HOTEL HAPPENINGS and PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JUNE 2017

IN THIS ISSUE: GROUP DISCOUNTS AT RESORTS ACROSS THE WORLD; ORLANDO PULSES WITH LOVE AND FOOD; SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR THE FAMILY; CORPORATES GO SHOPPING!
HOT DEALS!

Book one of six Dominican Republic Meliá properties and receive 35% off and two free passes to Swim with the Dolphins. Pick one of these resorts: Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort, The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, Paradisus Punta Cana Resort, The Reserve at Paradisus Punta Cana, Meliá Caribe Tropical All Inclusive Beach & Golf Resort, and The Level at Meliá Caribe Tropical.
Book a Meliá resort in one of these locations before September 17th and travel by October 31 to receive a 35% discount. Locations include nine hotels in Tenerife; 23 in Mallorca; nine in Malaga; four in Benidorm; six in Alicante; 4 in Menorca; two in Marbella; and two in Ibiza.
Book a stay at ME Miami in Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL by June 30 and stay before December 21 to receive a plethora of rewards, such as 100 USD Hotel Credit; early check in and late check out; free room upgrade to the next level category; Nikki Beach Club Access, plus 10% off in food, beverages and umbrella service; plus 40% off from Aura fashions, exclusive to ME hotels.
www.melia.com

Kick up your boots and shout ‘Yahoo” for the “Destination Dallas” offer being extended by Hotel Crescent Court (formerly the Rosewood Crescent) in Uptown Dallas, TX. Bookings for meetings and events through November 2017 for 35 rooms or more gets you the following perks: one-hour beer and wine welcome reception, with two selections of butler-passed hors d’oeuvres in Dallas’ Exclusive Crescent Club; five complimentary upgrades for group VIPs; and 10% discount on all spa services, AV equipment, and a shopping experience purchase at Stanley Korshak, luxury retailer. In addition to discounted room rates, you will also receive complimentary tickets to The Sixth Floor Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository Building, chronicling the life of President John F. Kennedy.
www.crescentcourt.com
Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant, has teamed up with the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN for a summer of fun giveaways to any planner wo submits an RFP by August 31. Meeting must have 400m nights of 10 or more and be fulfilled in 2018.
sales@bloomingtonmn.org; (866) 435-7425.
 

The newly renovated Sheraton Bay Point Resort, the only branded AAA Four Diamond Resort in Northwest Florida, is offering some sweet incentives for booking your meeting by September 29. The Emerald Coast property, which has 60,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space, two pillar-free ballrooms, marina, 36 holes of golf, and a private beach, will give you $100 Master Account Credit per room on peak. With a qualified RFP, they will fly you and your client to inspect the Four Diamond Resort yourselves.
www.sheratonbaypoint.com; sales@sheratonbaypoint.com; (850) 236.6033
Book a meeting for dates through January 27, 2018 at the AAA Four Diamond Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, FL and receive discounts on IT, inhouse AV, spa and golf services, and meet and greet with owner Harris Rosen. Rosen Shingle Creed has 1,501 guest rooms, 490,000 sf of meeting and event space, and 15 onsite restaurants and lounges, as well as a lavish new golf course designed by Arnold Palmer Design Company. Restrictions apply.
www.ALHI.com/RosenShingleCreek
The Langham, Boston (Boston, MA) is an architectural landmark with 317 guest rooms and suites, 10,000 sf of function space, 24-hour fitness center, and three unique dining destinations. Book your event by August 31 and stay through September 4, or from November 12 through December 30, and choose two of these incentives: No food & beverage minimum; complimentary room, room upgrades, airport transfer, or spa credit; a theme refreshment break enhancement; cancellation terms waived – applicable to event canceling at least 90 days prior to arrival; and no attrition rate charges – applicable to guest rooms releasing at least 21 days prior to arrival.
www.ALHI.com/LanghamBoston
You have until August 1 to book your next meeting at Pinehurst Resort (Pinehurst, NC), a 2,000-acre property with three historic hotels and 428 upscale guest rooms, in order to receive multiple perks. If your event occurs this year, the resort will double the rewards! The number of rooms you book, from 25 to more than 151 determines how many options you receive. Incentives include: 3% rebate to your master account; complimentary foursome on your choice of 8 courses; complimentary 30-minute beer and wine reception; and 10% off spa therapies for all attendees, AV and catering (excluding alcohol). Choices also include complimentary WiFi in general session room; one comp room per every 35 paid; and one suite upgrade per 50 booked (based on availability).
www.ALHI.com/Pinehurst
ORLANDO’S ACTS OF LOVE FEED HOMELESS STUDENTS
Many of you readers from around the globe will be aware that June 12, 2016, 49 beautiful lives were snuffed out in an act of terrorism at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. To honor those lives so tragically lost, The City of Orlando and Orange County Government, in collaboration with Pulse, proclaimed June 12 this year as “Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness.” On that day, Orlando After-School All-Stars partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Central Florida Chapter to host “Round Up For Kids,” helping fund the Summer of Dreams program. This free 10-week program provides homeless youth with meals, academic enrichment and mentoring. Last year’s Summer of Dreams served 1,137 homeless students from 36 different sites in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties. Each student received academic enrichment, tutoring, mentoring, financial literacy training, a back pack filled with school supplies, and two meals a day thanks to support from Summer of Dreams Founding Sponsor, Fifth Third Bank. Those students also worked with staff to provide nearly 8,000 hours of community service.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME

