Seattle, beloved for its natural beauty and praised for its progressive thinking, has long been an open secret in the business community. A hub of technology, a haven of aviation, the Greater Seattle area has attracted the best and brightest in business innovation. Meeting planners have taken advantage of this energy for years—especially those whose proximity to Seattle makes it an easy sell.
But now the “Emerald City” may be shining anew. In addition to a litany of capital and infrastructure improvements either recently completed or under way, the current economic climate has placed Greater Seattle high on the list of destinations whose value for service is the hot new thing; although it is Washington state’s largest city, the entire metropolitan area remains under-discovered in the pantheon of large U.S. city names.
Its Pacific Northwest locale keeps it happily under the radar, which helps make it doubly attractive to planners who seek all the big-city amenities for their group, while also avoiding the costs and scrutiny more frequently associated with the major-name destinations. Greater Seattle is ready and already taking advantage.
Seattle
Seattle is not immune to the pandemic of the economic downturn. But it has maintained an impressive share of business through it all, owing as much to its compelling value proposition as to its full-spectrum offerings of business-ready amenities. Things are apparently looking strong for the long term as well.
“We have had a record-breaking Q2 and 3 put on the books for 2009 with regard to association business this year,” says Jerri Lane, vice president of Seattle’s CVB. “It is holding pretty well, too, which is good news in this economic climate where cancellations have been typical. We are very happy about the way the business is holding.”
Although there has been a bit of drop-off in long-term bookings—especially among corporate groups—the bureau has seen an upswing in late, or last-minute bookings, according to Lane.
“We are seeing on the corporate side either canceling or falling off of bookings,” she says. “Our citywides are off by probably about 25 percent. But we are seeing a big uptick in short-term business, particularly among the self-contained groups who are booking in single-site hotels. That’s pretty exciting, and I think it reflects the overall economy. People are not making the longer-term commitments but are willing to meet still. And in terms of the association business, it continues to be strong.”
Whether self-contained or citywide, the palette of features available to groups in Seattle is expansive and continues to expand.
The city’s key function facility, the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, is currently adding another 50,000 square feet of contiguous meeting space to its existing space of more than 205,000 square feet. The expansion, a conversion of what was previously a museum, is expected to open by summer 2010, but groups are already booking the space.
Meanwhile, the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, situated on Seattle’s waterfront, offers state-of-the-art function space for groups as large as 6,000.
Several hotels in the downtown core also feature meeting space, including the new Hyatt at Olive 8, a 346-room hotel-condo that opened in January just a block from the existing Grand Hyatt Seattle. The 39-floor building has a Silver LEED certification and features an eco-friendly spa, a saltwater pool and a restaurant that offers sustainable, locally sourced fare. The new hotel has 11,000 square feet of function space.
Also recently opened, the Four Seasons Seattle marks the return of the luxury brand to the city. The 21-story hotel and condo tower is located adjacent to the Pike Place Market and Seattle Art Museum. It features 134 rooms, 13 suites and an elegant ballroom with views of Elliott Bay.
Another newcomer is the 120-room Arctic Club Hotel, which was built into a historic building that was originally a men’s club founded in 1908 by Klondike gold rush prospectors. The hotel offers 5,800 square feet of meeting space anchored by the lovingly restored Northern Lights Dome Room, featuring an ornate stained glass domed ceiling. This month, the property will be renamed Doubletree Arctic Club Seattle-Downtown.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Sheraton is still settling into its Union Street Tower addition, which upped its room total by 420 to 1,258.
The ongoing additions of hotels in Seattle bolster an inventory that already includes an array of top-flight properties of every size and category. The list includes the Marriott Seattle Waterfront, Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Grand Hyatt Seattle, W Seattle, Hotel Monaco Seattle, Hotel Alexis and Hotel 1000.
“We also just opened a resort casino about 40 minutes outside Seattle that is absolutely beautiful,” Lane says, referring to Snohomish County’s new meetings-ready Tulalip Resort Casino.
