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PCMA announced a reorganization aimed at aligning the activities of the PCMA Education Foundation and PCMA. The reorganization consolidates the top positions of the Foundation and PCMA education into one post to be headed by current PCMA executive team member Brad Lewis. In addition, the new 2011-2013 PCMA strategic plan will become more member- and education-focused.

According to the association, PCMA’s revitalized education focus is reflected in the new Annual Meeting Program Committee structure, designed to deliver higher-level education on topics of crucial interest to PCMA’s membership and the industry. This is coupled with what the association describes as redoubled efforts to focus on the critical skills needed for members to excel in the meetings industry and to develop their careers.

The effort stems from the new PCMA 2011-2013 strategic plan. The updated key tenets focused on PCMA members and industry education are “Educating Our Profession,” “Building Community,” Leading the Industry” and “Achieving Financial and Operational Success.”

“We believe having the PCMA Education Foundation and the PCMA education department strategically aligned under singular leadership is a very smart move,” said Deborah Sexton, president and CEO of PCMA and the PCMA Education Foundation. “This move allows the Foundation not to miss a beat while energizing the continued, renewed focus on education we’re always trying to do at PCMA.”

The elevation of Lewis to this new role has created other staff changes and promotions at PCMA.

Robert Zak, director of marketing and communications, will now serve as senior director of marketing and communications. Kristin Crane, manager of education, will now become director of education. PCMA team members Stacey Shafer and Erin Shamus will also take on additional foundation responsibilities.

To help build upon the “Building Community” tenet of the new strategic plan, Dorothy Kolpak, formerly a 24-year veteran with Sonesta Hotels and Resorts, was hired as associate director of membership development.

For more information about PCMA and the PCMA Education Foundation, visit pcma.org.

The Scottsdale CVB announced a new ad that was designed based on a survey of meeting planners.

“The ad shows meeting planners that they can create a program that’s unique, motivational and memorable here,” said Renee Angeles, director of sales and services at the Scottsdale CVB.

The ad features a backdrop with images of the Sonoran Desert. Messaging for the marketing piece was crafted using research findings from Metropoll XIII, a survey of planners about 40 destinations in the U.S. and Canada. The CVB hopes the ad illustrates meeting planners’ view of Scottsdale as a friendly and beautiful community.

Omni Hotels and Resorts announced it is acquiring Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Fla.

Omni will pay $67.1 million for the resort located 29 miles north of Jacksonville. The plan is to eventually add 125 guest rooms and a new 16,000-square-foot ballroom to the resort, which already features 50,000 square feet of meeting space, the 259-room Amelia Inn, the Villas of Amelia, a spa and golf courses. Omni expects to take possession of the property this fall.

Courtyard by Marriott at Harrison Square is up and running here.

The hotel includes 250 rooms, a business library, a home theater area and a 24-hour coffee shop. The hotel also includes two eateries. A patio area offers outdoor wicker couches and chairs and several fire pits.

The hotel also features seven meeting rooms, including the 3,959-square-foot Legacy Ballroom.

The Peacock Inn, Princeton’s first boutique hotel, is up and running.

The property is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The hotel’s building dates back to the 1700s, but it has been operating as an inn since 1911. The inn has welcomed such guests as Albert Einstein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The property’s 16 guest rooms include flat-screen televisions and complimentary Internet access.

Element Houston Vintage Park is the state’s first LEED-certified hotel.

The property recently earned LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED distinction follows a pair of prestigious local awards for the property. The Houston Business Journal recognized the hotel with a prize as Houston's best green project and another as the city's best hospitality venture. The hotel recently installed a charging station for electric cars, which Element has been rolling out at properties nationwide, and features bamboo landscaping.

Amelia Island Plantation launched its new “Natural Choice” meeting program for 2011.

The offer includes a 30 percent discount on airport transportation, 25 percent off group team-building activities at the resort, a free one-hour welcome reception, a 25 percent audiovisual discount, 30 percent off group golf greens fees, 30 percent allowable attrition and 15 percent off published banquet menu pricing.

