 |  | Group Business Regains Its Mojo
Record demand for the U.S. hotel industry has been well documented, but until now the shortcomings in group business have cast a slight pall over even the most optimistic observers.... Read more >>
Upgraded Meeting Space Comes to W New York
W New York has announced the complete redesign of its eight meeting and event spaces, including the hotel’s signature 3,690 square foot Great Room. Inspired by the dualities of the New York landscape... Read more >>
Historic D.C. Event Space Completes Renovation
Events DC, the convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, has announced the completion of renovations to the Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. As a complement to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center... Read more >>
Miami Resort Project Plans Downsized
Even without casino gambling, the Genting Group said it is moving ahead with a dramatically scaled down mixed-use plan for Resorts World Miami.... Read more >>
| Baltimore/Eastern Shore
Perhaps impervious to the economic downturn, Baltimore and the surrounding areas have been growing like gangbusters... Read more >> | Massachusetts
From Boston to the Berkshires to Cape Cod, Massachusetts is made up of distinct locales with undeniable charms. Likewise, the outdoor adventures available in each of the state’s group-friendly areas are wonderfully unique... Read more >> | Toronto
It’s been 13 years since I last visited Toronto, but despite several trips here in dot-com days, we never properly met... Read more >> | Upstate New York/ Adirondacks
Long a center of innovation and industry, as well as an outdoor mecca and cultural hub, Upstate New York provides a colorful and contrasting mix of sites and attractions... Read more >> | | 
| Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort |  | Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort is an easy two-hour drive from Baltimore, Washington and Pittsburgh areas. Our Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course is a challenging venue with five sets of tees. The Garden Spa is a European style spa featuring traditional therapies such as the Signature Massage or Warm Stone Massage, along with herbal and aromatherapy manicures, pedicures and European facials. Our lakeside lodge features 220 luxurious rooms, 2 restaurants, and indoor pool pavilion. | | | To learn more, click here. |
|  | Hyatt kick-starts growth of quirky Andaz brand
Hyatt’s boutique-inspired Andaz brand is gaining a substantial global presence through recent conversions and a re-energized pipeline that will see a doubling of the collection’s size s... Read more >>
Westin Set to Add 11 New Hotels in 2012
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced its Westin brand is on track to open its 200th hotel in the next 12 months, propelled by strong growth across Asia Pacific... Read more >>
TripAdvisor launches money-back hotel booking site Tingo
Another dip into the world of hotel bookings for TripAdvisor with the launch of Tingo, a new site which automatically refunds users the difference if the price drops.... Read more >>
Hilton Continues Growth in Mexico, Latin America in 2012
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is opening two compelling properties in Latin America and Mexico in 2012, and recently welcomed Hilton Bogota located in the vibrant capital city of Colombia.... Read more >>
| Repeat Business
It wasn’t long ago, with the AIG Effect in full swing, that resort and spa meetings were seen as frivolous—to the point of being a nearly taboo subject.
But with the economy in apparent recovery, and groups perhaps discovering greater values in resort stays, the situation appears to be in full turnaround. Meetings Focus East checked in with some top resort spas—and a high-caliber corporate sales executive—to get a pulse of the current trends. Here’s what we found:
MASS APPEAL
“We are seeing the return of corporate groups that were reluctant to come to a resort property over the past several years,” says Dawn Ramsey-Jacobsson, director of sales at the historic Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Lenox, Mass. “They realize our rates are competitive with properties that don’t provide what we offer. We are even seeing meeting planners book more team-building and educational events built around spa/wellness and recreational activities, like golf,” she says...
Read more >>
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• Tips and trends that give you an edge in the world of meeting planning.
• Updates on programs and packages that will directly help your client’s or company’s bottom line. | | | Now available in digital, subscribe now. |  |  | Westin Expansion
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced its Westin brand is on track to open its 200th hotel in the next 12 months, propelled by strong growth across Asia Pacific. .... Read more >>
Tuning Up on Singer Island
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced that its $8 million re-design of the Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront Resort is now complete. The renovation and re-design repositions the well-located beachfront property to better serve... Read more >>
What’s Cooking in SoCal?
For small groups looking for some classy cooking fun, “PREP.COOK.DINE” at W Los Angeles – Westwood is beginning next month. Whether looking to celebrate a special occasion or just coordinate.... Read more >>
Regal Revamp
With a $50 million renovation to be completed this spring, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., is taking the meeting and group experience to new levels.... Read more >>
| Site Scene
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel completed a four-year, $30 million renovation and now offers a variety of updated meeting spaces, including the new Harbor View Ballroom, which can fit up to 200 guests, the Grand Ballroom and the Palm Garden... Read more >>
Toronto Eats
Belgian waffles at Le Petit Dejeuner or steamed buns at Bannock’s? How about an event at the Market Kitchen’s Miele Gallery at the historic St. Lawrence Market, one of the world’s greatest food halls? Toronto hotel concierges and locals on the street were quick to point out the tastiest spots during my recent visit, including favorites like the Carousel Bakery at St. Lawrence Market, reportedly the go-to place for the city’s signature peameal bacon sandwich.
While the list of suggestions was endless, here are four establishments I did experience, and they are all prime... Read more >>
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| | March 26, 2012 |  | | | | | | |  | | Click the map below to search articles, destinations and meeting facilities by state or region. |  | |  | | “Is meeting planning the top job in the U.S...?” |  | | |
