HOT DEALS!

You have until December 31 to save on Pixilated’s two festive photo booth packages, including the Holiday Essentials Bundle and the Company Holiday Party Booth. Both include a photo booth rental kit, your choice of one of our merry holiday themes, and a set of Christmas photo booth props. Choose between the Base 8MP camera (budget-friendly) or the Pro 18MP camera for crisp, clear high-resolution pictures. A choice of holiday themes, and each includes a set of three digital holiday overlay frames. The Company Holiday Party Booth adds your brand logo on the photo booth screen and to the festive borders applied to your photos! After guests snap a photo, they’ll be able to swipe through the frames and apply their favorite. Tell them Karen Kuzsel or Hotel Happenings & Program Promotions sent you!!!

Maybe the name of iconic Inn on Fifth & Club Level Suites’ new “To the Nines” package should have had the word “opulence” included in the title. If you are seeking to have a vacation that is “to the moon and back” luxurious, check out this offer that is available until May 31, 2023. The Naples, FL boutique property is offering luxury experiences that showcase the best of the Naples lifestyle. Designed for two, the package centers on a three-night stay in either the King Supreme Suite or the elegant Presidential Suite, both with spacious verandahs overlooking Fifth Avenue South. Club Level amenities include deluxe continental breakfast each morning, chef-driven hors d’oeuvres, artisan cheese & charcuterie boards, full bar and desserts each evening in the Club Level lounge, as well as a personal concierge, secluded rooftop retreat, turndown service and more. The “To the Nines” package includes an hour-long private helicopter tour of the Florida Gold Coast; a two-hour sunset cruise aboard Sweet Liberty, a sleek 53-foot catamaran; dinner ($300 dining credit) at Ocean Prime Naples; and use of a luxury car for a self-guided day tour of the area. The package also includes chauffeured transportation to and from Southwest Florida Regional Airport or Naples Airport, and an array of Club Level amenities. The Inn on Fifth & Club Level Suites is a AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star property.

www.InnOnFifth.com; (239) 403-8777

I haven’t used PhotoTap but I like what the Hollywood, FL company promises to do and if you want to check them out, there are two Hot Deals! available. PhotoTap delivers branded event photos with a simple tap. Attendees receive their photos in six seconds or less via email or text. No forms to fill out. No waiting. No inconvenience. Book their service by December 31 and get a 5% discount for all 2023 events.

https://phototap.com

https://pixilated.com/products

December 18 is the final day to save 22% for booking one of Mainsail Vacation Rentals’ new luxurious condominiums at The Maison, for use by February 28, 2023. The Maison is a private enclave on Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Each four-bedroom, 4½-bath residence is more than 3,200 sf and has pool and ocean views. Through a strategic partnership with Homes & Villas by Marriott, guests can earn and redeem points with Marriott Bonvoy.

www.MainsailHotels.com

501c3 COMPANIES CAN RECEIVE $500 FROM EVENTENY

Sign up for Eventeny’s annual Pro plan and verify your company’s 501c3 status by December 31 and the company will donate $500 to the charitable organization you represent.

marketing@eventeny.com

WIN A STAYCATION IN PENSACOLA, FL

Pose in front of the Holiday Cube, snap some photos, and then share in on your social media feed with the hashtag #VPHolidayCube22 to enter for a whole lot of prizes, including a weekend staycation in Pensacola, FL. First, visit the Holiday Cube in Plaza Ferdinand. Upload to Visit Pensacola and double your winning chances by posting on your social media. You have until January 1 to enter. Grand prize package includes a weekend stay from GoSouthern Vacation Rentals, a one-night stay with the Hilton Pensacola Beach, and gift cards for shopping, dining, experiences, and more! Go to the website for the full list of prizes and details.