The program applies to new group bookings for 2011 on stays of two nights or more, with a minimum of 20 rooms per night. For more information, call 904.261.6161 or visit www.aipfl.com.

Benchmark Hospitality International released its Top Ten Beverage Trends for 2010. The beverage trends were released in response to requests following the distribution of the company’s popular annual dining trends.

“This is an exciting time for the beverage industry, with lots of positive changes occurring,” said Mary Watson-DeLauder, chief sommelier for Benchmark Hospitality International.  “Some of the changes are economically driven, some taste oriented and still others created out of necessity in response to changing palates and a new generation of consumers.”

The top ten trends are:

1.       Unoaked chardonnays are replacing the big oak wines of the past. Several wineries have backed off on oak completely to focus more attention on the fruit characteristics of the chardonnay grape.

2.       Sauvignon Blanc continues to gain popularity, with New Zealand leading the pack. California, Virginia, Chile and South Africa are producing great examples of this wine as well.

3.       More obscure grape varieties like Torrontes, Bonarda, Carmenere, Albarino and Chenin Blanc are being embraced today. These also tend to be less expensive alternatives.

4.       Champagne sales are down this year, but sales of sparkling wines are up. New and innovative cocktails and punches are making great use of these less expensive sparkling wines.

5.       Sangria is making a comeback – often mixing in less expensive wines currently on the market.

6.       Basic cocktails like martinis, mojitos, margaritas and sidecars are being revamped with fresh new ingredients such as herbs, spices, and unusual fruits and vegetables. House-made simple syrups are being infused with herbs and spices.

7.       Novelty is important. Bars are finding contemporary ways to serve traditional cocktails including, for example, wine popsicles.

8.       Beer dinners are growing in popularity, demonstrating the compatibility of beer with food. Beer is also working its way into cocktails, such as with beer margaritas.

9.       The slow food movement now includes enjoying locally produced beverages. All 50 states have at least one winery, and most produce herbs and spices for flavoring cocktails, vodkas and rums.

10.   The popularity of wine and wine-pairing classes is gaining for groups.

The new $40 million Cultural Pavilion of the Republic is planned for Los Cabos.

The facility, located along the Cabo San Lucas Marina, will be comprised of six buildings upon completion and will showcase art, music and dance from the region. The Arts and Biodiversity Pavilion, the first of several buildings to open to the public, is slated to be unveiled this fall. Once completed, the Cultural Pavilion will feature theaters, shopping centers, cinemas, a museum, a library and restaurants.

For more information, call the Los Cabos CVB at 866.LOS.CABOS or visit www.loscaboscvb.com

Resort at Squaw Creek launched a new offer for groups with the major incentive of free lift tickets or free rounds of golf, depending on the season,

The "Ski-Ride-Drive for Free" offer is available for new meetings with 150 or more total room nights and is valid for dates through Dec. 15, 2011. The program must be booked by Dec. 15, 2010. Ski lift tickets are offered for either Squaw Valley USA or Alpine Meadows. The resort also offers the ski choice with an Olympian program, with the opportunity to take a tour with a past U.S. Ski Team member from the region.

For more information, call 530.583.6300 or visit www.visitsquawcreek.com.

The Westin Santa Fe, Mexico City recently opened in the heart of the Santa Fe business district.

The 265-room hotel is part of Park Plaza, the city’s newest, upscale mixed-use development. Each guest room offers high-speed Internet access. Other amenities include a 24-hour gym, an outdoor pool and a top-floor spa. The hotel also offers nearly 14,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including a ballroom and meetings rooms and catering and event planning services.

Four Seasons Hotel Denver is set to open this fall.

The hotel will feature 239 rooms, a third-floor pool with indigenous trees and stones, a fitness facility, a spa, a steakhouse and many other amenities.

The hotel will also include 17,000 square feet of meeting space on the second floor. The meeting space features an airy pre-function area, the 5,200-square-foot Grand ballroom and the 3,420 square-foot Cottonwood ballroom. Both ballrooms can be divided into two, and both feature floor-to-ceiling windows. The pool terrace can be used for outdoor receptions and events. Custom menus can be designed and prepared by executive chef Simon Purvis.

