Destination Dispatch
- The new Dream Racing program at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway allows participants to experience the thrill of driving like a professional in a speedy Ferrari F430 GT. Dream Racing can accommodate groups and offers customization options. For more information, call 702.599.5199 or visit www.dreamracing.com/experience.
- The Former Hotel Hana Maui is now the Travaasa Hana. Located on the eastern tip of Maui, resort accommodations include luxurious cabins and suits. Regional cuisine, locally inspired spa treatments and cultural activities contribute to the Hawaiian experience. For more information, visit www.travaasa.com/hana.
- The Los Angeles CVB, formerly LA INC, changed its name to the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. The repositioning strategy included a new logo and aims to more clearly state the industries served and avoid confusion among the city’s more than 5 million international visitors. For more information, visit www.discoverlosangeles.com.
Tech Update
- San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency Embarcadero and AVT Event Technologies upgraded the hotel’s Internet offerings in an effort to better accommodate travelers’ personal electronic devices and meet planners’ growing event technology needs while satisfying large bandwidth requirements. The Hyatt Regnecy features 67,000 square feet of event space and 35 meeting rooms, which are now equipped Cat6E ports and a fiberoptic, 100Mbps Internet circuit. For more information, call 415.788.1234 or visit www.sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com.
Programs and Packages
- Red Lion Hotels is offering zero attrition to planners booking new meeting, convention and group business consumed by the end of the year. The Red Lion network consists of 48 hotels in nine states and one Canadian province, totaling 9,010 rooms and 452,387 square feet of meeting space. For more information, visit www.redlion.com.
- Bentley Reserve Conference Center in San Francisco’s Financial District offers cutting-edge iPad meeting technology, allowing for seamless management of projectors, sound, lighting and even windows. The 8,000-square-foot Banking Hall, with a 650-person reception capacity, is the largest of six meeting rooms offering high-end virtual meeting and videoconferencing capabilities. For more information, call 415.294.2226 or visit www.bentlyreserve.com.
- Planners who book a British Columbia event in 2012 through Tourism Richmond can receive up to a $2,012 credit toward their final master folio. RFPs for qualifying new events and conferences must be submitted through Tourism Richmond’s online RFP form and be actualized by March 31, 2013. Richmond is home to Vancounver International Airport. For more information, visit www.tourismrichmond.com.
- Seattle’s “quintessentially Northwest” Cedarbrook Lodge is offering a relaxing Sweet Dreams program, which includes a selection from a custom pillow menu, valet parking, mineral water and petit fours. Cedarbrook offers complete meetings packages and numerous events venues including the Copperleaf Restaurant. The lodge is located five minutes from Seattle Tacoma International Airport, yet is set among restored natural wetlands. For more information, call 877.515.2176 or visit www.cedarbrooklodge.com.