September 1, 2011 Screen Lounge, a two-level special-event venue, has opened in downtown Toronto. Located on College Street, just west of Yonge, Screen Lounge features a 3,000-sq.-ft. main floor and a full-service, 2,000-sq. ft. rooftop patio, outfitted by designer Sarah Gatenby. In winter, the roof deck, which hosts 120, will be domed. Also accommodating 120, the restaurant-lounge features … Read More about Screen Lounge Event Venue Opens in Toronto
August 31, 2011 Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek is slated to open in October, in Orlando, Fla., offering more than 25,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space. Featuring 400 guestrooms and suites, the Mediterranean-inspired resort can accommodate 800 meeting attendees. The property is situated lakeside on Bonnet Creek’s 500 acres of woodlands, minutes from Walt Disney … Read More about Wyndham Opening Orlando Resort in October
August 30, 2011 When Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto opens later this fall, it will feature Stock restaurant on its 31st floor. Heading up the kitchen will be executive chef Todd Clarmo, who has worked in top restaurants in France and, most recently, was corporate executive chef at Oliver Bonacini Restaurants. Courtesy of II BY IV Design, the restaurant’s look will combine art … Read More about Stock Restaurant Opening in Trump Toronto in Late Fall
August 29, 2011 Porter Airlines is increasing weekday roundtrip flights to six from five between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport, beginning Oct. 12. This new flight doubles Porter’s Toronto-Boston service from its original 2009 schedule. Under the soon-to-be-introduced weekday schedule, the new flight will leave Toronto at 8:55 a.m. and depart Boston … Read More about Porter Adding 6th Daily Toronto-Boston Flight Starting Oct. 12
August 17, 2011 The Bellagio hotel, in Las Vegas, has unveiled redesigned guestrooms incorporating modernized color palettes and elegant appointments. The new design includes such amenities as a 40-inch, mounted flat-screen television; a bedside iHome docking station; a centralized media hub accommodating a variety of digital devices; and a laptop safe in one of the nightstands. Moreover, the … Read More about Bellagio Unveils Renovated Guestrooms
August 15, 2011 The Palms Casino Resort, in Las Vegas, has opened Cathay House, offering authentic Chinese cuisine and dim sum. Cathay’s second Las Vegas location, the restaurant is led by executive chef Henry Garcia, dim-sum chef Ping Kwan Lam and dining chef Raymond Kwan. To accompany the restaurant’s fare are an assortment of hot teas, including jasmine, pur erh, oolong and … Read More about Deep Dish: The Latest Restaurant News
August 10, 2011 Incentive-travel groups visiting Chicago can now explore the city via their cell phones with the launch of Stray Boots’ Chicago: The Game interactive tours. Conducted through text-message exchanges, the three preliminary city tours will cover the Loop, Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier neighborhoods. The new tours enable participants to explore three of the Windy City’s most … Read More about Text Message-Based Chicago Tours Launched
August 9, 2011 Construction is set to launch this month on the $500-million 'Linq' project, on the Las Vegas strip, that will include a 550-ft. observation wheel (a fancier version of a Ferris wheel) and a restaurant-entertainment district connecting the Flamingo and Imperial Palace resorts, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Spearheading the project is Caesars Entertainment. Design and construction … Read More about Caesars to Start Building $500-million Project on Las Vegas Strip
August 5, 2011 Intermar Group (IMC), a Mexico-based incoming operator and destination management company, has named Toronto-based Famtour Promotion as its Canadian rep. With offices in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, IMC specializes in group, incentive and business trips and boasts more than 35 years’ experience working with groups. IMC offers a wide range of destination choices, ranging … Read More about Mexican DMC Names Famtour as Canadian Rep
July 29, 2011 The Omni San Diego Hotel has partnered with the San Diego Padres baseball team to offer groups use of the locker room for meetings and events. No sweaty locker room, the Padres’ Visitor’s Clubhouse can be transformed into a boardroom setting, for executive meetings, or an event space for groups. To that end, conference tables can be set up and decked out with special … Read More about Omni San Diego Partners with Baseball Team to Offer Locker Room Meeting Space
