Smart Meetings Newsletter - May 2007
May 2007
Brand News
Southwest Airlines will return its service to San Francisco International Airport at the end of the summer.
The airline stopped its service in 2000, claiming that foggy conditions affected arrival times. SFO has implemented new technology...Left My Service in San Francisco
Southwest Airlines will return its service to San Francisco International Airport at the end of the summer.
The airline stopped its service in 2000, claiming that foggy conditions affected arrival times. SFO has implemented new technology that allows more planes to fly in foggy weather and has lowered its cost. Virgin America Airlines plans to offer service at SFO this summer; JetBlue has already begun its new service, with nonstop flights from SFO to New York/JFK, Boston and Salt Lake City.
Arctic Winds of Change
Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska, has begun a major 3-phase renovation, with the first phase—a $3.5 million guest room upgrade—to be completed in June.
The upgrade includes high speed Internet in all rooms, new bed packages, desk chairs and CD & MP3 clock radios. Phase II, set to begin in mid-June, will focus on refurbishing the 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including the 3,000-square-foot ballroom. All of the hotel’s public spaces will have new carpet, furniture and Wi-Fi. Amenities also entail in-house catering for events and high-end audio-visual equipment. Currently, the hotel can accommodate groups of 20 to 400. Other upgrades to follow will concentrate on the mountain resort and snowmaking extension. Alyeska Resort is 40 miles south of Anchorage.
Hold Your Own
You can relax and sleep on it. Now there is a way to book, manage and hold your travel plans right from your Microsoft Outlook calendar.
TripSync, a new Web 2.0 travel tool, simplifies your travel planning, and it’s free! Not only can you reserve air, hotel and car reservations from one program, but you can put them on hold for 24 hours without any commitment. The price is established at the time of actual booking. Planners can book and manage itineraries for an entire group, handling live data right in the daily Outlook calendar. Specialized software is not necessary. While required payment or cancellation penalties can be a source of pressure when making reservations, TripSync has given planners a little time to think about the details and make up-to-the-minute changes when needed. It was designed with the small- to medium-sized group in mind. tripsync.com.
SMARTER EDGE
Gadgets Galore
Not quite nano-sized (yet!), the AccuWeather.com Mini-Forecast is the third sibling of the AccuWeather gadget family. Designed to work on Microsoft Vista, this new Oz-like gadget can tell you if you should bring galoshes to that meeting in Denver.
Its sleek, highly compact package takes very little space on your screen—or you can dock it for selective viewing. The Mini-Forecast provides current global weather conditions and severe U.S. weather alerts. Radar and satellite images are available, plus instant access to weather videos. You can download it from AccuWeather.com.
