Smart Meetings | Page 592 of 604 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

Laguardia airport gets facelift Officials at New York’s LaGuardia Airport could have become insulted last year when Vice President Joe Biden said if he blindfolded a man and took him to the outdated airport, he would think he was in a Third World country. Instead, they are rejoicing. The vice president’s unabashed statement has helped push through what might have been a long and drawn out approval process for revamping the congested, aging airport.

Biden joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Times Square July 27 to announce a plan that calls for demolishing and then completely rebuilding the structure. The modern redesign will replace the cramped, waterfront facility with a larger terminal and considerably more space for aircraft to taxi to their gates. To accomplish this, the new structure will relocate 600 feet closer to the Grand Central Parkway, the highway closest to the airport. The current plan calls for two miles of new taxiways to be created on the ground, while passengers will roam overhead on elevated passageways. Runways will remain intact.

USA Today reports that pending approval from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, phase one of construction will begin in 2016. According to Cuomo, phase one of the plan will address terminals A & B and cost $4 billion, half of which will be privately funded. It is projected to be publically unveiled in 2019; the airport will remain open during construction.

The second phase of development will be overseen by Delta Air Lines, a partner in the project. Delta, which owns terminals C & D, remodeled them two years ago but will do additional work to unify them with the new terminal. The second phase of development is expected to open 18 months after the first.

What Will Be New

As travelweekly.com reports, the new LaGuardia will include a central arrivals and departures hall, a 200-room hotel and new parking garages. The overhaul also includes connecting LaGuardia to the New York City subway system, the Long Island Rail Road and high-speed ferries.

LaGuardia Airport, located in Queens, is just eight miles from midtown Manhattan. Last year it handled about 27 million passengers. The airport has ranked highly on Travel+Leisure’s list of America’s worst airports for years due to its crumbling infrastructure and disconnected terminals.

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow is pleased with the new developments. “Vice President Biden’s fortuitously infamous and plainspoken assessment of LaGuardia has helped bring about a very favorable result: an investment in the long-term health of the airport that will pay massive benefits for the New York region and even cascade throughout the country. We thank the vice president for his candor, and we congratulate Gov. Cuomo for having the vision and courage to press ahead with this ambitious plan,” he said.

Reflecting on his bold statement, Biden quipped, “I wish everything I said that was truthful but controversial would turn out this well.”

Cuomo clearly welcomes the idea of a revamped LaGuardia Airport. “LaGuardia is un-New York,” Cuomo said. “It is a terrible front door entrance way to New York….it is almost universally decried as a poor representation of an airport, let alone a New York airport.”

Cuomo praised the decision to move forward with the plan. “New York had an aggressive, can-do approach to big infrastructure in the past – and today, we’re moving forward with that attitude once again,” he said. “We are transforming LaGuardia into a globally-renowned, 21st century airport that is worthy of the city and state of New York.”

Join 54,000 of your peers who have subscribed to Smart Meetings magazine – FREE!

Airline Suites While many airline passengers face the struggle of getting comfortable in constantly shrinking seat space, wealthy travelers sometimes opt for the suites provided by some airlines on long-distance trips.

Skift selected seven of the top airline suites that are available on airlines throughout the world.

Japan Airlines’ 777 Sky Suite: They offer custom, double-sided bedding, which can be either firm of soft. It doesn’t offer a fully closed environment with sliding privacy doors, however. A more affordable junior business-class suite is available that is comparable to the JAL Sky Suite.

Singapore Airlines’ A380 First Class Suite: These suites provide the equivalent of a double cabin and include sliding doors, a comfortable bed, top shelf service and plenty of other features designed to pamper. They can be converted to twice the regular width for couples.

Emirates’ First Class Private Suite: Boasting a sliding privacy door, a mini bar, a vanity and outstanding in-flight entertainment, these cabins are oozing with luxury. They’re available on the airline’s A380s (which include a shower/spa and dressing room), A340-500s and most Boeing 777s.

Etihad Airways’ First Apartment: These suites are excellent, slightly more affordable alternatives to the airline’s much publicized The Residence, which is available only on select A380s. Whereas The Residence is limited to one per plane, several First Apartments are available on upgraded A380 and 787 aircraft. And passengers have complete privacy in an enclosed cabin, as well as plenty of room, luxury and VIP treatment.

Asiana Airlines’ First Class Suite: Among the most elegantly designed suites available, they offer two sliding doors a bed nearly 7 feet long and a 32-inch high-definition television monitor. Staff members attend to normal suite duties as well as offer magic tricks and other entertainment.

Air France’s La Premiere Cabine: Rather than installing hard-shelled cabin doors in suites, Air France opted for curtains and a light, airy aesthetic. These cabins also feature a 6 foot, 6 inch bed and Sofitel bedding.

