Entries by Karen Kuzsel
HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – NOVEMBER 2021
Rebranded Sal Y Mar Rooftop Bar & Events Venue atop the dual-branded Aloft and Element Hotel in Midtown Tampa, FL has rental deals for holiday events.
The job market is much better than has been pondered, worried over, and misrepresented according to the latest numbers released Nov. 5 by the U.S Labor Department. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 531,000 in October, beating the estimate of 450,000, states the report. “This is the kind of recovery we can get when we are not sidelined by a surge in Covid cases,” said Nick Bunker, economic research director at job placement site Indeed. “If this is the sort of job growth we will see in the next several months, we are on a solid path.” Best of all for the hospitality, leisure, and meetings & events are that these industries have regained 2.4 million positions lost during the pandemic as more than 164,000 Americans have now returned to restaurants and vacations.
HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – OCTOBER 2021
Pueblo Bonito’s Mexican resorts offer Day of the Day menus and events.
DAY OF THE DEAD HOLIDAY IS NOT HALLOWEEN
Yes, I know people dress up for Halloween in makeup and clothing that reference the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), but for Mexicans, the two holidays are vastly different. At Pueblo Bonito resorts (Los Cabos, Mexico), the holiday is celebrated with unique dining options that honor the memory of departed family members and friends. The Day of the Dead is commemorated on Nov. 1 – 2 (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day according to the Christian calendar) to coincide with the fall maize harvest. Dia de los Muertos has been recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization) on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I have never celebrated Dia de los Muertos, but the food offerings sure make me plan for it in the future. At Cibola at Montecristo Luxury Villas, located high on a bluff overlooking the ocean, breakfast will feature Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerto, a traditional sugary roll dotted with anise seeds and decorated with skulls and bones made from dough. The bones might be arranged in a circle, as in the circle of life.
EVENT INSIDER: MEETINGS MAYHEM – a startling reality check behind live events
Meetings Mayhem
Meetings Mayhem is what happens when you tumble dry the principles of Murphy’s Law with surprising mishaps experienced by hospitality, meetings and events, and entertainment industry experts, and then have a professional meeting planner collect and fold them into a passion project ready-made as a “how to respond to nightmare scenarios and come out a winner” book. I vacillated between laughing out loud and gratefully moaning, “Thank goodness it wasn’t me in that situation!”
You don’t have to be in the aforementioned industries to appreciate that “no matter how well you plan, there is always something beyond your control that can drastically upend at the last minute.” What author and professional meeting planner Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP demonstrates is that no matter how dire the situation might seem, the anecdotes contained within the pages of this easy-to-read 182 pages are an amusing guide for what-to-do-if…
HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – LATE SEPTEMBER 2021
Main dining room rendering of Nobu Restaurant and Lounge at Paris Las Vegas. photo by Studio Pch, Inc.
CAESARS EXPANDS ITS BRANDS
What happens when Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and Nobu Hospitality (the global lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper) decide to expand their longstanding partnership? You get two new Nobu Hotels and restaurants at Harrah’s New Orleans and Caesars Atlantic City, a Nobu restaurant at Paris Las Vegas, and a refresh of the first Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, opened originally in 2013. Nobu Hotels and restaurants blend modern, cool luxury and minimal Japanese tradition into a lifestyle with products, services, and unparalleled personalized touches. Each location provides a local experience coupled with Nobu’s signature style. Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace was the first Nobu Hotel with 182 guest rooms and suites, including the extravagant rooftop Nobu Villa and one of the world’s largest Nobu restaurants.
HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – SEPTEMBER 2021
FLORIDA HOTELS “RAISE THE ROOF FOR HURRICANE IDA RELIEF”
Raise the Roof raised over $7000 for Hurricane Ida Relief
They came. They ate and drank. They donated to the tune of $7,000 in the one-night “Raising the Roof for Hurricane Ida Relief” program. Patrons of four Florida rooftop bars: EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge (Epicurean Hotel in Tampa); Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar (Fenway Hotel in Dunedin); Vantage Rooftop Bar (The Karol Hotel in Clearwater); and Beacon Social Drinkery (Luminary Hotel & Co. in Fort Myers) donated half of the evening’s sales to directly support of those impacted by the storm. The $7,000 was given to the American Red Cross. “It came together fast, but we wanted to give our guests and neighbors a way to quickly and directly help those affected by Hurricane Ida,” said Joe Collier, President of Mainsail Lodging & Development. “It was great to see so many come out at our four hotel rooftop bars to support the cause, with some guests making private donations, including one $1,000 donation from another local business.” To donate: www.RedCross.org.
HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – AUGUST 2021
The Saints go marching in to newly-renamed Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA.
RENAMED, RENOVATED AND THE BRAND NEW
The kickoff won’t be until February 2025 for the New Orleans Saints and Caesars Entertainment rebrand of New Orleans’ iconic downtown stadium as the Caesars Superdome. The 20-year, exclusive naming-rights partnership means the Caesars Superdome will host all Saints home football games, and Super Bowl LIX to be played in February 2025. The building will also host the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the annual Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff contests, a variety of concerts and hundreds of other annual events including Essence Festival, the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling State and Southern University, the New Orleans Bowl and the Louisiana State High School Athletic Association Football Championships. Caesars Superdome will stand as testament to Caesars’ commitment to the New Orleans Saints and to the city of New Orleans as it embarks on a $325 million renovation to transform Harrah’s New Orleans into Caesars New Orleans. “This partnership sends a strong message about the positive future for the New Orleans Saints, Caesars Entertainment, and the entire state of Louisiana,” said Saints Owner Gayle Benson. “