November 4, 2010

Voters Nix SF Hotel Tax Increase

Meetings Focus - the Destination Experts

november 4, 2010


Voters Nix SF Hotel Tax Increase San Francisco voters rejected a hotel tax increase measure that would have raised the city's hotel tax by two points to 17.5 percent, making it the highest in the nation. Read more
Hawaii Sees Rebound in Hotel Occupancy Hawaii's statewide hotel occupancy rate rose to 71.2 percent during the first nine months of 2010, a gain of 6 percentage points from the same period last year, according to a report from Honolulu-based Hospitality Advisors. Read more »
Tucson Council Rejects Convention Hotel The Tucson City Council unanimously voted down a proposal to build a publicly financed convention center hotel. Read more »
Hotel Bel Air to Reopen Next Summer The Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles will reopen in summer 2011, following nearly two years of renovation and redesign. Read more »

Calgary Meetings and Conventions
	From the magnificent Canadian Rocky Mountain backdrop, to our status as one of the most economically successful cities in Canada, Calgary, Alberta, is a world-class meeting and convention destination. Meetings and Conventions Calgary offers value-added services free of charge to assist you in choosing Calgary for your meeting or conference. We have been established through a partnership between Tourism Calgary, the Calgary Hotel Association and the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre.
Learn more online at www.meetingscalgary.com.

		Across the Borders Neighborly Get-Togethers
		By PAUL D. KRETKOWSKI
		Every schoolchild knows that Canada and Mexico are the United States' closest neighbors; the three nations share borders, populations and even economies, since Canada and Mexico are two of America's three largest trading partners (the third being China).
What's not as well-known is that meeting across the borders is nearly as easy as getting together in the U.S. While American citizens now need passports to visit Canada and Mexico, this shouldn't be a problem for planners and attendees who think ahead—and the passport process may even add to the allure of "foreign" destinations that are remarkably close to home. Read more Across the Borders ...

ME Cancun
	The cuisine, the music, the setting, the vibe. Put it all together and you have Complete ME, the new, exclusively all-inclusive way to enjoy the Complete Experience as a registered guest of ME Cancun. It's all one could ask for, all for one price. Take your next meeting or incentive group to ME Cancun and experience the difference.
For more information, visit www.me-cancun.com.

Career Forum

Enhance Your Personal Brand by Cultivating Supplier Relationships

By SHERYL SOOKMAN SCHELTER

One of a meeting planner's primary responsibilities is to manage the logistics of his or her meetings or events. To accomplish this, a planner must work with different suppliers that provide the products or services required to implement each logistical element of a program.

The way in which you interact with your suppliers can affect the delivery of the product or service to your attendees.

Read more Career Forum »

Site Scene

Arizona

The Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa in Litchfield Park recently broke ground on a multimillion-dollar rejuvenation project and will return to its original name, The Wigwam, under new ownership when the project is complete in December. Originally opened in 1929, The Wigwam spans some 450 acres and offers 331 guest rooms, including 72 suites. The redesign will add several new outdoor gardens, a community courtyard and various al fresco entertainment and dining areas complete with fire pits and fountains. The resort is home to 54 holes of championship golf and 43,000 square feet of indoor meeting space. For more information, call 623.935.3811.

Read more Site Scene »

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Voters Nix SF Hotel Tax Increase

Across the Borders

Neighborly Get-Togethers

By PAUL D. KRETKOWSKI