HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – FEBRUARY 2018

HOT DEALS!
Pamper yourself or your group with new promotions by Paradisus, renowned for its top all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and Punta Cana. Receive up to $1,500 USD in resort credit, free golf rounds, and complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport. Resorts include Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Perla, Paradisus Punta Cana, Paradisus Cancún, Paradisus Los Cabos, and Paradisus Palma Real.
www.melia.com
See the world from the deck of a Seabourn cruise liner during their Signature Savings Event and receive incentives such as a complimentary upgrade when you book in a three veranda suite or ocean view category. Book by March 13 and you can possibly reduce your deposit by 50% or receive up to $500 in shipboard credit. Double that credit with a penthouse or premium suite booking. There are distinct advantages to a Seabourn cruise. Dine on cuisine enhanced through a partnership with renowned culinary master, Chef Thomas Keller. All venues are complimentary and you can dine where, when and with whom you wish (a definite joy if you’ve ever been seated with clashing personalities). Participate in Spa & Wellness programs with Dr. Andrew Weil or enjoy an evening of entertainment in collaboration with Sir Tim Rice.
www.seabourn.com
Book one night and get the second night for half-off at The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, Myrtle Beach Oceanfront. The promotional offer is valid through March 31. With the booking, you also receive an additional 15 percent off all on-site purchases (excluding alcohol).  The newly-renovated Myrtle Beach Oceanfront has an 18-hole miniature golf course, fitness center and six pools. The property is adjacent to Myrtle Beach State Park, and minutes away from the Myrtle Beach International Airport, Market Common lifestyle center and more than 100 golf courses
(866) 764-8501; https://secure3.hilton.com/
Spring may not register on the calendar yet, but it has sprung at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL with an offer valid through August 15. The package includes one night’s room accommodations and a $50 resort credit per night to be used at one of our on-site restaurants, in-room dining or at Relâche Spa. Use promotional code ZJL when booking.
(407) 586-2000; www.Marriott.com/specials

I have a family member who seems to gather with her friends in Mexico quite often. They jointly rent out some luxurious villa and party and relax for a week, without the expense being a budget-breaker. I can understand how that is possible when I see the private resort villas offered by Journey Mexico. The villas may sleep four or 14. The locations vary. Many come with housekeepers and cooks. Some have private beaches. I drool when I see the array of photos of each property. Their collection is constantly expanding. Here is but one of the latest. Casa La Playa, one of the Cuixmala Villas in Careyes, Mexico, is set among jungle foliage overlooking its private beach. The master suite and two guest suites are overseen by a private chef, housekeeper and butler.
https://villas.journeymexico.com/villa/casa-la-playa

There’s no better time to book your meeting at Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria resort in Wailea, HI, than by June 30, with fulfillment by December 19, 2018. For your group booking, receive 10% credit to the master account and choose one of the following additional concessions:
10% Spa Grande discount for treatments only (does not apply to Specialty packages or Healing Waters of Maui only experience); Earn (1) pass to experience Spa Grande’s Healing Waters for Maui™ hydrotherapy (book 100 room nights and earn (5) passes); Earn Triple Honor Points, up to a maximum of 300,000 points per Honors program; 30% discount on Cabanas and Casabellas for the main program dates; Daily continental breakfast and snacks in staff office for main program dates (all selections are Hotel’s choice and does not include alcoholic beverages & applies to a maximum of 10 staff members per program); and Discounts on Published Banquet Menu Pricing
https://www.grandwailea.com; (808) 875-1234
Surround yourself with art and the beauty of a Greek historical city in Thessaloniki, Greece. Stay at The Met Hotel, with 13 meeting rooms and 212 guest rooms and suites. The Design Hotels-listed hotel doubles as a renowned art gallery. Revered contemporary artists fill the generous public spaces with sculptures and video works, while striking shots from famous photographers lead guests through the hallways to seductively simple bedrooms, an indulgent spa, and the innovative Chan restaurant. A promotional group offer includes room rental, two coffee breaks, one lunch with soft drinks and coffee.
www.DesignHotels.com
COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU!
Caesars Entertainment is building yet another venue to light up Las Vegas, NV. The 550,000 sf. Caesars FORUM Conference Center, with planned 300,000 sf of flexible meeting space and the two largest ballrooms in the world, is expected to open in 2020. The FORUM will have direct access to the Harrah’s Las Vegas, The LINQ and Flamingo Hotels with more than 8,500 hotel rooms. The conference center will have 100,000 sf in an outdoor plaza.

