City Guides
The Santa Rosa County region is a slice of Old Florida, providing planners with a bit of solitude and simplicity for their meetings and events. [...] Read more
Less than nine months after Hurricane Ike swept through Galveston causing some $3 billion in damages, this Texas resort celebrated its remarkable recovery with Re-Birth Day festivities in the downtown area in May. Weekend activities included tours of the newly re-opened Tremont House. The return of the historic hotel, a Galveston icon, was the latest in a series of recovery milestones. [...] Read more
The head of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau is anticipating big tourism dollars for Orlando as the Magic prepare for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1995. [...] Read more
The League of American Bicyclists added Tulsa, Okla., to its list of “Bicycle Friendly Communities and States” for 2009. [...] Read more
Everyone likes being pursued, and Las Vegas is after you, meeting planners. Due to lagging numbers, the city formerly known as “Sin City” is looking to change its image and draw you in.
The economy, in addition to a recent wave of “Sin City” criticism, has had negative effects on the city’s meetings industry. In an effort to promote Las Vegas as a city where serious business is done, the convention bureau is launching a $1 [...] Read more
The Westin La Cantera in San Antonio, Texas, welcomed guests in the midst of a $10 million renovation in February. Completed public meeting rooms and 200 of the 508 guest rooms are now decked out in South Texas Spanish Colonial elegance and open to visitors. The remaining 308 guest rooms and 17,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, which began renovations in September 2008, are on schedule for completion this spring.
Adding to the renovation challenge is the 2009 Valero [...] Read more
North Building, Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix was among the top cities in several polls of frequent travelers last year. It ranked at the top of Hotwire’s list and 100 on the site’s Travel Value Index with low prices on world-class hotels and resorts. Calling Phoenix “a city that offers almost everything a vacationer could want,” the discount travel site said the outdoor adventures, breath-taking golf courses and trendy shopping in the “Beverly Hills of the desert” [...] Read more
The Northwest African American Museum in Seattle is at once a community gathering spot and a spiritual celebration of black history and culture.
Exhibits range from music, crafts and visual arts, including some spectacular works by artists Jacob Lawrence and James W. Washington, Jr., to literature and historical artifacts.
The museum’s intimate setting, a former brick school building, includes two studios for receptions of 75, and the Legacy Gallery and Sculpture Garden, which holds 160 for dinners [...] Read more
The Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council unveiled a new look for its website at the beginning of 2009. The site, which combines a Western feel with a modern approach, has a new booking engine for hotels, motels and B&B’s, easy navigation, and bigger pictures, says Jerry Holt, vice president of the Amarillo, Texas, CVC. It will also feature special promotions.
“We face greater and greater competition from cities and towns throughout the world for visitors and [...] Read more