Seattle continues to offer value to planners who seek first-tier quality without a lot of first-tier drawbacks like expenses and size, according to Lane.
“We certainly do fall into that first-tier category,” she says. “But we are a bit smaller in terms of committable rooms. We are a big draw with top associations and high-dollar medical meetings, as well as the science, tech and computer groups that just love us.”
In fact, she says, the bureau has a proposal on the boards to expand its existing convention center with a new facility one block away.
“Our convention center has been self-funding for 20 years, and we are turning away about as much business as we are booking,” Lane says. “So the demand is there and we anticipate approval of the expansion. It will be a nice addition to our compact and walkable downtown that is so attractive to meeting planners.”
Bellevue
Perhaps the best-known satellite in the Seattle orbit is Bellevue, situated almost equidistant from the downtown Seattle core and the foothills of the Cascades. While Bellevue has happily existed as a subcomponent of Seattle, evidence shows it has ample reason to stake its own claim as a destination.
“There is a lot going on in Bellevue and it seems to be growing all the time,” says Brenda Dotson, director of sales for the Bellevue Convention Sales Group. “We used to be a sleepy little suburb of Seattle but now it is holding its own with the city in terms of group and convention business. We’re finding that with some groups, there is no longer a need to go to Seattle.”
Attendee needs are now being met by the continued influx of services and amenities to Bellevue, including a 24-7 walkable town center and an ample inventory of rooms to complement the group facilities. Chief among them is the Meydenbauer Center, which offers 48,000 square feet of recently renovated and ultimately flexible meeting space, including a theater.
With the opening this fall of the much-anticipated Bravern Center, an upscale shopping, dining and entertainment complex, Bellevue is poised to up the ante.
Meanwhile, the ante of Bellevue hotel rooms continues to expand, at last count featuring more than 2,000 rooms and some of the best brand names in hospitality, including Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton and Hilton.
“In the last four to five years things have really taken off,” Dotson says. “We have beautiful new hotels close to the convention center. We have added rooms and have had massive renovations and upgrades to our convention facilities. We now have enough big properties in Bellevue, in addition to those we already had, all within walking distance of the Meydenbauer Center. In addition, we have added all this high-end retail, restaurants and nightlife, so we really have all that it takes to be a self-contained meetings destination.”
The opening this summer of the addition to the Hyatt Regency Bellevue is big news for group business in Bellevue. The new 383-room tower will bring the total room count to 733 and will add another 43,000 square feet of meeting space. This adds to a mix that already includes the recently opened Westin Bellevue, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space, and plans are in the works for a new 378-room Marriott hotel, which is on target to open in 2010.
Seattle Southside/SeaTac
The Southside/SeaTac designation refers to the area near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and is situated at about the midpoint between Tacoma and the city of Seattle. Its proximity to both areas, along with its ultra-convenience to the airport, have given the region an allure that meeting planners are increasingly drawn to—especially these days.
“With the current climate, all of a sudden groups that wouldn’t consider a second-tier destination like ours are being much more receptive to our value proposition,” says Meilee Anderson, business relations coordinator for Seattle Southside Visitor Services. “We are booking groups as small as a soccer team that needs 15 rooms and as large as a government group that needs 600 rooms.”
Among the key draws for groups considering the Southside are convenience and value. But service and amenities are not given short shrift. The function facilities are top-notch, including the Kent Events Center, a LEED-certified multipurpose facility that opened in January with a capacity for 6,500, and there are some 9,000 hotel rooms in the region, most offering meeting space.
The Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center features nearly 39,000 square feet of meeting space along with 396 rooms. Other properties that help make up the more than 400,000 square feet of Southside meeting space include the Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport, the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport, the Sea-Tac Airport Conference Center and the Seattle Airport Marriott.