CostaBaja Resort & Spa is set to open here in November.

The 115-room resort, set on the Sea of Cortez, will offer a selection of ocean, mountain, golf course and marina views. The hotel will feature a spa, two signature restaurants, two pools, a beach club, and a golf course. The property will also include event space for corporate retreats and other group functions. The ballroom can also be divided into three different spaces for smaller functions.

Crowne Plaza Syracuse Downtown opened following an extensive renovation.

Improvements at the property include upgrades to rooms.

The 279-room hotel includes 12,500 square feet of meeting space that can host up to 200 people. Guests can enjoy panoramic views of downtown from the 20th-floor Horizons room. The hotel includes a three-meal restaurant, Redfield’s, as well as the Library Lounge, which serves cocktails and light fare.

Nashville’s convention hotel will be an Omni, and it is slated to debut in 2013.

The Omni Nashville Hotel will include about 800 rooms and more than 80,000 square feet of meeting space. It will open across the street from the city’s new 1.2 million-square-foot Music City Center that will open in early 2013. The hotel is expected to open a little later.

The hotel is also expected to include several restaurants, bars and lounges; retail space; a pool; a fitness center; and a Mokara Spa. The hotel will be situated steps from the new Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings National Pre-Show Survey respondents say they feel increased pressure to show success and ROI of an event.

Sixty percent of meeting planners attending the 21st Annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings National Conference & Exposition Sept. 8-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., said they feel pressured to show metrics to management that display success.

These findings also remain consistent with findings from the pre-show surveys conducted prior to this year’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America and West. The specific outcomes requested by meeting planners expecting to attend the show fell into three categories: event satisfaction rate, attendance-repeat attendance rates and metrics related to net revenue.

Also according to the conference’s survey, respondents feel technology is most helpful in the planning industry for online registrations, social networking, eRFPs, e-mail blasts, marketing, blogs, conducting virtual meetings and utilizing e-commerce through online stores. Respondents suggested that technology saves time and enhances organization, while at the same time streamlines business processes, more accurately capturing or manipulating information and allowing a database of legacy data to be built. It also allows a wider audience to be reached, they said.

The James New York is slated for a Sept. 1 opening.

The newly built hotel, located at 27 Grand Street on the corner of Grand and Thompson streets, features 114 rooms and suites.

Highlights include an S-curve glass Sky Lobby featuring textiles and unique lighting; a tri-level urban garden (with a 100-seat garden bar and restaurant food and beverage programming beginning in spring 2011); a rooftop pool deck and bar with 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline; and many other amenities.

Also, the hotel’s art curator, Matt Jensen, located emerging artistic talent to participate in The James Corridor Arts program. The art collection is featured in a number of spaces at the hotel.

Organizers of IMEX America announced they plan to offer two free Wild Card places for the show’s launch next year in Las Vegas.

The IMEX Americas Wild Card program is now open to applications from emerging destinations, or new venues in those destinations, that have not previously attended an international trade show within the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. To qualify to enter, destinations from North America, South America or the Caribbean must be able to prove they can support business from the sector. Winners of each of the Wild Card places will have the chance to exhibit at a dedicated Wild Card booth at the Las Vegas show and receive a free support package that includes complimentary accommodation, as well as extensive pre-show marketing advice from a dedicated IMEX America advisor.

The first IMEX America will take place at the Sands Expo at the Venetian/Palazzo, Las Vegas Oct. 11-13, 2011. The closing date for entries is June 1, 2011. To apply, visit www.imexamerica.com/wildcardamericas.html.

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago recently debuted an in-room dining menu that is certified organic by Oregon Tilth, an international organic certification organization.

It is the first hotel in North America to provide an all-organic menu, created and cooked from local and sustainable farmers. The room-service menu is divided into five categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night snacks and spa dining. The in-room dining menu specifically features 10 certified organic dishes.

Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort launched its “Get Three, Pick Three” package for any new booking of 10 rooms or more.

