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HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – AUGUST 2015

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Rivers of Light at Disney's Animal Kingdom Expected to open next spring. (Disney Parks)

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Expected to open next spring. (Disney Parks)

IN THIS ISSUE: Star Wars, Pandora, Toy Story and Soarin’—just what is Disney up to?

Hot deals for international resorts keep bookings alive

HOT DEALS BRING THE HEAT TO BOOKINGS

Time’s running out to book Meliá Hotels International Caribbean beach hotels and be able to scoop up on their 25% off promotion. Book by August 31st and stay through December 22, 2015, with certain restrictions and blackout dates applicable.

www.melia.com

It’s not too late for Meeting Planners to take advantage of Hollywood Beach Marriott’s “Meet and Beach” summer group offer. In fact, you have until September 30 to book and use this Florida destination, just six miles from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The advantages include nine meeting rooms, the largest of which can hold up to 500 attendees. Planners can manage the meeting’s needs (climate, coffee, chairs etc) via the Marriott’s new Red Coat Direct Meeting App. Included in this hot deal are Double Marriott Rewards® points; Complimentary 1-hour reception right on the Broadwalk overlooking Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JANUARY 2015

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Sink your teeth into the delectable Tuna Tartar at Bistro CloClo. photo by Karen Kuzsel

Sink your teeth into the delectable Tuna Tartar at Bistro CloClo. photo by Karen Kuzsel

In This Issue: Visit Florida Grant Applications yours for the asking

CSR: What has your company done lately?

Hot Luxury Hotel Deals

I heard on one of those end-the-year news wrap up programs that the word “foodie” was as hot as a skiable mountain during the polar vortex. I am as deeply muddled by that pronouncement as I am worried that snow will bury my Florida home during the summer.

I am a foodie. I say that while aromas of warm cookies, spicy sauces, and savory meats ingested during the recent holidays still linger affectionately in my memory. I’m not snobby about being a foodie, nor would I ever want to challenge Andrew Zimmerman for “who can eat the nastiest morsel.” I simply enjoy well-prepared cuisine that’s sits prettily on the plate and is packed with flavour. I also enjoy sharing some of my favourite meals or restaurants with others, which is why I’m telling you about my husband and my latest go-to restaurant, Bistro CloClo in the Dr. Phillips area of Orlando.

You may surmise from the name, it is French in its exquisite renditions of duck a la orange or my hubby’s new fave, steak frites. I actually salivate just thinking about their tuna tartar appetizer, a hefty mound of minced fresh tuna Read more

ART IS AS SPICY HOT OR SOOTHINGLY SWEET IN SANTA FE AS NEW MEXICO’S CHILE PEPPERS

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Native American statue on Museum Hill, Santa Fe, NM

Native American statue on Museum Hill, Santa Fe, NM. photo by Karen Kuzsel


The rich, the famous and the infamous pinned Santa Fe, NM to the pages of history, but it’s the arts that have solidified its reputation for the future. Whether we’re talking about paintings, sculptures, Native American handcrafted jewelry, bohemian clothing, books, movies or its distinctive cuisine, Santa Fe’s art rises from the desert floor like scented steam from one of its many spiritually sacred spas. You can see it. You can breathe it. But what matters is how it makes you feel.
The Southwestern city of 70,000 is a smorgasbord for the senses wrapped in an eclectic blanket of Spanish, Cowboy and Native American influences. It made me feel alive, refreshed, awakened, attuned, energized and wired during my recent visit. (And that’s without the light-headedness that comes from being at 7,000-ft elevation. Drink water until you feel squishy to avoid headaches or nausea.) I felt it immediately upon reaching the city limits, an hour’s drive from the easy-to-maneuver Albuquerque International Airport (20 from the Santa Fe Airport) and saw how the zoning-mandated and culturally-authentic brown adobe buildings that blend seamlessly into the inescapable desert terrain also serve as a blank canvas to the vibrant displays of art bursting like wildflowers in the Spring.  
In this flourishing city now ranked as the third largest art market in the world, there are 250 art galleries (more than a 100 of which cram the one mile stretch known as Canyon Road), 250 restaurants, 1,400 (mostly boutique) hotel rooms, and statues elegantly defining its cultural roots. My beaded braids, gypsy attire and personal spirited philosophy of life fit into the landscape as if I were a resident.
The core of the oldest U.S. Capital city, established in 1610, is a squared plaza and the oldest marketplace in the country. Across the street, Read more