https://www.visitpensacola.com/events/holidays/winter-holiday/holiday-cube/

OPEN OR SOON-TO-BE

Ramsay’s Kitchen has officially opened at Harrah’s Las Vegas (NV). “I can’t wait to introduce one of my newer restaurant concepts and the first of its kind on the West Coast to Harrah’s guests,” said Ramsay. “The menu features some of my favorite dishes I’ve created at home in my own kitchen, but with that special Vegas flair.” Starter dishes include Tuna Tartare, made with chili garlic soy, sour cream, avocado and wonton crisps, and Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, served with citrus herb aioli and frisée salad. Expect signature items, such as Pan Seared Scallops with house-cured pork belly, apricot purée, pomegranate, orange and chicken jus; Beef Wellington with potato purée, glazed baby root vegetables, red wine demi, and Crispy Salmon with purple cauliflower purée, harissa roasted cauliflower, and beurre blanc. Dishes exclusive to Ramsay’s Kitchen include Beef Carpaccio with horseradish panna cotta, cured egg yolk, artichoke chips, and English mustard sauce; Onion Soup with oxtail brandade, Gruyère gratinée, and baguette; and Roasted Chicken Breast with herb butter, creamed corn polenta, seasonal mushroom fricassee, and chicken jus. Of course, there are specialty cocktails, such as The Spiced Pear, with Absolut pear vodka, pear liqueur, cinnamon-cardamom vanilla syrup and lemon, and Boston’s Inferno, with Maker’s Mark whisky, Smoke Wagon small batch whiskey, dark maple syrup, and angostura bitters. Designed by architecture and interior design firm AO, Ramsay’s Kitchen seats 244. A theater kitchen and seven-seat seafood counter and raw bar anchor the lower dining area, which features a floor-to-ceiling custom wine display. The space features a three-dimensional art piece made of coasters that depict Chef Ramsay. A private dining room seats 12 and offers a glimpse of the action on the cook line.
www.caesars.com/harrahs-las-vegas/restaurants/ramsays-kitchen

JOURNEY MEXICO PARTNERS WITH NEW HOTELS, CREATING NEW EXPERIENCES

The new partnerships that luxury in-country travel company Journey Mexico has with new Mexican hotels has enhanced event experiences. On Mexico´s Pacific coastlines, partnerships with new hotels include Rancho Pescadero in Baja California Sur, Susurros del Corazón near Punta Mita, and Habita´s Hotel Terrestre near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. In Mexico City, Journey Mexico now offers travelers Mondrian Condesa and Casa Polanco. The company has also begun working with hotels in the south of the country, located throughout the Riviera Maya and Yucatán state. This includes Nômade on Holbox Island, the Waldorf Astoria Cancún, Casa Chablé in the Sian Ka´an Biosphere, the Conrad Tulum, Habitas Bacalar, Cigno in Mérida center, and Hacienda Xcanatun by Angsana on the northern periphery of Mérida city. New experiences capitalize on the country’s gastronomy, culture, and indigenous history. In Mexico City, clients can take a cooking class at a professional chef´s city apartment in the Polanco neighborhood or opt for a private dinner while learning about the origins and cultural relevance of each course. In the southern suburb of Coyoacán, travelers can enjoy a tasting of regional spirits like mezcal and sotol, accompanied by plates using traditional Mexican ingredients, or get inside the creative universe of Frida Kahlo studying the painter´s artwork and personal items at her lifelong home. South of the city, Journey Mexico offers an educational trip to the Xochimilco waterways to visit floating gardens, or chinampas, and learn about this innovative Mesoamerican agricultural technique. One of the chinampas also hosts a family-run axolotl farm, where guests can observe and learn about the rare endemic amphibians. In another opportunity, clients will be able to explore Mexico City´s classic and sought-after neighborhoods with ease on electric bikes, visiting the historic center, Roma, Condesa, and Polanco. A couple of hours drive east of Mexico City in Puebla, clients are given the chance to get behind-the-scenes of one of the region´s most emblematic dishes, Mole Poblano, with a cooking demonstration and dinner by a private chef paired with a wine selection. Other new experiences by Journey Mexico include visits to generationally run tequila distilleries with private tastings in the namesake town, adventures to jungle waterfalls off-the-beaten-track in the state of Chiapas, goat handling and cheese workshops in Baja California Sur´s Cacachilas Mountains, and for pre-excursion bread and hot chocolate in Oaxaca City´s secret morning spots. There is much more, but you’ll have to inquire from them directly. Let them know you heard of their offerings from Hotel Happenings & Program Promotions.
www.journeymexico.com; : +52 (322) 225 9821; US & CAN:1-800-513-1587
RARE SEA TURTLE OCCURRENCE AIDED BY VOLUNTEERS & HOTEL GUESTS