The offer includes complimentary meeting space, a complimentary villa for every 20 rooms occupied and a complimentary suite upgrade. Meeting planners then “Pick Three” from among these six options:

VIP arrival amenities, up to a 50 percent discount off regular program rates for staff rooms, 20 percent discount off standard audiovisual pricing, up to 20 percent nightly attrition, reduced resort fee and up to a 50 percent discount off golf rates.

Meeting must be completed by Dec. 20.

For more information about the package, call 407.239.1915 or 800.835.7377, or send an e-mail to sales@grandcypress.com.

Construction of the long-delayed Washington Marriott Marquis hotel is on track to begin in October.

The $550 million hotel is a public-private project that was originally promised when the convention center broke ground in 1998. The 14-story hotel will include 1,160 rooms and will comprise more than 1 million square feet. The years of delay had been prolonged by the credit crisis.

Officials said they expect the hotel to open in late 2013, with vast blocks of rooms reserved for convention goers.

Dolce Hotels and Resorts recently implemented SpeedRFP, an online RFP tool that enables meeting planners to solicit bids from multiple hotels across multiple brands.

SpeedRFP lets planners enter their organization’s information and details about their prospective meeting using a standardized format and then submit that information to the Dolce property of their choice at www.dolce-speedrfp.com.

SpeedRFP soon will be integrated with MeetingBroker, a management software developed by Newmarket International that forwards RFPs to the sales force automation systems of hotels, resorts and other meeting venues.

The Kimberly Hotel here recently renovated its meeting space and added a new fitness room.

The 188-room hotel’s third floor meeting space received a new look and updated meetings technology, while a new fitness room was introduced on the second floor. Visitors to The Kimberly have always had complimentary use of the New York Health & Racquet Club’s facilities.

The hotel also features The Upstairs, a recently constructed rooftop bar and lounge, with views of the Chrysler building and other New York City landmarks. The space features a glass canopy, retractable ceiling and heated floors.

ASAE’s 2010 Annual Meeting & Exposition, held next to the new LA Live entertainment district Aug. 21-24 at the Los Angeles Convention Center here, demonstrated some positive signs both for the association and the meetings and conventions industry.

According to John H. Graham IV, CAE, president and CEO of ASAE, the meeting attracted approximately 5,300 participants, which represented an increase approaching 30 percent over last year’s number of registrants.

The buyer-seller ratio was also impressive, coming in at 60 percent buyers to 40 percent sellers, although because of the demographics of the association’s members, not all buyer-side attendees are considered decision-making buyers.

“Face-to-face attendance is up,” Graham said. “Clearly, some of the people I’m talking to say their attendance is up to 2008 levels.”

Although Graham may be seeing an increase in face-to-face attendance, he said the association was hoping for more virtual customers to take part in the 2010 annual meeting.

“We were disappointed that we only had 213 people participate virtually,” he said. “We thought it would be higher.”

Graham did note that about half of the people who paid to participate in the virtual program had representatives from their organizations in attendance, however.

In what he described as a key indicator of the improving health of the industry, Graham also noted an increase in posting on ASAE’s job board, and while the “position wanted” numbers were not quite at pre-recession levels, they are rapidly climbing.

This year’s conference marked the beginning of a new core brand for ASAE, which in previous years went by the moniker ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership and ASAE and The Center.

According to Graham, the move will improve the name recognition of the association and also improve the fundraising capabilities of its renamed ASAE Foundation.

Major initiatives announced at the meeting include: separate subgroups handling small-staff associations (fewer than 10 members) and secondary associations (30 or more members);  the hiring of an account representative for large-staff associations to help with issues such as career advancement and training; an expansion into the Pacific Rim region; and a move to offer four editions of a digital publication, while lessening the frequency of its print publication to 10 times per year.

The association announced it is relaunching its website to be more user-friendly, and it also has produced a mobile application named MY ASAE that is available in Apple’s App Store.

An extensive renovation of Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa is expected to be completed in December.