“Our facilities combined with our customized service keep us very competitive,” Anderson says. “For example, in many cases we are offering incentives like free shuttle service and complimentary breakfast at hotels, and our rates are well below most per diems. We’ll also help with all aspects of the meeting, including things like coordinating a local speaker. It’s the extra touches to help with attendance-building that show we are willing to go the extra mile.”
Tacoma
With 36 miles between it and Seattle, Tacoma is able to maintain an identity apart from its big-city neighbor. That identity has recently undergone a huge ego boost with the redevelopment of its downtown core and the establishment of a popular museum district that includes the Museum of Glass, which features the works of Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. The Chihuly Bridge of Glass links the Museum of Glass with the Washington State History Museum. The transformation is ongoing with the recent reopening of the Foss Waterway Seaport & Working Waterfront Maritime Museum, which features 4,000 square feet of meeting space.
Next year, the city will also unveil LeMay: America’s Car Museum, housing one of the world’s largest collections of vintage cars and featuring 120,000 square feet of galleries along with a theater and conference rooms.
There are also five new hotels in the works along the waterfront and in the downtown area.
“The Tacoma-Pierce County area offers a wide variety of distinctive meeting opportunities,” says Shauna Lunde, director of sales and marketing for the Tacoma Regional CVB. “With over 1,900 committable sleeping rooms and 500,000 square feet of combined meeting and exhibit space, Tacoma can easily accommodate conferences and conventions. For smaller meetings and retreats, [planners can] choose from museums, gardens or castles to create the perfect ambience and productive environment.”
The Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center is the region’s major facility, with 51,000 square feet of function space. It is flanked by several hotels, creating a central, walkable convention core. Among the collection is the wonderfully renovated, 319-room Hotel Murano, whose decor plays on the glass theme. Other major meeting facilities in the area include the Tacoma Dome and the Puyallup Fair and Events Center.
The Tacoma Regional CVB has created a strategic marketing effort to attract and retain group business, especially regionally. The plan resulted in stepped-up collaborative efforts between the bureau and its clients.
“[Planners] can expect quality and affordable properties, exceptional service, convenient transportation and a plethora of activities, restaurants and experiences to choose from,” Lunde says. “We understand that the economy is tough, but we’re here to help planners stretch their dollars so they can continue providing meaningful education and networking events for their constituents.”
Snohomish County
The word Snohomish means “big tribe,” so it makes sense that groups are a nice fit in the region comprising the communities of Everett, Lynnwood, Snohomish, Marysville and Edmonds. With an attractive mix of nature and modernity, Snohomish is popular among groups looking to retreat and team-build.
“We continue to see a lot of action here in the county,” says Linda Beecher, convention sales manager for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. “And groups definitely take advantage of the fact that we are so close to everything—from kiteboarding to skiing to hiking to biking to hot-air ballooning.”
That proximity, coupled with its value proposition, maintains Snohomish’s appeal as a meetings destination, according to Beecher.
“Our biggest thing is that we are typically 40 percent less than the Seattle rates,” she says. “Yet we are close enough to that area that it can still be a part of an agenda.”
Since its opening in 2005, Lynnwood Convention Center has been a key draw for groups to Snohomish. The state-of-the-art center has 34,000 square feet of meeting space and can accommodate 1,300 people. The other major facility in the county is the Comcast Arena and Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, with 57,000 square feet of function space.
The region’s major meetings hotels include the Embassy Suites Hotel North Lynnwood, with 240 rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space, and the recently opened Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville, boasting 370 guest rooms, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, a 3,000-seat amphitheater and a spa.
“We have had a ton of interest in the resort since it opened,” Beecher says. “It has been a valuable addition to what we have to offer.”
For More Info
Bellevue Convention Sales Group 425.637.1020 www.bellevueconventions.com
Seattle’s CVB 206.461.5800 www.visitseattle.org
Seattle Southside Visitor Services 206.575.2489 www.seattlesouthside.com
Snohomish County Tourism Bureau 425.348.5802 www.snohomish.org
Tacoma Regional CVB 253.627.2836 www.traveltacoma.com