JetBlue’s Mint: Skift added this suite to the bunch as an attractive but more affordable alternative to the other six. It’s more of a business class seat than a suite, but comes with lots of in-flight perks, good meals, very fast Wi-Fi and plenty of in-flight entertainment, including TV.

Meetings at ARIA Resort & Casino are anything but conventional. Voted #1 Most Popular Meeting Resort in North America and the Caribbean (Meetings and Conventions), there’s a reason why groups keep coming back. Come to the space where business leaders and innovators in technology join to connect, change their thinking, and spark new ideas.

Transfer your information with 7,500 strands of fiber-optic cable and built-in high definition projection screens to really stand out. Find a private spot amongst the 300,000 square feet of versatile conference space to tackle your to-do list in comfort and solitude. Take a mental break by a spectacular wall made of glass overlooking the outdoors. In fact, the Convention Center has the largest glass wall of its kind in the area. Designed to continue the aesthetics of the wall designs, intricate plant walls – made up of 10,300 fresh air plants – have been built by ARIA’s on-property horticulture team, to truly expand the depths of nature on the premises. Not to mention, the incredible air purification that these plants provide. Yes, you’ll be stuck inside in meetings all day, but with the open space and numerous windows – it certainly won’t feel like it.

With three levels of flexible space, filled with clean air and natural lighting, we’re sure you’ll find the ideal meeting place. Whether you’re brainstorming the next big idea with a handful of colleagues, or planning a conference with 5,000 industry leaders… ARIA has room for it all.

Have some time between meetings and your team dinner? The Spa & Salon at ARIA offers blow dry, manicure services, and beyond in record time. Or, rent the whole space for your team for the ultimate expression of gratitude and team bonding.

For more information or to book your next meeting, please call 866.718.2489 or email [email protected].

At ARIA, this is how we Vegas™.

The new Association for Women in Events (AWE) launched in March and just had its first board meeting on Thursday in Washington, D.C. AWE was founded by Carrie Abernathy, Tamela Blalock, Mas Tadesse Harris, Mary Higham and Kiki Janssens to empower and support women in the meetings industry through the sharing of innovative ideas.

“This organization fills a need,” Abernathy says. “There are a lot of resources out there, but it’s difficult to find anything specifically geared toward women. AWE empowers a thirsty community; a community that should feel like home.”

AWE does not discriminate against men and actually has several board members who happen to be male.

“Whether you are male, female, supplier, vendor, organizer, young professional or seasoned veteran, we need you,” Higham says. “The Association of Women in Events mission and purpose is to serve the entire events industry and we need your valuable input in order to make this a success.”

The new board includes meeting professionals with a variety of backgrounds, including: Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM, from Experient—A Maritz Travel Company; Dionne Maniotes Hulsey from Tourisme Montreal; Johnnie White, CMP, from American Academy of Otolaryngology; and Julie Sullivan, CMP, CEM, from International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

To read more about AWE and support for women in the meetings industry click here.

ALHI Hosts 50 Senior-Level Women

Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) held its 10th annual “Executive Women in Leadership Conference” in June at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California. Fifty senior-level women executives from the hospitality and meetings industries met for three days at the AAA Five Diamond property.

The conference chairperson was Victoria Hettleman, ALHI senior vice president of sales. The event was co-hosted by Delta Air Lines and The Resort at Pelican Hill.

ALHI includes more than 170 AAA Four and Five Diamond hotels and resorts worldwide. This includes The Resort at Pelican Hill, which sits on 504 acres and features panoramic views of the Pacific. The resort also offers 44,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, 54 holes of championship golf and a Forbes Five Star Spa.

Smart Meeting Tysons Corner Follow all the networking and special moments during our Smart Meetings Event on Thursday, July 23, at Sheraton Tysons Hotel in Vienna, Virginia. Our one-day experience includes one-on-one appointments with premier properties and destinations, networking activities, education sessions with expert speakers, a fabulous breakfast reception, lunch and upscale accommodations designed to make your job easier.

Our host, Sheraton Tysons Hotel, is less than 20 minutes from Washington, D.C. and minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The property features 449 guest rooms and 27 meeting rooms, including a 10,752-square-foot ballroom.

Follow @Smartmeetings or check out #SmartMtgTC on Twitter for the latest Smart Meeting Tysons Corner updates.

Interested in our next event? Click here to get more information.

#SmartMtgTC Tweets

Russian and Egyptian travelers give the most generous hotel reviews, while those from the United Arab Emirates and Japan are the most critical, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by Agoda.com, was conducted this month and analyzed more than 7 million of the online hotel platform’s reviews from throughout the world to determine which nationalities score higher or lower than the global average. Agoda.com travelers can submit reviews for every stay by evaluating hotels on a scale of 0 to 10 in six categories, and the numbers are then used to determine one final score.