One of Phoenix’s first resorts, the Wigwam recently marked 80 years. The project will return many of the elements from the resort’s beginnings in 1929. The resort will welcome a new main pool, to include adult/kids zones with waterslides; a new entrance and arrival zone; a social lawn for croquet and bocce ball; an outdoor plaza for dining and entertainment.

New restaurants, influenced by celebrity chef Chris Bianco, will also be added.

The resort features three golf courses, an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and 43,000 square feet of meeting space.

Club Med Ixtapa Pacific debuted new meeting facilities.

The Ixtapa Conference Facilities include more than 6,500 square feet of multifunctional meeting space, able to accommodate up to 600 guests. Resort amenities include 298 guest rooms, four restaurants, water sports, spa treatments and live evening entertainment.

The GuestHouse Inn & Suites Kellogg recently debuted.

The hotel had previously been operating as the Silver Valley Inn. The property features 60 guest rooms including four suites. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, free Internet access and a business center. There is also space for small meetings.

The SLS South Beach is expected to debut in 2012 at the former Ritz Plaza South Beach.

The hotel will features design ingenuity of French architect Philippe Starck, the culinary talent of celebrity chef Jose Andres and a sushi restaurant from sushi master Katsuya Uechi. The property, which was originally built in 1939, is the tallest Art Deco structure in South Beach.

The hotel is expected to include Ciel Spa and Hyde Lounge. The plan also includes the construction of 10 new pool-side bungalow suites. Meeting space is planned as well, steps from the Atlantic Ocean.

Hilton Anatole will debut its redesigned Atrium II space later this fall.

The project converts the 31,000-square-foot space into a park-like, landscaped garden with a large reflecting pool and a pavilion for meetings or private events. The centerpiece is a large-scale kinetic sculpture called Nebula, which will be suspended over a 110-foot-high space. The piece is the work of San Francisco-based artist Reuben Margolin, and it’s fashioned from 10 miles of aircraft cable, 1,780 pulleys and more than 4,500 amber crystals. 

The Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel is undergoing a $31 million renovation and is also offering its Everything Miami meetings package.

To be eligible for the offer, groups must require 50 room nights or more. The offer includes a complimentary reception for up to 380 guests on a luxury charter yacht, as well as Marriott Rewards points, 35 percent allowable attrition—one per 35 comp rooms—and a 2 percent rebate off the master bill for any group over 100 room nights. The offer is good through Dec. 31.

The renovations at the 600-room property include the addition of a 3,600-square-foot Bay View Ballroom along with a new boardroom to bring the indoor event space to 21,000 square feet.

For more information, call 305.536.6381 or visit www.miamibiscaynebay.com.

The 303-room Wyndham Kingston Jamaica opened in July.

The property is situated on seven-and-a-half acres overlooking Emancipation Park. Amenities include a business center, an Olympic-size outdoor pool, a Jacuzzi and a fitness center. The hotel offers more than 16,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the 10,000-square-foot Grand Independence Ballroom. Complimentary high-speed Internet access is available throughout the hotel.

Meetings are back on the road to recovery, according to a recent forecast from the U.S. Travel Association.

The USTA is predicting a 7 percent increase in meeting and convention spending in 2010, which would amount to nearly $91 billion. This follows a 15 percent decline last year.

Industry consultancies such as Smith Travel Research have also noted an upswing, with the most recent report from the Hendersonville, Tenn.-based company revising its 2010 hotel industry forecast.

The new forecast predicts that RevPAR will increase 4.3 percent for the year, compared to the 3 percent increase it forecast in June. The research firm also revised its occupancy forecast to predict a 4.4 percent increase year over year to 57.1 percent, which is nearly a point better than the 3.6 percent increase forecasted in its June report.

MeetGreen launched an updated version of its Meet Green Calculator, a green meeting measurement tool that originally debuted in 2007.

The tool integrates the APEX/ASTM Green Meetings and Events Standards and the British Standard for Sustainable Events to assess more than 160 event management practices and measurable outcomes related to sustainability across ten key categories.

The calculator captures key performance indicators that can be used to benchmark events and audit the success of event sustainability actions. It has been used by events like Oracle’s OpenWorld and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild.

