Smart Meetings | Latest Headlines

Southwest Cuts Routes

2008-12-16T01:41:49Z

Southwest Airlines announced that it would eliminate 32 roundtrip flights and add 19 new ones in 2009. The airline will cut one daily flight between Phoenix and several western cities, but will add a daily nonstop flight from Denver to Phoenix. There will be a new nonstop service from Denver to Tucson, Ariz., as well as expanded nonstop flights serving Oakland, Seattle and Nashville, Tenn. The changes are reflected in the early summer schedule, which begins May 9 and continues through June 26. southwest.com

Enchanting Enhancement

2008-12-16T01:39:47Z

Enchantment Resort has broken ground on upgrading and increasing its conference facilities with an additional 7,000 sq. ft. of event space. The Sedona, Ariz., resort expects to complete the $4-million project in early fall 2009, at which time it will have 16,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space in addition to the 20,000 sq. ft. of outdoor banquet space. This project is phase one of a $20-million investment to update the entire resort over the next three years. enchantmentresort.com

New Boutique Inn Heading for Eugene

2008-12-16T01:38:01Z

A new hotel will be coming to downtown Eugene, Ore., for the first time in 26 years. The Inn at the Market will feature 54 rooms and will aim for a room rate and amenity level modestly above other local hotels. It will be located at the Fifth Street Public Market, taking the storefront of the now-gone Nike Store as well as adjacent space and a still-to-be-built fourth floor. The $8-million project is expected to be under construction by late 2009 or early 2010. innatthemarket.com

SMARTER EDGE - PCTV

2008-12-16T01:36:29Z

If you absolutely can’t miss your favorite TV show but know you’ll be away from your couch, the Pinnacle Systems PCTV HD Stick can help you out. From hotels, airports, or even boats (if they’re close enough to land) you can plug the flash drive into your USB port to get HD TV on your laptop. You can also record two hours of HD video right onto the little portable gadget in case you have to leave your room or go for a swim. pinnaclesys.com

Oakland CVB Goes Private

2008-12-04T01:17:00Z

The city of Oakland, Calif., has stopped funding for the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau. A proposal is now underway to increase the previous budget of $650,000 to $1.5 million by tapping into private funding. Hotels would add a $1.50 to $2 charge per night on guest rooms, joining cities such as San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento that have instituted similar plans when the cities’ funds began to run dry. The new program, if approved, will take effect in June 2009.

Hasta La (Chula) Vista

2008-12-02T17:45:44Z

Gaylord Entertainment announced the termination of its plans to develop a resort and convention hotel in Chula Vista, Calif. Prolonged planning and approval processes, a complicated legal structure and excessive costs contributed to the decision. An expansion of the San Diego Convention Center is still under consideration. gaylordentertainment.com

Station Casinos Deemed “Extremely Speculative”

2008-12-02T17:43:55Z

After it announced plans to delay paying its loans, Station Casinos’ probability of default rating was changed from “poor standing” to “extremely speculative” by Moody’s Investors Service. The casinos will try to push back the maturity date of its loans by four years, but an independent credit analysis firm said that action alone will not forestall a bankruptcy.

SMARTER EDGE - Pingg Invitations

2008-12-02T17:39:01Z

For events ranging from casual dinners to large scale endeavors, the electronic invitation is gaining prominence as the go-to option of notification. Rather than fitting in a pre-determined box format of e-mail, Pingg offers users total creative control over what the invitation looks like and how it functions. The website can also take the process to another level by sending the invitations via mail, e-mail, text message, website (complete with photo and video capabilities), Facebook and Twitter. pingg.com

Top-Level Changes as 2008 Winds Down

2008-11-25T19:16:55Z

Dolce Hotels and Resorts has named Steven A. Rudnitsky as president and CEO effective December 8. Rudnitsky recently stepped down as president and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide's Hotel Group and comes to Dolce as the company plans to double the size of its portfolio.

In California, Knud Svendsen has been named vice president of sales and revenue management at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Svendsen has 23 years of experience in hotel and destination marketing and joins Mammoth from the Reno-Sparks CVA where he was vice president of marketing and tourism.

SoCal Open Despite Fires

2008-11-19T00:51:05Z

Fire ripped through much of Southern California over the past week but firefighters have contained the blazes that affected Santa Barbara and Orange counties. The Tea Fire, which burned 1,940 acres in Montecito and Santa Barbara, has been 100 percent contained with no damage to visitor infrastructure or visitor attractions. The fires in Orange County affected residential communities about 15 miles from the Anaheim Resort district and is currently 70 percent contained. Disney attractions, Knott’s Berry Farm and the Anaheim Convention Center were not affected.