Scallop season has arrived in Florida. For those of you who enjoy wading or swimming in shallow grass flats and storing your freshly caught scallops in mesh bag until they can be roasted, grilled, fried or sautéed later, then you might want to take note of this offer by Plantation on Crystal River, located on Florida’s Nature Coast. Scalloping season begins July 1. Both guided and non-guided tours are available as part of packages booked for at least two people. Here are some of the amenities included with each package: Two-night stay in a garden or water view deluxe room, patio room or golf villa; souvenir bag with mesh scalloping bag, scallop recipes and water; ramp launch, trailer storage and seawall tie for those bringing their own boat (first come, first served basis); and a daily breakfast. Optional is a guided scalloping tour, including mask, snorkel and fins with one of the area’s top captains. Even if you choose a non-guided tour, Chef will prepare the cleaned fresh day’s harvest (scallops or fish) for lunch or dinner, with two sides for a nominal fee. The eco-friendly resort is surrounded by more than 25,000 surface acres of pristine lakes and rivers, wildlife refuges and state parks. The resort has a full service marina, 12,000 sf of meeting and event space, a 9 and an 18-hole golf course, spa and restaurants.
www.PlantationonCrystalRiver.com; (800) 632-6262
Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL invites you to Summerfest. Packages include a $25 daily resort credit, two drink tumblers for unlimited soda refills, a welcome bag, and SummerFest lanyards. Summerfest has activities to engage the whole family, from dancing at a pool party to enjoying the double FlowRider, brand new drop and racing slides, and poolside sing-a-long show. Friday and Saturday nights, take the Rock n’ Roll Never Dies Ghost Tour, which takes you on a guided tour through the atrium. The summer party lasts through August 13. Use Promotional Code SPU.
www.gaylordhotels.com
Engage the family with an interactive peek into Charleston, South Carolina’s past. Through July, The Historic Charleston Foundation brings history to life with hands-on games and activities at the Foundation’s house museums: The Nathaniel Russell House and the Aiken-Rhett House. During the 30-minute tour, guests will learn how conservationists analyzed layers of paint to find vibrant colors and restore gilded molding. Peeking into the past at the un-restored Aiken-Rhett House, guests will discover wallpaper and light fixtures and that have survived more than 150 years. Both tours are at 9:30 am: The Nathanial Russell House on Mondays and Wednesday; the Aiken-Rhett House tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Children are invited to participate in games and activities pertinent to the period after each tour. Advance reservations are preferred (not required).
www.HistoricCharleston.org/Discovery; (843) 723-1623.

Leave it to LEGOLAND Florida Resort to continually amp up their offerings for the family, particularly the 12-and-under group. New for every Saturday and Sunday in July, your children might be selected to be knighted by the king and queen of LEGO^® Kingdoms at a “knightly” end-of-the-night party for kids. The finale will light up the castle courtyard with a dazzling display enhanced by a special surprise visible only with complimentary viewing glasses. The summer renaissance-styled event includes hands-on LEGO builds, scavenger hunts, character meet-and-greets, high-energy DJ dance parties, and a variety of challenges with LEGO prizes. The park will remain open til 9 pm each Knightly-evening. LEGOLAND has added a second hotel, the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat, with 166 themed rooms.
www.LEGOLAND.com/florida; (877) 350-5346
Tired of taking photos of your most recent vacation and they turn out blah? Starting this spring, Tours & Tickets offers an Amsterdam Mobile Photography Tour by @Dutchie, who will guide you to spots usually unseen by tourists, as well as iconic spots. What makes the tour also unique is that @Dutchie will dispense tips and tricks about photography, and most importantly, about photography for Instagram. The guide speaks English and Dutch. Tours run five days a week at 10 am.
www.tours-tickets.com; https://www.instagram.com/dutchie/
LUXURY SHOPPING. DALLAS. GROUP EXPERIENCE. SAY YES TO THE BOOKING!

The Hotel Crescent Court, formerly the Rosewood Crescent, wants to give you a group shopping experience you won’t want to forget. Book 35 rooms or more at the Dallas, TX hotel and receive their “Dapper in Dallas” exclusive experience at onsite Stanley Korshak, the largest independent department store in the country. The customized experience will focus on the group’s preferences. While attendees sip on fine champagne or munch on hors d’oeuvres, Stanley Korshak stylists might lead creative breakouts or workshops, sharing first-hand tips and tricks on the best way to pack for business trips, make a statement with accessories, or how to leave a great first impression with a top-notch outfit.  Other possibilities may include makeovers or having a local designer come in as a “Meet the Artist” guest speaker.
www.crescentcourt.com
NEW PROPERTIES POPPING UP ACROSS THE GLOBE
Regis Hotels and Resorts is opening a 120-room St. Regis Hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico in 2018. The Marriott International brand property will include 60 residences. The resort, near Cabo San Lucas, will have access to an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course.
Vistana™ Signature Experiences, developer of Sheraton Vacation Club and Westin Vacation Club resorts, has added to their collection with the opening of the 243-room Westin Los Cabos Resort Villas & Spa.    
Look for the fall 2018 of The Norman Estates at Rancho San Lucas. Greg Norman Real Estate and Solmar Group are partnering to build a branded residential enclave and oceanfront golf course in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Karen Kuzsel is a writer-editor based in the Orlando area who specializes in the hospitality, entertainment, meetings & events industries. She is an active member of ILEA and MPI and is now serving on the 2016 – 2017 MPI Global Advisory Board for The Meeting Professional Magazine for the second consecutive year. Karen writes about food & wine, spas, destinations, venues, meetings & events. A career journalist, she has owned magazines, written for newspapers, trade publications, radio and TV. As her alter-ego, Natasha, The Psychic Lady, she is a featured entertainer for corporate and social events. karenkuzsel@earthlink.net; www.ThePsychicLady.com; @karenkuzsel; @thepsychiclady.