Connect Your Meetings » Places

Destination Spotlight: Grand Rapids

Amy Dodge — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:57:36 +0000

Grand Rapids, Mich., offers all the infrastructure and amenities of a much larger city, with none of the hassle. The safe, clean, compact downtown is anchored by DeVos Place Convention Center, a 1 million-sq.-ft. facility connected via skywalk to riverfront hotels—including the luxe-hip JW Marriott Hotel and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel ranked one of North America’s best by Condé Nast Traveler. Visitors will encounter more than 90 restaurants, nightclubs, museums and theaters within a five-minute walk of hotels. Downtown attractions include the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum and Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.

Two major highway systems provide fast and easy transport between downtown and other parts of the city, including the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Meeting spaces abound in the four corners of the city surrounding downtown. Each area offers its own unique personality, from an outdoor adventure-oriented northwest corner to a southeast corner dominated by one of Michigan’s busiest commercial districts.

Grand Rapids has earned international recognition as an arts destination. Every autumn, the city hosts 2,000 artists and 300,000 spectators for ArtPrize, the world’s richest art competition. Frederik Mejier Gardens and Sculpture Park has been named one of the world’s Top 30 Must-See Museums, while downtown is jam-packed with outdoor public art. The city is also adept at the art of dining, thanks to a renowned culinary school and a rich agricultural bounty that ensures fresh, delicious, farm-to-table cuisine.

Other major attractions include Lake Michigan, named one of the world’s Top 25 Shorelines; Michigan’s Adventure Amusement Park, home to one of the world’s Top 10 Wooden Roller Coasters; and John Ball Zoo, a classic urban zoo just five minutes from downtown.

For more information, click here or call 800-678-9859.

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Now Open: Westin Michigan Avenue Renovation

Charrity Pope — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:38:06 +0000

One of Chicago’s premier hotels recently completed a $7 million renovation of its meeting space. The Westin Michigan Avenue, located on the city’s Magnificent Mile, has updated its 38,000 square feet of banquet, ballroom, conference and meeting areas. Chicago-based VOA Associates led the redesign, bringing in elements of lake, park and city themes. Enhancements include state-of-the-art audio systems, faster Internet connectivity and wall insulation upgrades. Eco-friendly improvements at the Green Seal Silver Certified property consist of energy-efficient lighting and wool carpeting.

Site Visits: Tuscon, Arizona

Charrity Pope — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:09:26 +0000

A city founded more than 10,000 years ago in the American Southwest is as steeped in religion as it is in history. Tucson, Ariz., located in the Sonoran Desert, has deep Spanish Catholic roots along with Native American customs and influences throughout the town. St. Augustine’s Cathedral is two centuries old and still holds weekly services. Groups can tour both the cathedral and the Mission of San Xavier del Bac, built in 1797, which still has its original statues and paintings. Tucson’s downtown district features a 2.5 mile-long path marked by a turquoise line, which leads visitors to the different historical landmarks around the city. After a morning of sightseeing, groups can eat at the oldest, continually operated, family-owned restaurant in the country, El Charro Café. The Sonoran-influenced restaurant serves authentic Southwestern cuisine. And when it’s time to call it a night, there are several lodging options available. The Arizona Riverpark Inn is located three blocks from the Tucson Convention Center, a three-level facility that has more than 205,000 square feet of flexible event space for meetings.

Site Visits: Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel

Charrity Pope — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:54:44 +0000

While Chicago is home to a collection of notable buildings, the architectural excellence isn’t limited to the city proper. On the outskirts of the Windy City sits the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, a structure that blends modern sophistication with classic design. Architectural firm John Portman and Associates Inc. wanted to create a place for people instead of a simple building. The 500-room property has 49,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-sq.-ft. convention center with a water garden entry. A pure white interior creates a fresh, clean atmosphere, while lighting details on the exterior offers a warm welcome to guests. The meeting rooms are meant to inspire in a comfortable environment, reflected by names like Knowledge, Inspiration and Innovation. When the weather is nice, enjoy an evening on The Terrace, an outdoor lounge serving food and drinks.

Site Visits: Lake Lawn Resort

Charrity Pope — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:13:22 +0000

Located on more than 250 wooded acres in southeastern Wisconsin is Lake Lawn Resort, about an hour from Milwaukee and Madison. The property has the charm and comfort of a small inn with amenities of a large resort. The 281-room property has more than 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor flexible meeting space, including 22 conference rooms. Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, and meeting rooms are equipped with multimedia screens and video conferencing capabilities. Meeting attendees can relax during free time at one of the resort’s two pools, or rent a boat from the on-site marina and cruise around Delavan Lake. Schedule a golf tournament at the championship golf course, which offers GPS systems on all carts, group bag drop and registration, and catered cookouts or picnics. For dinner, the upscale Frontier Restaurant and Lounge features dishes from local legend Chef David Ross and fabulous views of the property.