“It has enabled our clients to take stock of where they are, how they measure up and provide a directional path forward,” said Meet Green principal Amy Spatrisano.

To check out the calculator, visit http://tools.meetgreen.com.

The Ritz-Carlton, owned by Marriott International, Inc., said Thursday that it has appointed Herve Humler as president and chief operations officer.

Humler is one of the original founders of The Ritz-Carlton in 1983. He will also oversee Bulgari Hotels & Resorts. Humler replaces Simon Cooper, who has been named Marriott International's new president and managing director for Asia Pacific.

The Ritz-Carlton operates 76 hotels luxury hotels worldwide.

Carlson Hotels selected the Green Key Eco-Rating program as its preferred green lodging certification program.

Green Key, which ranks, certifies and inspects hotels based on their commitment to sustainable operations and practices, will be a part of the latest installment of Carlson Hotel's Responsible Business initiative to be rolled out in the third quarter of 2010.

The initiative includes Carlson Hotels’ Radisson, Country Inn & Suites By CarlsonSM, Park Inn and Park Plaza brands in the Americas. The company's managed hotels will join the program immediately.  The Radisson brand is planning to have full membership by the end of 2010, with Country Inn & Suites to follow in 2011.

Hotel Indigo East End is up and running here near the  vineyards of Eastern Long Island.

The hotel features 100 rooms and preserves the architecture of the original 1970s building. Oversized graphics highlighting Wine Country and the beach bring the surroundings inside the hotel. The finishes, materials and fabrics have an organic, natural texture, and the wood is inspired by beach driftwood.

The hotel includes Bistro 72 that features locally grown, organic ingredients and regional wines, along with a fitness center, a business center and two meeting rooms totaling 8,000 square feet. The property also features free wired or wireless high-speed internet access.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Oxnard is up and running.

The hotel includes 129 rooms, including eight two-bedroom suites. The property also offers a courtyard, a sports court and barbeque area and other amenities. The hotel features a separate lodge building connected by an enclosed breezeway. This building includes meeting space.

Element Denver Park Meadows earned a LEED Silver certification, making it only the second LEED-certified hotel in Colorado.

The hotel includes 123 rooms and space for small meetings. The property is situated near a light rail line. Colorado's other LEED-certified hotel is another Starwood property, the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon.

Hampton Inn Orange Beach is under construction here and is expected to debut in mid-March of next year.

The nine story, 160-room hotel will feature 5,000 square feet of meeting space that fronts the Gulf and a second floor fitness center with views of the ocean. The beachfront property is directly across from the Shoppes at Palm Pointe. Additional features of the hotel will include garage parking, a zero-entry pool, a pool bar and a dune walk-over that leads to the beach.

The Lodge at Glendorn, a historic estate situated next to the Allegheny National Forest, is undergoing major transformation, and those enhancements are being made over the next two years.

Many of the improvements are already visible, including the addition of horseback riding as a complimentary onsite service for guests, with the addition of stables for six horses and the hiring of a full-time stable master and riding instructor.

The property also completed major upgrades to its wine cellar with the creation of a dining area and a more than five-fold expansion of wines. A family-friendly dining room has also been added, and the fitness center has been upgraded.

All of the private cabins are undergoing major renovations as well, including a large beautiful eight-bedroom cabin that is available for groups.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) will change its name next year to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). The announcement was made during the first general session of the 2010 NBTA International Convention & Exposition held this week in Houston.

“…my primary strategic focus is taking NBTA from being a national organization to being a truly global business group that gives you seamless access to best-in-class resources, information, and the global network you need – anytime, anyplace,” said , Craig Banikowski, NBTA president and CEO.

The NBTA network previously included operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Earlier this year NBTA Europe was formed in partnership with seven groups across the continent, providing NBTA members an expanded network of peers and colleagues in the second largest business travel market.

Michael W. McCormick, NBTA’s executive director said association members would have opportunities to provide input to help shape the new GBTA brand: “From graphics to member benefits, your ideas will help determine the new look and feel of a newly-energized organization.”

