NOTHIN’ COULD BE FINER THAN OUR MEALS IN THE CAROLINAS

No food pictures this time. This was going to be a leisurely few days getaway… and then we discovered restaurants worthy of your attention if in Greenville or Franklin (North Carolina) or Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Originally, my husband Russ and I booked a flight and hotel in Asheville, NC. When Hurricane Helene drove forceful winds and powerful floods throughout the artsy mountain community, we ended up staying

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –OCTOBER 2024

NO CAR, BUT HOTEL CHARGED MANDATORY VALET PARKING FEE!

No car, but parking fee charged anyway.

Robert Kraus, travel professional, event planner, and owner of Small Conferences LLC took an “expensive van service from the airport to a Florida hotel for a three-day educational conference aimed at meeting planners,” he explains. In his LinkedIn post, Kraus said the property was “near a beach that literally brags about how most of the properties there do not charge a “resort fee” and even offer free parking. The actual town I stayed in offers a surplus of complimentary parking along the main strip with no parking restrictions – welcoming guests to drive and stay there (as they are an hour away from the closest regional airport).” Along with his key and information about the complimentary breakfast

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –JUNE 2024

Just one of the extraordinary inflatables by Disco Designer.

Occasionally, I see event props and décor that are over-the-top incredible. I have worked functions with enormous inflatables that enhance a theme but the ones from Peter Yordanov’s Disco Designer group soar to new levels of creativity, vivid colors, imagination, and yes, size. While there are many enormous inflatables on his FaceBook and LinkedIn

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS –JANUARY 2024

HOT DEALS!

River rafting with Western River expeditions can earn planners a free trip!

Planners who book a group for a Western River Expeditions’ rafting adventure in 2024 get the entire trip for free.  The charters are for river rafting trips in Southern Utah destinations such as Desolation Canyon and Cataract Canyon as well as through Moab. Early bird bookings have the best selection of departure dates and destinations. User-friendly links also come with supplemental trip information, all designed

6 NEW PRIVACY LAWS CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT YOUR INFO & YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE

I am not the only person who has entered my personal information into a website that is later hacked. I wish I could say it’s only occurred once.

Because of that, I am acutely sensitive to where my info is captured. That sensitivity is why I want to share an article sent directly to me as a journalist-blogger from Widness & Wiggins PR (Salt Lake City, UT) for their client, WaiverSign.

I hope that by sharing, you will better understand how six new privacy laws (with more coming) may directly impact both how your personal information is collected and what steps your company website must take to protect your customers.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JUNE 2022

TradeWinds has also added the new Zing Ray Zip to its St. Petersburg, FL resorts.

NEWLY OPENED, RENOVATED, AND COMING SOON

You might say that TradeWinds Island Resorts is zipping along. After all, the St. Petersburg, FL resorts, which includes the Island Grand and RumFish Beach Resort, have added 141 guestrooms, new zip line on the beach, and a new Mexican restaurant concept at the Island Grand. The 141 rooms were part of the property formerly known as the Alden Suites, which was acquired by TradeWinds last March and incorporated into the RumFish Beach Resort. The expansion brings the

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – FEBRUARY 2022

Pool area at Caerula Mar Resort in Andros, The Bahamas.

HOT DEALS!

Homesick-branded candles and The Bahamas have teamed up with luxury resort, Caerula Mar Club in Andros, for a four-day, three-night escape package. Enter to win. One lucky winner (and guest) will be randomly drawn on February 28. The package is worth over $2,000.

From My Lips To Your Eyes: A short synopsis of what you need to know

It’s like squeezing into a too-tight dress when it’s the only one that will work for the event you’re headed to tonight. There’s just too much to cram into one small space and too little time to do anything more about it. That’s how I think of all the information I’m privy to about hotel and destinations promotions, event announcements, software that sweetens success, and people of distinction in the hospitality/meetings & events/entertainment industries. I know you’d like to know what I know, but the collection of knowledge doesn’t fit into the formats of publications and organizations for whom I already write.
Here’s where you come in.
I will give a $25 check to the person who comes up with a title for a new blog I feel compelled to create. Whoever dishes up the best Read more

5 Stars for Ravella's Food & Spa

Ravella at Las Lake Vegas


You know that old adage: which comes first, the chicken or the egg? For my recent journalists’ junket to Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, it was more like: the cuisine or the spa? Both were divinely delicious with a strong propensity towards nurturing health and wellness of mind, body and spirit by infusing the senses with an organic aromatherapeutic remedy.
In the interest of being the equal opportunity purveyor of opinions, I’ll lay out the facts. You decide.
My involvement as an entertainer and as a journalist for the meetings & events, entertainment and hospitality industries garners lots of opportunities to sample tasty treats from chefs of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and reputation. I certainly wasn’t expecting foodie nirvana at a tucked-away resort on the outskirts of Vegas.
Actually, to be truthful, I wasn’t expecting to wind up at a literal oasis in the desert, minus any maurauding nomads or sandstorm-swept flies in my face. Read more