HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – FEBRUARY 2015

In this issue: New shows at Disneyland ignite meetings
Emeril Lagasse highlights Florida’s culinary scene
Design Hotels discounts 15% on luxury hotels
DISNEYLAND PAINTS THE SKY WITH FIREWORKS, COLOR AND MEMORIES
New technology and immersive special effects are adding more pomp to the circumstance of meetings held at Disneyland Resort. The three nighttime sky spectacles—“Paint the Night” and “Disneyland Forever” at the Disneyland Park and “World of Color” at Disney California Adventure Park begin May 22 as part of Disneyland’s (60^th) Diamond Celebration. Walt Disney opened Disneyland July 17, 1955. More than 1.5 million individually controlled lights illuminate the new “Paint the Night” parade, the first all-LED parade at the resort. “Disneyland Forever” sets a new standard for theme park fireworks. An oversized projection mapping technology will create vivid story scenes onto park icons, such as the Matterhorn. Mickey Mouse narrates “World of Color,” which tells the story of Walt Disney and the Happiest Place on Earth through fountains, film, animation, and a stirring musical score. Private viewing locations for “World of Color” make the show ideal for receptions and dessert parties of up to 9,000 people. The show is available for buy-outs and can be customized with organization logos and messages. Resort attractions such as Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland and Carthay Circle Theatre in Disney California Adventure will sparkle with Diamond Celebration décor, an easy backdrop for planners looking to make a strong statement without additional cost.
www.DisneyMeetings.com; (714) 520-7025
HOT DEALS
Celebrating at Gaylord Hotels just got a little sweeter. Valid through September 14, 2015, the new Celebration promo earns you $100 resort credits per night at the Gaylord National and a $50 resort credit (max $100) at Gaylord Palms, Gaylord Opryland and Gaylord Texan.
Use the promotional code ZJL when booking online or by phone. (800) GAYLORD
Choose your destination: Cancún, Punta Cana, Nassau, Puerto Rico or any of the locations serviced by Melia Hotels International and receive up to 35% off your next vacation if you book by February 28 and travel through December 22 of this year. Your resort credit can be applied to room upgrades, YHI Spa services, premium dining reservations, vintage wines and exclusive resort experiences.
www.melia.com

London may be briskly windy in the winter, but the 5-star standard Regency home known as Brocket Hall has a deal guaranteed to thaw you out. Book your new meeting or event occurring from now through April in this luxurious English manor and you can save up to £2,000 a day. You get traditional English Butler service, complimentary WiFi, and exclusive use of two championship standard golf courses and the Palmerston Golf Academy. The 542 acres of private land, close to Luton International Airport, has 46 en-suite rooms, six meeting rooms and a meeting capacity for up to 150 theater style.
Julie (01707 368728) or Jeanette (01707 368727); events@brocket-hall.co.uk
Design Hotels invites you to choose from grand historic properties in Vienna, Bergamo, or Athens to the beautiful hotels in Paris or Istanbul, or maybe venture to those in Singapore or Berlin while getting 15% off a two night booking that must be used by March 29. The promo includes breakfast, WiFi, and in some cases late check-out and even a bottle of bubbly. Here are the hotels listed for this particular promotion: Choose from the grand historic ones, such as Vienna, Bergamo, or Athens; the dazzlingly beautiful—Paris or Istanbul; and the multicultural melting pots of Singapore or Berlin. Book two nights at the hotels below and get up to 15% off, breakfast, WiFi, and in some cases late check-out and even a bottle of bubbly. Three hotels are in Istanbul, Turkey:  the 82-room The Sofa Hotel & Residences; the 20-room The House Hotel Galatasaray; and the 26-room The House Hotel Bosphorus. There’s also two in Vienna, Austria: the 31-room Hotel Topazz and the 32-room Hotel Lamée. Paris, France has the 26-room Hôtel Sezz Paris; Bergamo, Italy the