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) announced the winners of the annual NBTA Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards. The awards honor one direct member (travel buyer) company and one allied member (travel supplier) company that have implemented innovative and significant CSR initiatives as a part of their business travel programs.

The winners are the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) (Direct/Travel Buyer Company award) and Marriott International, Inc. (Allied/ Travel Supplier Company award).

“The applications submitted for this second year of the NBTA CSR Awards program point to an increased focus on sustainability and social responsibility within corporate travel,” said NBTA CSR Committee Chair, Robert C. Wade, “We are proud to honor ANZ and Marriott International for their CSR efforts. Both companies were chosen based on a rigorous application and selection process designed to highlight the best-in-breed travel CSR initiatives.”

ANZ’s travel CSR program includes consideration of carbon emissions associated with travel, increased use of technology to minimize unnecessary travel and duty of care for employees. It made a commitment to offset the emissions associated with travel in line with the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offsets Standard and to procure offsets to retroactively cover emissions from October 2009.

Marriott’s CSR strategy is set by an executive-level Green Council and designed in partnership with Conservation International. Marriott has a goal of reducing emissions up to 25 percent by 2017 and reports annually to the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Club Med Sandpiper Bay added an enhanced conference center as part of its $25 million renovation.

The conference center was designed to accommodate a variety of groups from small intimate meetings to large groups of up to 1,000 attendees. Facilities include two ballrooms and nine meeting rooms. The property offers an onsite meeting coordinator.

The resort is reopening in December 2010.

BP provided a $7 million grant to seven coastal counties in Northwest Florida for last ditch marketing efforts for this summer season that has been dismal since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The grant was divided among the tourist development councils in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties. The amount each county received was based mostly on bed tax revenue, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were given some extra funds because it they sustained the most impact from the spill and received the most negative press coverage from the national media.

The funds must be used to attract tourists and be spent by Sept. 15.

The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) started its Be Rewarded campaign with its share of the funds. The program offers a $250 gift card to Silver Sands Factory Stores or with Southwest Airlines to anyone who stays in any Beaches of South Walton lodgings between Aug. 2 and Sept. 30. Reservations must be booked by Sept. 15.

Some of the council’s lodging partners booked nearly 50 reservations during the first two days of the program. In addition to the gift certificates, the money will help pay for a Labor Day concert.

Meanwhile the Santa Rosa County TDC implemented a voucher program that will reimburse guests up to 50 percent for staying at a hotel or condominium that collects bed tax.

The Okaloosa County TDC is expected to finish a marketing strategy plan by the end of next week, according to Mark Bellinger, executive director.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts, owned by Denver-based Anschutz Company, purchased and assumed management of Kingsmill Resort here.

The resort includes 422 rooms, six restaurants, a 17,000-square-foot conference center, a full-service spa and fitness center, a marina, a 15-court tennis center and four golf courses.

Xanterra is the largest concessioner with the National Park Service.

Xanterra president and CEO Andrew Todd said there are no immediate plans for major changes to the resort property or staffing.

Carlson Hotels launched a comprehensive new product and service offerings around the concept of “travel empathy.” The announcement was made at the National Business Travel Association’s (NBTA) annual International Convention and Exposition.

“Empathy means being in the forefront of understanding trends, travelers’ needs and lifestyle changes,” said Thorsten Kirschke, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Carlson Hotels, The Americas. “One of the key priorities of our Ambition 2015 growth strategy is to enhance services for travelers who choose to be our guests.”

The World of Radisson, a series of globally consistent services and amenities, was designed with guests’ unique requirements in mind. Already available at Radisson hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the amenities are being introduced at Radisson hotels in the Americas. Some of the perks include free, high-speed Internet access, free breakfast, express laundry service a drink credit and other features.

The offerings have already been rolled out at more than 70 percent of the Radisson hotels in the Americas. Carlson expects to fully implement the services at all Radisson hotels by the end of 2010.

Edition Hotels, the boutique hotel partnership between Ian Schrager and Bill Marriott, plans to develop a property in Washington, D.C.