Site Visits: Iron Horse Hotel

Charrity Pope — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:57:04 +0000

What was once an industrial warehouse 100 years ago is now a beautiful, well-appointed hotel with meeting and guest rooms filled with originality. Milwaukee’s Iron Horse Hotel has maintained a few elements of the building’s hardy beginnings as the Berger Bedding Company’s factory and warehouse: exposed brick, large metal doors and original wood beams. The 100-room property has combined those features with modern style and design to create a hotel that’s industrial yet comfortable. Iron Horse has three distinctive meeting rooms that combine for 5,000 total square feet of space. A fifth-floor executive lounge is one of those meeting rooms. It has a 425-sq.-ft. boardroom (called the War Room) and an adjacent creative brainstorming space (dubbed the Sand Box), which has swivel chairs with adjustable laptop trays. Another meeting space, The Library, features cozy leather couches, antique furniture, a fireplace and a collection of books that can be conversation starters during a private evening cocktail reception. The third space, The Gallery, is the hotel’s largest function space. With 3,500 square feet of space, the room—punctuated with pine columns and exposed metal ducts—can be configured for keynotes, receptions or banquets. Conde Nast Traveler recently ranked the Iron Horse as one of the top 10 hotels in the country, and it’s been named the top boutique hotel for two consecutive years by the Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging Association.

Site Visits: Hotel Sorella

Charrity Pope — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:45:06 +0000

The heart of Houston’s CityCentre, a mixed-use community of upscale retail, dining and residences, is the 244-room Hotel Sorella. Guests are greeted by a beautiful glass chandelier and ceramic floors in the lobby, and the elegance is carried into the guest rooms. The hotel’s versatile 15,000-sq.-ft. Meeting and Events Centre has 8,500 square feet of function space, including the 4,000-sq.-ft. La Scala ballroom, which seats up to 300. When divided into three breakout rooms, each has more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Several pre-function areas and a partially open pantry kitchen are available for breaks and refreshments. The two VIP boardrooms are located on the lobby level alongside the Lobby Lounge, Monnalisa Bar and Bistro Bar social spaces.

Site Visits: Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

Charrity Pope — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:29:30 +0000

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk is one of those hotels that doesn’t immediately look like one, at least from the side that lines San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk. The 213-room boutique luxury property resembles an old Italian palazzo from the back, with balconies that look out over the river below. But the hotel, recently voted one of the best in San Antonio by U.S. News and World Report, has elements of San Antonio, too, including in its Citrus Restaurant and Vbar, where Executive Chef Jeffrey Balfour uses fresh ingredients purchased from local farmers and fishermen. The hotel has significantly reduced its carbon footprint by adopting sustainable practices including decreased water and electricity usage, low-flow toilets, energy-efficient light bulbs, low-VOC paints and biodegradable key cards issued to all guests. When it comes to meetings, the 7,000-sq.-ft. event space can host conferences or an evening cocktail reception in the open-air courtyard. If more space is needed, the historic Empire Theater is steps from the hotel and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is less than a mile away.

Site Visits: Augusta, Georgia

Charrity Pope — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:18:50 +0000

The time-honored Masters golf tournament proves that Augusta, Ga., knows how to put on a golf event. But the second largest city in Georgia also knows how to run tournaments and championships for triathlons, cycling, tennis, disc golf, basketball, bowling and many other sports.

ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta, the largest Half Ironman in the world, is held there each September when 3,200 athletes plus spectators descend on the city. For the first time, the Georgia High School Association will hold its 10 Golf State Championships (boys and girls in five divisions) in one destination—Augusta—this May. The perfectly manicured greens of Augusta National are alluring enough to bring such an event to the city, but it’s the area’s 11 courses and 6,000 hotel rooms that make the 1,000-attendee event possible.

Infrastructure for the city’s active residents benefits other sporting events: Running, walking and biking trails range from those suitable for collegiate cross country races to the scenic Augusta

Canal trail. Augusta’s sports fall outside the box as well. Governing bodies for the National Barrel Horse Association, the Professional Disc Golf Association and the Atlantic Coast Cutting Horse Association have chosen the region as their home bases. The U.S. Tennis Association will use multiple venues for its adult league Georgia state championships in May and September, and the USA Cycling and US Para-Cycling National Championships chose the city for its road race, time trial and criterium again this June. Last year’s championships in Augusta set an all-time attendance record with more than 1,000 cyclists.

All of this is before the city’s meeting and convention crown jewel opens at the end of the year. The 38,000 square feet of exhibit space at the new TEE Center will be well-suited for volleyball tournaments and cheerleading competitions. Combined with the attached Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center and its 49,000 square feet of meeting space and 372 guest rooms, the downtown center is more than prepped to host events of the less active variety, five of which have already pre-booked the center.

Destination Spotlight: Charlotte, N.C.

Mari Shirley — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:40:46 +0000

Charlotte’s got a lot for your next meeting. Thousands of convention attendees travel to Charlotte, N.C., each year. Many arrive to an airport less than 10 miles from the Charlotte Convention Center and the 4,100 hotel rooms within walking distance of it.

Charlotte’s Center City is the convention district, an area boasting nearly 100 restaurants plus attractions ideal for after-meeting entertainment. Charlotte’s compact layout combined with a winning hotel package will make your next meeting a success; both from the perspective of easy planning and from an attendance point of view.

Once you’re here, explore off-the-beaten-path Charlotte neighborhoods, high-octane adventures at attractions like the NASCAR Hall of Fame and time-tested, year-round things to see and do. No matter where you go in Charlotte, you’ll find a lot to your liking…not to mention plenty of Southern comforts and urban excitement along the way.

For more information, visit charlottesgotalot.com.

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