The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis debuted a new look with the unveiling of a transformed Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge and upgraded new Club Level accommodations. A remastered Ritz-Carlton Suite has also debuted, emphasizing breakthrough technologies, a flexible new layout and striking new aesthetics for business retreats, events and VIP stays. The recent hotel enhancements all share in telling an emotional art and architecture story which honors the city of St. Louis, its local artists, and the dreams inspired by the area’s own natural and visual surroundings.

AC Hotel Grand Rapids Downtown opened its doors steps from the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Convention Center. The modern, design-driven brand from Marriott International is the first to open in Michigan. The 130-room hotel transformed a historic 127-year old warehouse into a haven for entrepreneurial-minded travelers, featuring minimalist design details and the building’s original brick facade.

The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort completed its comprehensive $320 million transformation project. The resort, which is situated on three miles of Gulf-front beach, introduced the new Lanai Tower with more than 100,000 square feet of technologically integrated meeting and event space, new culinary concepts and a 12,000-square-foot entertainment center. There are also reimagined historic Lanai Suites and the debut of the "Paradise by Sirene" experience, a curated escape exclusively for adults.

New Jersey will be the first state in the U.S. to require hotels to provide panic buttons for workers. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill June 11, 2019, that will require hotels with 100 guest rooms or more to equip hotel workers with wearable panic buttons, or employee safety devices (ESD), which can be pressed to get help in an emergency.

Montana has plenty of wide-open spaces, including nine National Park Service areas, so it’s no surprise that infusing wellness and relaxation into a meetings retreat is not hard in Big Sky County. From relaxing at natural hot springs to equestrian therapy, here are four places where groups can take advantage of the state’s beauty and nature.

The Hotel Zags Portland, previously Hotel Modera, opened in downtown Portland. The 174-room hotel underwent a full renovation, transformation and rebranding. The property is now the sixth “Z Hotel” in the “Unofficial Z Collection,” the company’s individually curated portfolio of urban lifestyle hotels, and the first Z Hotel located outside of San Francisco.

At the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina groups can now get a taste of San Diego’s diverse culinary scene without leaving the property. Neighborhood is a new food and beverage program for meetings and events inspired by the flavors, local specialties and cultural offerings of San Diego’s neighborhoods.

In the first installment of "Meetings Horror Stories" we heard from planners and industry veterans about what can go wrong when your CEO wants to make an entrance on a horse, why releasing live doves at your event might not be the best idea and why if it's not on the menu ... it's probably not what you think!

Aventri, the event management software company, published its 2019 report of Top Meeting and Event Venues in the United States.

MGM Resorts International confirmed another round of layoffs on Thursday, May 30, 2019. A letter to employees announced that 557 positions were eliminated. This second round of cuts follows the elimination of 2,054 management positions in April 2019.