Meeting News - March 23, 2009 - (Page 8)

Hotels & Resorts Offering An Unprecedented Promotion, Marriott Shows that ‘Meetings Matter’ In support of the global meetings industry, Marriott International has introduced a meeting package of unparalleled scope that it said will “provide a boost” to meetings and events, which “mean business and are good for the economy.”Available at not just one or two properties, the package, the Marriott Meetings Matter Promotion, is valid at more than 1,200 Marriott hotels and resorts worldwide. “Now more than ever, it is important for people to get out and meet face-to-face with their customers, team members, and organizations,” Marriott senior vice president of global sales Stephanie Linnartz said, in a statement.“This special offer helps jump-start meetings by matching Marriott’s expertise [in] hosting groups with some great incentives.” Available through March 31, 2010 to groups booking at least 50 paid cumulative room nights for Edited by Rayna Katz rayna.katz@nielsen.com Columbus Announces Plans for 500-Room Headquarters Hotel For Convention Center The downtown Columbus skyline soon will have an addition. A financing agreement has been reached for a 500-room convention headquarters hotel. Slated to include 54 suites and 30,650 sf of meeting space, the property will be completed by 2012. The lack of of full-service, convention-quality hotel room inventory near the Greater Columbus Convention Center has made it tough for the city to hold onto trade-show customers and to grow its group business, admitted Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Experience Columbus. “This allows us to expand our local, regional, and national convention reach, and it will help us retain annual business that is outgrowing our community, while offering multiple headquarters hotel opportunities to more than one event at a time,” he said. —Rayna Katz meetings at participating Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, and Courtyard hotels, those incentives include: •One complimentary guest room for every 35 rooms booked •A 25 percent allowable attrition rate •Double Marriott Rewards points for the meeting planner •A 2-percent rebate off the master bill for meetings with at least 100 paid cumulative room nights According to Marriott, meet- Phoenix’s JW Marriott Desert Ridge is offering concessions. ing planners who register for the Marriott Meetings Matter Promotion are eligible to receive double Marriott Rewards points, enabling them to receive up to 50,000 bonus points that can be redeemed for meetings credits and other incentives. For more information, planners should call (800) 585-9102 or visit MeetingsbyMarriott.com. —Matt Alderton Chi-Town Hotel Doubles Event Space Swissotel will soon open a new facility for meetings and functions Swissotel Chicago is about to get a lot more enticing to meeting planners. The 632-room property next month will debut a 30,000-sf event venue, bringing the property’s total function space up to 57,000 sf. The addition will transform the hotel, said general manager Tim Herman. “This expansion will change the entire dynamic of the hotel by doubling the amount of meeting space,” he said. “The additional space, in conjunction with the current meeting space, will render Swissotel Chicago as the ideal meetings headquarter venue—whether it is a meeting of 15 or a convention for 1,500.” The new facility, the Event Centre, will include four ballrooms: the 14,248-sf Zurich, the 5,775-sf Vevey, and the Montreaux and St. Gallen, each providing 3,000 sf. The Zurich, set to host up to 1,500 people theater-style, boasts ceiling heights of 17 feet, with hang points throughout the ballroom. Said a spokeswoman: “By virtue of our capacity, midsize groups with approximately 500 rooms that would traditionally stay at a convention hotel will be the only group inhouse at our property. Now, we can host multiple groups and meetings of various sizes simultaneously. Additionally, Swissotel Chicago will endeavor into new business sectors such as government, religious groups, pharmaceutical launches, and association meetings.” H —RK 8 MeetingNews March 23, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://www.MeetingsbyMarriott.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - March 23, 2009 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Meetings Mean Business As 'Meeting Matter' Marriott Unveils Promo Columbus, OH, Addresses Convention Hotel Issues People Making News Orlando Strives for Cost Transparency Is Biz-Class Air Travel Dead? Greenest Planner Awards Mid America Insider Report: Conference Centers Destination Insider: Mississippi Gulf Coast Las Vegas Destination Insider: Cleveland Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - March 23, 2009

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