Arizona Cancellations Raise Contract Issues

Seattle Area
Sound Investment

by HUNTER HOLCOMBE

· As far as reputations go, the Seattle area has long been a city of epic and omnipresent icons: the Space Needle, Microsoft, Boeing, Mount Rainier, Starbucks, Amazon. Throw in major draws like the stunning Puget Sound, Pike Place Market, a booming culinary and arts scene, and being the launching pad for Alaska cruises, and it is surprising how many Americans have yet to experience the "Emerald City."

For planners of both corporate and association groups, however, this pervading newness is proving a major boon in drawing attendees to the Northwest and raising the level of enthusiasm. And with impressive changes in downtown Seattle and adjacent Bellevue, those who knew the area just a few years ago are in for an entirely new experience.

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Sponsor

Northern Quest Resort & Casino

Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the inland Pacific Northwest’s newest destination resort, is the ideal location for meetings and groups from 10 to 1,200. Located just outside of Spokane, Wash., the resort features over 22,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including conference rooms totaling 16,000 square feet, the largest of which is an 11,000-square-foot ballroom. Northern Quest Resort & Casino also has 14 restaurants and lounges, a 14,000-square-foot spa, a world class casino and state-of-the-art integrated technology throughout the property.

For more information, contact Hotel Group Sales at (877) 323-9827 or (509) 481-6010. Or visit us online at www.northernquest.com.

Happenings – Seattle Area

· The new Hyatt at Olive 8 (206.695.1234; www.olive8.hyatt.com) opened in downtown Seattle in January of last year. The $175 million project includes 346 guest rooms, 231 condominiums and 11,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. The property, located one block from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, earned Silver LEED certification.

· Four Seasons Hotel Seattle (206.749.7000; www.fourseasons.com/seattle) recently opened in downtown Seattle. With 134 guest rooms and 13 suites, as well as 7,500 square feet of meeting space, the luxury property also offers an outdoor pool overlooking Elliott Bay.

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Sponsor

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Get more for your meeting. Give more to your community. Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Pepsi have teamed up to provide more value for your meeting and an opportunity to give back to your community. Book your meeting by July 31, 2010, for a 4 percent credit to the master, a complimentary food & beverage break, bonus Starpoints^® and a chance to win one of four $50,000 charitable grants to be donated to your favorite local cause.

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Short Takes

Programs & Packages

· Honolulu’s Outrigger Reef on the Beach and Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach are offering new hotel conference packages designed for meetings and events. At Outrigger Reef on the Beach through Dec. 21 groups can use the conference facilities and include a continental breakfast, a lunch buffet and two refreshment breaks for a flat fee of $50 per person. Combining the Voyager Conference Room with the outdoor Voyager Deck offers more than 6,000 square feet of oceanfront space. The Diamond Head Terrace meeting rooms can accommodate anywhere from 30 to 200 people. The conference package at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is also a flat fee of $50 per person and includes a continental breakfast plus a lunch buffet. Meeting venues at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach include the Kalakaua Room with 740 square feet of space and the Leahi Room, with a total of 1,350 square feet. For more information, call Outrigger Reef on the Beach at 808.923.3111 or Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach at 808.923.0711, or visit www.outrigger.com.

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Meetings West is now available in digital format!

This month’s issue offers up two tasty interviews with Shirley Fong-Torres, who operates San Francisco’s Wok Wiz, a company specializing in walking tours and culinary experiences in Chinatown. Content Director, Features Maria Lenhart chats with Fong-Torres about the history and colorful cultural diversions of Chinatown and then joins her to discuss the finer points of dim sum at a local eatery.

Click here to view our Meetings West digital edition.