Tahoe Ritz-Carlton Gets Default Notice

Convention Centers
Goodbye, Rubber Chicken

by JUDY JACOBS

· From Pittsburgh to Portland, Ore., and many points in between, convention center kitchens have been undergoing a culinary revolution in recent years. The concept of meals for the masses is out. Restaurant-style upscale cuisine is in—and the more locally sourced and organic, the better.

Whether it’s bringing a master chef to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., establishing a roof garden on the top of the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, or a multitude of other initiatives around the nation, convention centers are making dramatic improvements in their culinary offerings. The driving force is coming from all directions—chefs, clients, planners and the industry as a whole. And it’s rapidly catching on.

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Sponsor

Renaissance Palm Springs

Experience a desert oasis with a cosmopolitan twist and unparalleled service. The new Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel offers over 30,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, a unique meeting-style amphitheater, 14 meeting rooms, a 24,000-square-foot courtyard, direct access to the Palm Springs Convention Center and direct access to downtown Palm Springs.

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Site Scene

California

· The Handler Hotel & Resort in San Diego reopened recently following a three-month, multimillion-dollar renovation, upgrading the entire property and improving its meeting space. The extensive upgrades made to the property, originally built in 1954, include a complete renovation of all 217 guest rooms with new 37-inch flat-screen televisions. Common areas and event spaces were also improved. An additional small meeting room was introduced to the property’s event facility, providing more space for breakout meetings. For more information, call 619.298.0511 or visit www.handlery.com/sd.

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Meetings West is now available in Digital Format!

Each issue contains content unavailable in our monthly print issues, so be sure to log in. Our additional format allows us to augment the ink-and-paper effort with a variety of expanded features along with active URLs and other interactive features. This digital distribution channel can also be shared electronically through the Internet, which opens up a whole new world of readers—participants, really—for all of our content. This month's issue features an On Location interview with MPI chief Bruce MacMillan at MeetDifferent in Cancun by Maria Lenhart, content director, features, for Meetings Media. The video coverage continues in the Colorado section with a segment featuring Zack Strober, with Denver DMC The Arrangers, who fills planners in on some key off-site opportunities in The Mile High City’s vibrant LoDo district, such as pub crawls, progressive dinners and the recent availability of the historic clock tower on the 16th Street Mall for events.

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Short Takes

· The Sunset Strip turns 75 this year and in celebration the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard is getting a Hollywood-style makeover. The Strip became part of West Hollywood, Calif., when the city incorporated in 1984, and the city’s beautification efforts this year will include landscaping, resurfacing and many enhancements to the pedestrian experience. Set at the base of L.A.’s Hollywood Hills, The Strip is home to many of the city’s most historic live music clubs, such as The Roxy, Whisky-a-Go-Go, House of Blues and Viper Room. For more information, call 310.289.2525 or visit www.visitwesthollywood.com.

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Meetings Media's 2010 Best of the West
Your Vote Counts! Vote now for your favorite properties in the West.

Meetings Media's 2010 Best of the West Ballot is waiting for you here: www.meetingstoday.com/BestOf. Select the top 15 hotels and resorts that went that extra mile—the ones that offered the best in rooms, value, service, F&B, amenities and activities. It's all up to you, so we need your help! All registered voters can be entered into a drawing for a new Amazon Kindle. Your fellow planners value your input and so do we, so give your favorite properties some love! Voting takes just a minute. What are you waiting for?

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