According to an article in the Washington Business Journal, the DC Edition will open in the existing structure of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The hotel is expected to include 150 guest rooms, six restaurants and some additional office space for nonprofit organizations.

The hotel is expected to debut in October 2014.

Hotel Felix Chicago received LEED Silver certification for its many eco-friendly features.

The 225-hotel’s green elements include its adaptive reuse of an existing urban structure (a 1926 apartment hotel), convenient access to public transportation and the use of green materials throughout. The property’s carpets are made from recycled soda bottles. Hotel Felix’s eco-friendly ideals extend beyond its design; with free parking for hybrid vehicles, no bleach use throughout the property and the serving of complimentary fair-trade coffee. Additionally, the hotel recently installed wind turbines on its roof to study the potential of further reducing its carbon footprint by generating its own renewable energy.

The Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel finished an extensive renovation.

Improvements include an upgraded lobby and rooms. The property also features a new health and fitness program, “Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Performance.” Through an exclusive partnership, Core Performance designed a holistic Athletes’ Performance program for guests.

The property includes 242 rooms and 22,000 square feet of event space.

Hotel owners in Los Angeles are pushing a plan to add a new fee to hotel bills that would generate more money to promote the city as a worldwide tourist destination.

While the city already spends $11.4 million a year to attract visitors, proponents of the new fee say Los Angeles spends far less to promote itself than other top tourism towns such as Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., the Los Angeles Times reported.

“We've been noncompetitive in the convention business and tourism business for years," said Bruce Gorelick, manager of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa and a supporter of the plan. "We've explored this for quite a while and the recession just makes it more urgent.”

The city already levies a 14 percent transient occupancy tax, or bed tax, on hotel guests. The new proposed fee of an additional 1.5 percent would be levied only on guests at the 192 hotels in Los Angeles with more than 50 guest rooms. The fee applies only to room rates, not the cost of meals or other services offered at hotels. It would generate an estimated $10 million to $11 million annually. The charge must be approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the hotel owners. The proposal is scheduled for a vote of a city council committee later this month.

A specific marketing campaign using funds generated by the new fee has yet to be drafted, but hotel officials said a committee of marketing and tourism experts—led by Universal Studios Hollywood President Larry Kurzweil—has been formed to develop a plan.

Towne Stove and Spirits restaurant opened next to the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center thanks to a special partnership with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA).

The 380-seat restaurant’s culinary directors are two Boston chef icons Lydia Shire and Jasper White. The restaurant is the result of developers Patrick Lyons and Ed Sparks working alongside MCCA executive director James Rooney to create a unique amenity for convention center visitors.

The venue includes three dining rooms, three bars and a large patio.

The Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, a new hotel next to the Georgia International Convention Center and connected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is officially open.

The 403-room hotel, which is on track to earn a LEED Silver certification, is connected to the airport via the ATL SkyTrain.

The property offers more than 21,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes the 12,000-square-foot Gateway Ballroom. The hotel is also equipped with a GoThere Virtual Meetings studio. The property features a Champions restaurant, a 24-hour business center and an indoor swimming pool.

Local, state and federal officials announced that the seafood being served in area restaurants, hotels and on shelves is safe for consumption after 100-plus days since the massive Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf Coast.

“Bioaccumulation takes months and years to reach unhealthy levels, so Gulf Seafood is quite safe to eat for some time. The public can be assured that there is extensive testing to ensure seafood safety and there will be an abundance of caution,” said George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island, Ala.

“We want to get the word out that seafood is safe to eat and that this perpetuated misconception is hurting neighbors and regular folks that are Alabama’s seafood industry,” added Bob Omainsky, president of the Mobile Chapter of the Alabama Restaurant Association. “We are more closely monitored and inspected than we ever have been in the past, and are fully confident that our product is safe – not to mention delicious. When I hear folks say that Gulf Seafood isn’t safe to eat, it just tears my heart out.”

The Mobile Chapter of the Alabama Restaurant Association has produced a statement about local seafood safety that can be found at http://www.alabamarestaurants.com/index2.cfm.

For more information about Mobile Bay, visit the CVB’s website at www.mobilebay.org.