Successful Meetings - February 2009 - (Page 46)

San Diego bypassed the single headquarters hotel route in favor of a team of convention center hotels; planners select the best option for their group based on rates and amenities brand not yet in the destination, or provide something unique—as in the case of the ill-fated, $1 billion Gaylord hotel and convention center project in Chula Vista, which the CVB had supported, but fell apart late last year amid financial and regulatory complications. The More the Merrier Supporting the convention center, San Diego has gone the multi-hotel route. In lieu of one hotel, it now has the 1,625-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, the 1,362-room Marriott Hotel & Marina, and the brand-new, 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront adjacent to the center as well as the 511-room Omni across the street. The planner generally decides which will be the headquarters property, while one or more of the others serve as coheadquarters hotels. “We are thrilled to have Hilton join us in this business of bringing conventions to San Diego. They are a competitor, but we’re also friends,” says Kelly Commerford, director of marketing for the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, adding that planners generally select one hotel over the others because of brand loyalty or amenities such as dining outlets that will appeal to their group. The multiple hotels have not taken business away from one another because they each bring something different to the table. “I think it really comes down to understanding where the destination needs to move to over a given period of time,” says Rick Hughes, president of the Kansas City, MO, Convention and Visitors Association (CVA). Kansas City is in the beginning stages of luring a headquarters hotel for its convention center. “We’re just getting started, but we believe why you see more Destination Management Organizations involved is really because the product development part of the equation has drifted into our territory,” he explains. The CVA saw the need for a headquarters hotel and has been working to undertake feasibility studies, offer resources and information, and petition the city council to explore financing options. If everything goes smoothly, a 1,000-room headquarters property will open in Kansas City in 2013, according to Hughes. “Very early on [in the exploration process], we do get called on by developers for statistics,” says San Diego’s Peckinpaugh, of area development. “We are a great conduit for market research. We have a research bureau and provide that data to members and nonmembers alike.” The bureau provides stats on market share and demographics as well as other details to help build a case for why the project makes sense. “We try to be a good partner and provide as much data as we can,” he says. Sink or Swim In Dallas, Jones says that “pretty much everyone is on board. A rising tide pushes all boats, and they understand that, and are looking at this from a bigpicture standpoint.” However, all projects have their detractors, and here, a group including the owner of the Hilton Anatole has long opposed the project. According to Kansas City’s Hughes, 46 I SM I February 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2009

Successful Meetings - February 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update: Meetings Associations Band Together Education Planner Spotlight Technology Talk Food & Beverage Making Cents of It All Meanwhile, Back at Headquarters Seal of Approval Come Sail Away Making Tracks Places & Spaces Florida’s East Coast Aruba Maui 3 Days in Philadelphia

Successful Meetings - February 2009

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