Plan Your Meetings

Names and Notes: June 2007

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Names

Evan Casey was promoted to vice president, sales, of Plan Your Meetings. Casey previously was Southwest publisher of the magazine. In his new position, he will oversee the expansion of Plan Your Meetings into other markets around the country.

Patrick Imbaradelli was named executive director of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC board.

Bren Clevenger-Ori was appointed the chief operating officer for Meeting Professional International. Claire Smith was named vice president of marketplace performance; Bridget Sypolt was named director of events.

Joann Bedrosian-Ryan joined the San Diego CVB as senior director of sales, central region.

Dale Ford was named executive chef of the TradeWinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Ian Black was named vice president of sales for the Palm Beach [Fla.] CVB.

Barbara Baker was named the Northeast sales manager of the Emory Conference Center Hotel in Atlanta. Wendy Lynch was named the corporate sales manager.

Sharon Moskowitz was named the director of sales and marketing at Social Arrangements, a division of Atlanta Arrangements Inc.

Alexandra Haynes joined the team of Charleston, S.C.-based event production company Planning the Globe.

Steve Clanton was named vice president of sales of both the San Antonio [Texas] Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Convention/Sports/Entertainment Facilities department of the City of San Antonio.

Notes

National
Virgin Group received approval from the Department of Transportation to begin Virgin America airline service from San Francisco International Airport. New York’s JFK Airport will be the airline’s first destination with service scheduled to begin this year. The airline expects to service at least 10 destinations by 2008.

Skybus Airlines began no-frills service between Columbus, Ohio, and Burbank, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; Portsmouth, N.H.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Greensboro, N.C.; Oakland, Calif.; and Bellingham, Wash., with rates as low as $10 each way. Fees are charged for baggage, food and beverages.

Air Tran began service to and from Charleston [S.C.] International Airport.

Gulf Air moved its Web site address to www.gulfair.com.

Alabama
A $52 million, 17-story luxury hotel is scheduled to begin construction next year in Birmingham’s downtown financial district; no brand affiliation had been announced at press time.

Arizona
The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa and The Phoenician received Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s North American Division “Hotel of the Year” awards based on service composite scores and results from guest surveys.

Arkansas
A $12 million conversion project is scheduled to transform Little Rock’s Holiday Inn Select into the state’s first Crowne Plaza hotel. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer. The five-story property, located near the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and the Statehouse Convention Center, will have 243 rooms, 7,500 square feet of meeting and banquet space, indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant and lounge, and a fitness center.

Colorado
A 16-floor Four Seasons hotel is scheduled to open in Denver in early 2009 as part of a 45-floor condo-hotel development located two blocks from the Colorado Convention Center. Amenities will include on-site dining, a full-service spa and fitness center, a rooftop pool and nearly 16,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Ritz-Carlton, Denver, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007 with 202 rooms, including 47 suites, 32 club level rooms and one Ritz-Carlton suite. Other amenities planned include 13,000 square feet meeting of space (including a 6,200-sq. ft. main ballroom and a junior ballroom), a business center and a lobby lounge.

The Hilton Garden Inn is scheduled to open in downtown Denver across from the Colorado Convention Center in winter 2007.

The Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be in Denver from June 22, 2007 through Jan. 6, 2008.

Florida
In Destin, a 75-suite Candlewood Suites is scheduled to open at U.S. 98 and Miramar Beach Drive in fall 2008.

The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village in St. Augustine is scheduled to complete a multi-million dollar renovation of its 301 suites and guest rooms, restaurant and bar, main ballroom, lobby, and meeting space by October 2007.

A 166-room St. Regis Resort opened in Fort Lauderdale with more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a 29,000-sq. ft. oceanfront pool deck and an 8,500-sq. ft. full-service spa.

The Loews Miami Beach Hotel completed a $21 million renovation, adding an 18,000-sq. ft. full-service spa, and enhancing guest rooms, public areas, restaurants and 65,000 square feet of meeting space.

A 400-room Westin Convention Center Hotel is scheduled to open adjacent to the Palm Beach Convention Center in 2008.

Georgia
The 291-room W Atlanta Buckhead is scheduled to open in summer 2008 with a rooftop bar and 7,000 square feet of meeting space.

Atlanta-based team-building/entertainment company The Drum Café added new customized team development coaching programs and workshops to its corporate services menu.

The Beechwood Inn in Clayton received a Wine Spectator Award for its wine cellar and food and wine events.

Louisiana
The Omni Royal Crescent Hotel is scheduled to undergo a total renovation this summer; improvements will add a new restaurant, the Gravier Bistro & Bar.

Mississippi
The Margaritaville Casino & Resort, a partnership between Harrah’s Entertainment and musician Jimmy Buffett, is scheduled to break ground this summer on the site of the former Grand Casino and Casino Magic. Scheduled to open in spring 2010, the resort will have a total of 798 guest rooms, a 100,000-sq. ft. casino, 66,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service spa and 250,000 square feet of retail space.

Missouri
Hotel Indigo plans to develop two new hotels in St. Louis: one downtown and one in the Central West End district. Construction for the two hotels is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2007 with completion scheduled in spring 2008.

Texas
A 300-room Hotel ZaZa is scheduled to open in Houston’s Museum District on June 4. Amenities will include 17,000 square feet of meeting space, a 10,000-sq. ft. spa, on-site dining and luxury suites.

In Waco, a $17.5 million renovation is planned for the Waco Convention Center.