The market for upscale conference hotels has been increased with three new properties in the Associated Luxury Hotels International’s (ALHI) collection. Gothia Towers in Gothenberg, Sweden has 1,200 rooms and suites, with 441,320 sf of meeting space. One ballroom at 40,902 sf is among the largest meetings centers in Europe. www.ALHI.com/GothiaTowers. The Tivoli Hotel’s meeting space totals 43,055 sf, with one room totalling 17,581 sf. The 679-room hotel is one of the largest conference and event venues in Copenhagen, Denmark. www.ALHI.com/TivoliHotel. The smallest of the three new conference hotels is The Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The 254-room hotel has a total of 28,524 sf of meeting space. Nineteen meeting rooms with natural light can hold 1,500 attendees.
www.ALHI.com/HuisTerDuin

Hilton Denver City Center has opened three blocks from the Colorado Convention Center and near to the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall. There is 32,000 sf of event space, including a 13,242 sf meeting room. Other amenities include an Executive Lounge, 24-hour rom service and 24-hour fitness center.
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/colorado/hilton-denver-city-center
Are you a foodie who just can’t get enough of multi-Michelin star chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay and his cooking shows? Then perhaps the newly-opened Hell’s Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace will be the highlight of a future trip to Las Vegas, NV. The experiential and immersive destination restaurant can hold 250 seated diners and a reception for 350. From the moment you see his signature fiery pitchfork marking the entrance to the life sized video screen of Chef Ramsay greeting guests’ arrival, you will feel like you have walked onto a TV set. Designed by Jeffrey Beers International, the first-of-its-kind restaurant pays homage to both the red and blue teams, dressed in the exact uniforms from the show – red and blue jackets with coordinating bandanas. Signature dishes from the TV show will be served, such as Pan Seared Scallops, Lobster Risotto, Beef Wellington, Truffle Arancini, Brick Pressed Chicken and Crispy Skin Salmon. Cocktails from the bar will also honor Chef Ramsay’s creations. Hell’s Kitchen is the Chef’s fifth Las Vegas restaurant and extends his successful partnership with Caesars Entertainment to seven eateries, with more to come.

Las Vegas has gondolas, an Eiffel Tower replica, dancing fountains, celebrities too many to count, and visually stunning buildings. I guess there’s always room for something more. That something more is the first and only zipline on the Las Vegas Strip. Caesars Entertainment Corporation, owner of The LINQ Promenade, expects to open the $20 million Fly LINQ at open-air shopping, dining and entertainment district located in the heart of the Strip. Fly LINQ has 10 side-by-side zip lines, capable of simultaneously launching all riders from the 122-foot launch tower. The ride will travel 1,080 feet above The LINQ Promenade and disembark near the base of the High Roller. Fly LINQ is being developed in conjunction with Xventure LV, LLC, a company built by hospitality and attractions industry veterans.
www.TheLINQ.com; @LINQPromenade

KARTRITE CANNONBALL SPLASHES WITH SWEEPSTAKES GIVEAWAYS
Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, NY doesn’t open until 2019 but they are offering multiple chances up to that time for people to win promotional packages. The “Adventure of a Lifetime” Sweepstakes, with a total value of $250,000, runs through Dec. 31, 2018. Participants can win at three separate prize levels – the Epic Instant Win Prizes as part of the ‘Spin to Play,’ a large quarterly prize, and one final grand prize – the “Adventure of a Lifetime.” Go to www.camelbackwin.com and submit your full name, email address, home state and zip code of residence to be automatically entered into the Sweepstakes. Among the various prizes offered are stays at either the Camelback Lodge or The Kartrite Hotel. Meal allowances and arcade credits will be included for the stays.
Quarterly prize winners will be announced on April 3, July 3, and Oct. 2, 2018, and Jan. 3, 2019. The grand prize, worth $7,500, includes a six-night stay at Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark as well as a two-night stay at The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark, and Camelbeach season passes and Camelback Mountain super passes, each year for the next 20 years. The winner will be announced on Jan. 3, 2019.
www.camelbackwin.com.
LEGOLAND RACES TO A SPRING START 
Just in time for Spring Break or as a precursor to Summer, Legoland races to host the world’s first virtual reality roller coaster built for kids. The Winter Haven, FL property’s grand opening for The Great LEGO® Race is March 23. The animated race pits guests against a pirate, wizard, surfer and pharaoh as they steer LEGO-built vehicles like a rocket-powered windsurfing rig, a stylish scooter fueled by espresso and an ornately canopied bed (called a “litter”) carried by mummy servants. Wearing the VR headsets, intended for children 6 and up, is optional.
www.Legoland.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 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.