For nearly two decades, Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts (Los Cabos, Mexico), now joined by Quivira Los Cabos, have aided a turtle protection and hatchling release program, boosting the survival rate of an endangered reptile that’s vital to the region’s ecosystem. Most surprising though, was what happened with the arrival of the ridley turtles. “What happened last month in Los Cabos in the Bay of Cabo San Lucas is surprising and fascinating. There is no record of this happening before, so it is a very rare event,” said Carlos Villalobos, manager of Pueblo Bonito’s Sea Turtle Protection Program. “Over the course of four day, hundreds of olive ridley turtles arrived at this beach to lay their eggs in a synchronized manner, both at night and during the day. We still have no scientific explanation for this event, which is known as an arribada (arrival by sea), but it surely has to do with the protection that has been given to the species for 20 years.” After eggs deposited by the adult female turtles were retrieved from nests by volunteers and hotel guests who participate in our sea turtle program, they were quickly brought to the incubation hatchery, where they will most likely hatch in early December. There also are eggs from black and leatherback turtles, the latter growing to seven feet long and more than 2,000 pounds. The release means thousands of hatchlings the size of a silver dollar scurry across the beach to the sea. Easy prey for natural predators, these gentle reptiles need all the help they can get to reach the water, attain maturity, and increase their numbers. Sea turtles contribute to both the beach and marine ecosystems in Los Cabos.  They lay some 100 eggs in each nest, located in the beaches and dunes, with local plants using nutrients from the eggs to grow. and help anchor the dunes. Thanks to the efforts that have been made in protection and conservation programs, wonderful results have been achieved in favor of survival,” Villalobos said. “Not all species are threatened in the same way. We have the case of the leatherback sea turtle, the largest sea turtle in the world, which is in a critical state of extinction, so much so that some specialists believe that its extinction is imminent. In the case of the olive ridley turtle and the black turtle in Mexico, their populations are recovering favorably, but there is still a lot of effort to be made so that their populations recover to a better level. There is still the vulnerability of putting them back on the brink of extinction if we do not take the appropriate precautions in their conservation.”

www.pueblobonito.com.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR 2023 ENTREPRENEUR 20X NORTH AMERICA

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), producers of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), has opened the application process for the North American Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) start-up pitch competition that will be held June 28, 2023 at HITEC North America in Toronto, Canada. Deadline to apply is March 15. Established in 2015, E20X gives innovative hospitality technology startups an opportunity to pitch their cutting-edge ideas to a room full of HITEC attendees and a panel of expert judges. Two awards will be presented to the top competitors: the Judges’ Choice Award, selected by the panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award, selected by popular vote. The application asks potential participants for company details including a business description and history; as well as how their solution relates to hospitality and its competitive landscape. Applicants are also asked to submit a three-minute pitch video. There is a $200 USD application fee. Selected participants will have access to a team of mentors before the competition. Additionally, 2023 competitors will be given space in the E20X pavilion in the HITEC exhibit hall June 27–29 to demonstrate their solution to HITEC attendees. HFTP will also hold an E20X competition in 2023 at HITEC Dubai at The Hotel Show Dubai, May 23-24, located at the Dubai World Trade Center. HITEC North America will take place on June 26–29 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto. HITEC is the world’s largest hospitality technology exposition and conference. It offers a unique combination of top-notch hospitality technology education, led by industry peers and experts, and an unparalleled trade show showcasing the latest hospitality technology products and services.

www.hftp.org.

PUEBLO BONITTO IS OVER THE MOON FOR PREGNANT MOMS-TO-BE

Pueblo Bonito knows expectant women need a pampering vacation before the realities of sleepless nights and free time fly away to the tune of lullabies and the drone of The Baby Shark song. The Los Cabos, Mexico deluxe all-inclusive, couples-only Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort has a soothing solution. They are offering a Blissful Babymoon Package. “We’ve created this package to cater to millennials, a key generation roughly 26 to 41 years of age, who have a tendency to spend money on experiences rather than material possessions,” said René Virgilio, general manager of Pueblo Bonito Pacifica. The four-night, five-day package features the option of a deluxe guest room at Pacifica or a private pool suite in The Towers, the luxury accommodations within the resort hotel. Included in the package of amenities are private transportation from and back to the Los Cabos International Airport (arrival and departure), an all-inclusive guest room and food & beverage program, including specialty ‘mocktails’; welcome signage (in room and with amenity); and a special gift (baby booties, logo onesie newborn pajamas). There will also be an expectant mother massage and couples massage at the wellness inspired Armonia Spa, spa man-pedi for the mother-to-be; access to cabana beach beds, with butler service; and a private chef’s dinner for two on the beach. Additionally, there will be exclusive access to Quivira Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course (one tee time); mini-maternity sunset photo shoot (15 fully edited images); and all taxes and gratuities. The package is available through April 2023.

