENTION CENTER Puzzled about your next meeting location? The Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation, the Knoxville Convention Center and a host of complimentary services are the perfect “ﬁt” for your meeting needs. THE Contact Us Today About Your Next Event! www.meetingnews.com November 10, 2008 MeetingNews S9 http://www.knoxville.org http://www.knoxville.org http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - November 10, 2008

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