Programs & Packages
- Waldorf Astoria’s Boca Beach Club in Boca Raton, Fla. began a Kite Concierge program for guests. Led by Randy Lowe, a well-known local kite expert, the weekend program will help guests select the perfect kite to fly on the beach. For more information, call 888.564.1312 or visit www.bocabeachclub.com.
- New Orleans Marriott now offers group cooking classes. Led by the hotel’s executive chef, Mark Quitney, groups from 20-100 can learn how to incorporate the flavors of New Orleans into their cooking. Classes include a cocktail toast, salad creation, a main dish featuring Gulf Coast seafood, desert and a wine pairing with each course. A take-home gift of a cookbook, apron, paring knife or chocolate can be added on. The French Quarter hotel offers 80,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 27,000-square-foot ballroom, and recently underwent a $5 million restoration. For more information, call 504.553.5520 or visit www.neworleansmarriott.com.
Destination Dispatch
- Frontier Airlines is adding three nonstop routes to Orlando from Bloomington/Normal, Ill, and Harrisburg and Allentown, Pa. The Bloomington route will operate three days a week beginning May 25. A new US Airways daily flight will connect Jackson, Miss. and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.media.frontierairlines.com or www.usairways.com.
Kudos
- InterContinental Miami partnered with Greenlight Energy to purchase 15,467,000 kilowatt-hours of wind power in 2012 as part of a corporate sustainability strategy. The wind energy will power 100 percent of the property and the EPA estimates that the hotel will avoid producing approximately 10,665 metric tons of carbon dioxide, the annual equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 2,000 passenger vehicles. For more information, call 305.577.1000 or visit www.icmiamihotel.com or www.gltenergy.com.
- Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway earned LEED Silver certification. The 403-room hotel locally sources 20 percent of its supplies, monitors its indoor air quality and offers green meeting options. A white roof reduces the property’s heat absorption and energy use. For more information, call 404.766.7900 or visit www.marriott.com.