MOST FUN CITIES ACROSS AMERICA

Before fun can be measured, there must be an agreed-upon definition of what constitutes fun. For personal-finance website WalletHub, those parameters cut across 65 key metrics, ranging from fitness clubs per capita to movie costs, and yes, even to the number of hours breweries are open. For their 20 Most Fun Cities in America survey, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S cities. Here are some key findings: Orlando, FL has the most restaurants, which is 17.8 times more than Pearl City, HI (the lowest). San Francisco has both the highest share of walkable park access and the most dance clubs (in case they can’t get to the parks?). Las Vegas, NV, which came in first of the 20, also has the most playgrounds, which is 22.8 times more than Hialeah, FL. Brownsville, TX has the lowest beer price per six-pack, which is 1.6 times lower than New York City (the highest). Port St. Lucie, FL has the lowest cost to go to a movie, which is 2.7 times lower than Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA. The remainder of the top 20 place Orlando, FL in the #2 spot, with Miami, FL, Atlanta, GA, and New Orleans, LA close behind. Those are followed by San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Honolulu, HI; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Tampa, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Portland, OR; Denver, CO; San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; Houston, TX; St. Louis, MO; and finally, Los Angeles, CA.
https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-cities-in-the-us/23455

FESTIVALS

Thru Jan. 1: Gaylord Hotels sparkle with the gleam of fresh ice carved into memorable movies and characters. If you’ve never been, dress warm from head to toe, head toe first down the ice slides, drink hot chocolate, and see all the amazing entertainment. Truly these are family events that resonate. The ice cast of A Charlie Brown Christmas is at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora (CO) while Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer shines his nose at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN. The Polar Express toots its whistle at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX; The Christmas Story is retold at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD; and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL displays Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The dates may change by a day or two so check each Marriott Bonvoy resort for details.

May 25-29, 2023: The world’s largest tribute to The Beatles, Abbey Road on the River returns to the Big Four Station Park in Jeffersonville, IN. Already scheduled are Legends Live! Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals (“Good Lovin,” “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long,” “Groovin,” “A Beautiful Morning,” “A Girl Like You,” and “People Got to Be Free.”) and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees (“Daydream Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and many more.) The 2023 line-up also includes Tony Kishman, creator and band leader of Live and Let Die, a full multimedia experience with five multi-talented musicians paying tribute to the music of Paul McCartney. Other headlining acts include Colombia’s Classicstone performing hits from Queen, The Beatles, and more, and Chicago’s BritBeat: A Tribute to the Beatles.  More than 50 bands from around the world will perform at event, including homegrown Kentuckiana acts Erin Hill, Laren Rapp and Co., DoorWay, Nick Peay, The Rigby’s, Mary’s Dad’s Band, CMN Trio and The School of Rock. Abbey Road on the River is sponsored by the City of Jeffersonville Parks Department, Southern Indiana Tourism, WAVE, The Radisson Hotel, The Sheraton Hotel, Budweiser, Seagrams 7, Clark Memorial Health, The News & Tribune, and WAKY radio. www.arotr.com

May 30–July 18: The 54^th annual World Series of Poker ^® (WSOP^®) will be held for the second consecutive summer at its new home of Paris Las Vegas and the future Horseshoe Las Vegas.  The 54^th annual edition of the tournament builds onto the legacy of Caesars Entertainment’s WSOP, as the first tournament was played at the original Horseshoe Las Vegas in 1970. “The historic debut of the WSOP on the Las Vegas Strip delivered in a big way, and we’re excited to announce our Summer 2023 dates in time for the holidays,” said World Series of Poker Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart. The 2023 WSOP schedule will feature the always anticipated $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship, best known as “The Main Event^®,” along with new events and the return of timeless classics. The flagship opening event is being billed as “Mystery Millions,” a $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament featuring mystery bounties from $10,000 to $1 million for each knockout and a $1 million guaranteed first prize through the traditional prize pool. Last summer’s first mystery bounty event was a stunning success with a total of 14,112 entries and a $1,000,000 bounty won by poker pro Matt Glantz.
www/wsop.com

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 International Live Events Association, Meeting Professionals International and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is now serving on the 2022-2023 MPI Independent and Small Business Owners Advisory Board. 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. Karen@KarenKuzsel.com; www.karenkuzsel.com; www.ThePsychicLady.com; @karenkuzsel; @thepsychiclady.