13-room GombitHotel; Athens, Greece the 133-room Fresh Hotel; Berlin, Germany, the 84-room Cosmo Hotel Berlin Mitte; and in Singapore, the 29-room Wanderlust.
www.designhotels.com
EXPERIENCES
It’s not often even racecar fans or even executive boards have the chance to meet a legendary driver in person, but the Richard Petty Driving Experience’s NASCAR race car drive- and ride-entertainment, may provide that very thrill. RPDE is hosting four premium driving experiences in 2015, one of which will include the chance to drive a NASCAR race car and meet Richard Petty. Events are: the sixth annual King’s Cup (February 20), Richard Petty Fantasy Racing Camp – Las Vegas (March 8-11), Hall of Fame Experience (May 2) and Richard Petty Fantasy Racing Camp – Carolinas (October 10-13). King’s Cup is a half-day racing event pitting competitors head-to-head while driving NASCAR race cars at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL. Twelve participants in the Las Vegas camp start the day by meeting Petty before heading over to Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Spring Cup Series race for VIP treatment. The actual three-day experience includes luxurious accommodations, off-road terrain adventures and custom apparel. The first Hall Of Fame Experience May 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway begins with a private tour of the 150,000-sf facility. Petty, one of the first inductees to the Hall in the class of 2010, will be on hand for the private tour.  The half-day event includes personal stories from Petty and an eight-lap Rookie Experience. The October event in Charlotte gives 12 racing enthusiasts a four-day fantasy experience at Sprint Cup tracks. They meet with Petty, have a VIP experience watching the Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Series race and then spend several days learning short track driving behind the wheel of a 600 HP NASCAR-style race car. All four premium driving experiences include a souvenir photo plaque and in-car video with performance data and telemetry for participants.
(800) 237-3889; Drivepetty.com/petty-experiences.
Travel to three African countries just got easier. Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya have created the East Africa Tourist Visa. For a $100 fee, visitors gain multiple-entry to all three countries, valid for 90 days. Travelers can apply for the visa at any of the diplomatic representations of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, or online where applicable. Contact your local Kenya Consulate or Embassy for application instructions.
EMERIL SPOTLIGHTS FLORIDA’S CULINARY INDUSTRY
Anyone who doubts that Florida’s culinary industry is lackluster should tune into Emeril’s Florida, a 13-episode series on the Cooking Channel (and in perpetual repeat if you Google the show) hosted by famed Emeril Lagasse.  I’m always eager to hear about Florida restaurants and products I may not know about and to what recipe he will prepare that day. In two episodes sponsored by Visit Florida and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Lagasse highlighted a restaurant I frequent when in Cocoa Village and one of five cavier-producing fish farms in America located in the tiny town of Pierson that I had the pleasure of visiting. Café Margaux in Cocoa appears like a place for “ladies who lunch” from the outside. Small patio tables shield from sun and rain by plantings and awnings. Inside, the restaurant breaks into intimate elegant spaces. The international cuisine is always impeccably prepared and served with pride. There are always daily specials but last time my sister Debbie and I shared several dishes, including the chef’s now-regularly-featured Olive Oil & Garlic Sautéed Shrimp & Scallops melded perfectly with roasted Roma tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese & white wine and layered over lemon saffron angel hair pasta. Owners are Alex and Pamela Litras. I found my way to Evans Fish Farm when my nephew Jarrod’s girlfriend Kirsten invited our family to have Thanksgiving Day dinner with all her family, who own the fish farm that specializes in multiple types of sturgeon and are harvested for their roe. In the Emeril’s Florida episode, co-owner Gino Evans gives Lagasse a private tour, much as he did with us the day we visited. The family’s brand of caviar is called Anastasia Gold, which Emeril pronounced as “crazy good… nutty, buttery… and some of the best caviar he’s ever had.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwINpUOJ0oU&feature=youtu.be

Karen Kuzsel is a writer-editor based in the Orlando area who specializes in the hospitality, entertainment, meetings & events industries.  She is a Contributing Editor-Writer for Prevue Magazine and is an active member of ISES and MPI. She writes about food & wine, spas, destinations, venues, meetings & events. A career journalist, Karen 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