July 27, 2011 Tourism Vancouver has announced its 2011/2012 board of directors, representing a cross-section of Metro Vancouver’s tourism industry. The new Tourism Vancouver board includes Howard Jang, executive director, Arts Club Theatre Company; James Terry, executive vice-president, Rocky Mountaineer (past chair); George Bartel, president and CEO, Vancouver All Terrain Adventures; Carolyn … Read More about Tourism Vancouver Names New Board
July 19, 2011 Celebrity Cruises offers a variety of chartered group excursions on its 94-seat Celebrity Xpedition. Beginning Sept. 4, Celebrity will offer two new, alternating itineraries involving all-inclusive, seven-night excursions ideal for incentive groups led by meeting and event planners. Those cruises can be combined with pre and post packages to create 10-, 11- and 13-night … Read More about Celebrity Cruises Offers Group Excursions to Galapagos Islands
When the World Education Congress (WEC) kicks off in Orlando, Fla., on July 23, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) will flip a switch at its website and convert the homepage to an interactive portal that allows site visitors who are not attending WEC to connect to the conference like never before. WEC Live Online will incorporate the WEC Virtual Experience that will live-stream both … Read More about MPI Improves Online Access to WEC
July 14, 2011 Microsoft has chosen Toronto as the site for its prestigious 2012 Worldwide Partner Conference, slated for July 9-13, 2012, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) and Air Canada Centre (ACC). More than 15,000 delegates, vendors and suppliers, representing technology companies in 130 countries, are expected to attend. While most of the action will centre around MTCC and … Read More about Microsoft Chooses Toronto for 2012 Worldwide Partner Conference
July 13, 2011 Groups eat free in Yuma, Ariz., every day the sun doesn’t shine, beginning Aug. 1 and lasting for 12 months. An officially sunless day, ‘Code Gloom,’ will be declared by a committee of Yuma Visitors Bureau staff, board members and meteorologists as of 5:00 p.m. and announced to the public, when hotels place a life-sized cutout of an umbrella-toting Yuma mayor Alan Krieger in their … Read More about Groups Eat Free in Yuma, Ariz., Every Day the Sun Doesn't Shine
July 11, 2011 Tourisme Montreal is spending $2-million USD to increase its meeting and convention business, according to TravelMole. According to the travel site, Montreal is spending $25-million USD in a campaign that will concentrate on the city’s business and leisure markets. “Although the convention sector has experienced growth in 2010, and 2011 looks interesting in this respect, … Read More about Tourisme Montreal Boosting Convention Market
July 11, 2011 The first-ever Nobu hotel, restaurant and lounge is set to open next summer in a renovated Caesars Palace tower, on the Las Vegas strip. Under the development plan, the Centurion Tower will undergo a multi-million dollar refurbishment to house the 180-room hotel, which will feature the cuisine of celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa. To that end, the hotel will house an 11,200-sq.-ft. … Read More about First Nobu Hotel to Open in Caesars Palace Tower in Las Vegas in 2012
July 5, 2011 Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia will open its doors July 15, to welcome its first guests since its extensive restoration. Now managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the 84-year-old property features 155 rooms and suites. There are two penthouse suites: the Lord Stanley and the Rosewood, both featuring a private rooftop terrace and outdoor hot tub and fireplace. Other … Read More about Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia to Open July 15
June 30, 2011 Four Seasons Resort Whistler has introduced a new air credit offer, providing groups who book 10-plus rooms per night with a $150 one-time credit for each room booked at the resort. Programmes must be booked prior to Dec. 1, 2011, and the offer will be valid based on availability in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Indoor meeting spaces, accommodating up to 250 guests, include ballrooms, … Read More about Four Seasons Whistler Offers Groups $150 Air Credit
June 27, 2011 The newly renovated Conference Centre at the Ontario Bar Association, in downtown Toronto, offers a number of spaces for groups of all sizes. For instance, the Grand Salon accommodates 180 people, classroom-style; 216, banquet-style; and 280, theatre-style. For small meetings, the executive boardroom seats 18, while a series of conference rooms, available in different … Read More about Newly Renovated Ontario Bar Association Conference Centre Available for Groups