The average score was 8.52, and ranged from 8.20 to 9.08. The 10 countries with the highest reviews were:

–Russia, 9.08
–Egypt, 8.99
–Ireland, 8.95
–Poland, 8.94
–Israel, 8.85
–Sweden, 8.82
–Philippines, 8.81
–China, 8.79
–Finland, 8.71
–United States, 8.70

The 10 countries with the lowest reviews were:

–United Arab Emirates, 8.20
–Japan, 8.22
–Oman, 8.23
–India, 8.24
–Qatar, 8.28
–Portugal, 8.29
–Hong Kong, 8.30
–Vietnam, 8.31
–Belgium, 8.32
–Pakistan, 8.35

Spain, Denmark, Canada, South Africa, Bahrain and Taiwan were closest to the global average, with scores ranging from 8.49 to 8.55.

“Travelers from different countries tend to have different review rating standards depending on their travel patterns, spending power, and just general likes and dislikes,” says John Brown, chief operating officer of Agoda.com. “Our customers are from all over the world, so our ratings will reflect the average. On our website and mobile app, you can also read detailed reviews and even see which country each traveler is from.”

Like this content? Click here to get it Delivered FREE to your Inbox or your Mailbox

AMResorts will be opening two new resorts in Mexico and one in Jamaica during the next two years, setting a company record for the most resort management deals reached in one year.

The properties, all rebuilds, are Breathless Playa del Carmen Resort & Spa and Dreams Villas Playa del Carmen, both in Mexico, and Breathless Montego Bay Resort in Jamaica. They will increase to 14 the total of AMResorts in the two regions.

The two Mexico properties will open in 2017 and will be neighboring resorts in the Grand Coral gated development, one of the most exclusive private communities in Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town along the Yucatan Peninsula’s Riviera Maya strip of Caribbean shoreline.

Guests of both resorts will have access to Grand Coral’s many amenities, including an 18-hole golf course designed by Nick Price, an exclusive clubhouse and beach club, as well as gourmet dining, nightlife and shopping at nearby Quinta Avenida.

Breathless Playa del Carmen Resort & Spa will feature 500 guest rooms and provide guests with a vibrant, chic, adults-only experience. Dream Villas Playa del Carmen will offer 150 luxury villas and 50 junior suites in a sophisticated, family-friendly atmosphere.

The adults-only Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa, scheduled to open in late 2016, will be the fourth Breathless resort. It will be located next to sister properties Secrets St. James Montego Bay, Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay and Sunscape Montego Bay, which will rebrand as a Sunscapes Resorts & Spas property in December. The Breathless property will include 150 rooms and suites offering stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and access to the longest stretch of private white-sand beach in this popular destination area.

AMResorts, a subsidiary of Apple Leisure Group, is one of the fastest-growing leisure travel companies in North America. AMResorts has announced 12 new resorts deals this year, more than double the amount signed in 2014.

Guests traveling to any of the three new resorts will enjoy the benefits of AMResorts’ signature Unlimited-Luxury vacation concept, which includes premium accommodations, 24-hour room and concierge services, gourmet a la carte dining options, premium beverages and nightly entertainment. They also will be able to experience the luxury and personalized services at Breathless Resorts & Spas’ Xhale club and Dreams Resorts & Spas’ Preferred Club, with access to exclusive club lounges, enhanced concierge services and more.

The arrival of the ice cream truck is usually signaled by a tinny, sing-song chime, but today only (July 24), the glowing Uber logo is the harbinger of frozen treats. Yup, it’s Uber ice cream day!

For the fourth year in a row, Uber is tying in with National Ice Cream Month and helping satisfy customers’ sweet tooths. Just open your Uber app, set your location, enter the promo code “ICE CREAM” and you’re all set for a cool delivery of Uber ice cream.

The ride-sharing company may also be attempting to sweeten its public perception, which has seen some trouble around the globe as of late (even though national ice cream month applies just to the United States, Uber ice cream is happening across six continents, 57 countries and 252 cities.

There has to be a catch, right? Well, sort of. When users send an ice cream request, the appropriately equipped driver comes along with 5 ice cream treats—for a $25 charge. That’s a little on the pricey side for an ice cream bar (though each city delivers a different type of ice cream, typically in partnership with a local vendor), even if splitting among five friends or co-workers.

There’s a loophole, though. Uber customers who have a Capital One credit or debit card set as their payment method get their ice cream gratis. Almost makes it worth it to go through the trouble of going into the Uber app, changing your payment method and changing it back right after.

Uber’s website claims that the ice cream “will be delivered curbside in minutes,” but Twitter is already filled with unhappy users saying their ice cream has come after long delays or even not at all. To be fair, there are even more tweets of people excited about their ice cream deliveries, even snapping photos with the Uber drivers who have saved them from a warm summer day.

Also read: Uber and Lyft Pickups Coming Soon to LAX

Troy Mathews

Benchmark Hospitality International named Troy Mathews as general manager for Hotel Contessa, an AAA Four Diamond hotel in San Antonio. He was previously the general manager of Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Course in Curacao and Hotel Arista in Naperville, Ill. Mathews began his 20-year career at Hotel Arista as director of food and beverage.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Troy to his new position with Hotel Contessa,” said Greg Champion, executive vice president and chief operations officer for Benchmark Hospitality. “He comes to his new role equipped with vast experience in effectively operating and providing leadership to luxury hotels.”

Andre Priemer

Andre Priemer was promoted as general manager of Resort at Squaw Creek, a Destination Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Calif. For two years, Priemer was resort manager of the AAA Four Diamond property. He previously served at DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld and Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina.

During his term at the DoubleTree property, he finalized a $35 million renovation. He was also instrumental in achieving awards for Hotel Developer of the Year in 2009 and Top 100 Companies for Working Families in 2010. Priemer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in hospitality management from the College for Hotel Management in Marburg, Germany.

Diana Bright

Benchmark Hospitality International hired Diana Bright as director of national accounts for Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort in Curacao. She was previously account director for St. Regis Aspen Resort Hotel, where she received the President’s Club Award for extraordinary achievement. Bright has also worked for The Ritz-Carlton, Atlantis Paradise Island and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Bermuda.

“I am so pleased to formally welcome Diana to the island and our resort,” said Darren Law, general manager of Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort. “An exemplary and award-winning sales professional, she is a terrific addition to the property’s sales and marketing team.”

Ron Keith

Visit Orlando announced its new national account director as Ron Keith, who is based in the Washington D.C. area. Keith has more than 20 years of sales, client relations and association management experience. Most recently, he was director of strategic accounts at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in Washington D.C. Keith is a member of Meeting Professionals International, Religious Conference Management Association and National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners.

“Ron’s industry experience with multi-million dollar client accounts and his proven track record in the hospitality industry will make Ron a perfect addition to Visit Orlando. We look forward to having him come aboard,” says Fred Shea, Visit Orlando’s senior vice president of sales and services.

Marlyss Auster

California Central Coast Tourism Council (CCTC) elected Marlyss Auster as 2015-16 president of the non-profit group that is comprised of more than 240 member organizations, businesses and individuals. Auster, who is executive director of Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, also served as vice president of the council in 2014-15. CCTC is one of 12 regional destination marketing organizations under the Visit California tourism and marketing organization.

“We are excited about the year ahead with Visit California’s dream big budget that inspires Central Coast travel with our two gateway cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Auster.

US Travel Hall of Leaders The U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders announced its latest class of inductees on Thursday, adding Michael A. Leven and W. Stephen Maritz to the travel industry’s top honor.

Mike_Leven If you’ve ever attended a reception at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, you can easily appreciate Leven’s creative contributions to great American event venues. The chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia Aquarium is an experienced, well-versed industry leader having worked for Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Holiday Inn Worldwide, U.S. Franchise Systems (Microtel Inn, Hawthorn Suites) and Days Inn America.

Maritz, chairman and chief executive officer of Maritz Holdings Inc., joined other industry leaders in 2009 when they met with President Barack Obama to promote the value of incentive travel and face-to-face meetings, which were under increased scrutiny. Maritz Travel Company, which consists of Maritz Travel Meetings & Incentives and Experient, is a leader in the meeting, event and incentive travel industry within the areas of corporate, association, government and trade shows.

“Mike and Steve merit this top honor for consistently cultivating excellence in their organizations and leading the travel industry in engagement and performance,” said Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO. “Mike has innovated his entire career, building brands and starting the highly regarded Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), and Steve has built a venerable company that has become synonymous with incentive travel, a very valuable component of the travel industry. This is well-deserved recognition, and I look forward to joining the rest of the travel community in honoring them.”

Leven and Maritz will be honored during a dinner on Nov. 18, when more than 100 travel industry leaders gather for the U.S. Travel Association’s fall board meeting in Washington, D.C. Including the Class of 2015, there have been 92 inductions into the U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders.

Segarra Appointed to DMAI Board

Milton-Segarra2 Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) has appointed Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, to its board of directors.

“It is an honor to be working with such a group of great professionals at the DMAI Board of Directors.” Segarra said. “I am looking forward to the sharing of ideas and programs with my colleagues to help all of our destinations be the best they can be.”

Besides serving as executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, he has been secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce. Segarra’s hospitality sales experience includes positions with Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Resorts Puerto Rico.