Boston Events

Luxury hotels have had an especially tough time in today's economy, with occupancy rates falling as much as 57 percent this year. It's led some hotels to give up their upscale ratings— but not all. In fact, AAA recently announced that it awarded Five Diamond status to 113 hotels for 2010, which is, impressively, an increase from 103 last year.

"The past year has presented many challenges for the travel industry," said Michael Petrone, director of AAA Tourism Information Development, in a statement. "To achieve and maintain the highest level of hospitality during these difficult economic times is a significant accomplishment."

The new Five Diamond award winners are:

• The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale
• The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach
• Acqualina Resort and Spa on the Beach in Sunny Isles Beach
• The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
• Encore Las Vegas
• The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas
• The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, California
• The Grand Del Mar in San Diego
• The Plaza Hotel in New York
• The Pierre New York
• Mandarin Oriental Boston
• Encantado, An Auberge Resort in Sante Fe, New Mexico
• The Ritz-Carlton Dallas
• The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico
• Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
• Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya

Other noteable achievements:

• The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin, celebrated a quarter-century as a Five Diamond winner
• The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado; The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; and Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Scottsdale have maintained a Five Diamond rating for 34 consecutive years

Visit AAA to view more Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants.

The Millennium Bostonian Hotel in Boston has unveiled the results of its $24 million renovation. Its 201 brand-new rooms feature pillow-top beds, Frette linens and 40-inch, high-definition televisions. Its lobby also welcomes guests with a new, contemporary look.

For Boston meetings and events, the hotel has opened its 3,000-square-foot Seasons Ballroom. A great Boston banquet space, the ballroom features bay windows, a glass ceiling, plenty of natural light and great views of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The hotel also has several other meeting suites.

This luxury Boston hotel's renovation also included a new dining area, North 26 Restaurant and Bar. Plus, the Millennium Bostonian is just minutes away from top Boston attractions such as the New England Aquarium and Boston Harbor. More than 125 shops and restaurants are also just outside the door.

View more information about the Millennium Bostonian Hotel on the Cvent Supplier Network

Though hotels across the country continue to struggle, a few major markets are seeing signs of improvement. The nationwide hotel occupancy rate fell to 59.8 percent during the first week of October, a drop of 5.4 percentage points compared to last year, according to Smith Travel Research. Revenue per available room fell 12 percent to $59.28.

Southern California has been one of the hardest hit markets, with over 300 hotels in the state being in foreclosure or having defaulted on their loans, according to the Los Angeles Times. Now, though, STR has seen a rebound in Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the paper reports.

Anaheim saw occupancy rates rise 2.3 percent to 63.4 percent. The number of group bookings rose 27.5 percent for the first two weeks of October compared to last year at this time. In Los Angeles, group bookings increased as well by 18.1 percent.

New York, Boston and New Orleans also saw slight rebounds. In fact, New Orleans was the only city among the top 25 markets in the nation to see increases in three hotel indicators, occupancy rates, average daily room rates and revenue per available room.

Lead times remain short for meeting and event planners looking to secure the best deals from hotels and event venues. According to a recent MeetingNews survey, 41 percent of planners said their lead times for meetings of less than 100 attendees are 30 to 90 days before the event date. These abbreviated time periods are holding steady, as 73 percent of planners said lead times are about the same in 2009 as they were last year, while 15 percent said they are even shorter this year.

Paul Salvatore, HRG North America president of events and meetings management, told MeetingNews of one client who booked a Pittsburgh meeting for 160 people on September 24 just three weeks prior. Meanwhile, another client is waiting to announce its Boston meeting for 300 guests until a week before, in case a better deal comes along or it needs to cancel.

"Even though we made them aware of the penalties—both on air, using nonrefundable tickets, and on the deposit at the hotel—they factored all that into their budgeting and are willing to forgo their deposit and take the penalties," Salvatore said.

Meeting planners are obviously looking for a deal, and hotels are certainly willing to provide them.

"In the past, we would have to bring up additional features and benefits, concessions on F&B, meeting room rental and other things, and they seem to be thrown on up front," Salvatore said.

It's all just another example of how this is one of the best meeting buyer's markets in years.

"Businesses know it's a soft marketplace. They don't need to negotiate rates this far out, so we can go inside of 90 days and still get good pricing," Jim Fausel, Jr., Global Conference Associates president, told MeetingNews. "Most of inventory is still there within 90 days, at least for 2009."

Last week I blogged about options for decor lighting for your events: gobos, pin spots and up lights. But there was definitely one lighting item I left out: furniture!

I recently read about CORT Event Furnishings' Luna collection in Meetings & Conventions. Its pedestals, tables, columns and bars all have LED lighting from within! Sustainable and battery operated, these event furnishing are programmed with a variety of pre-selected colors, can flash or fade, last for eight hours, and are really cool!

You can find lighted furniture from a number of vendors, too. So Cool Events, a Miami AV and decor supplier, offers lighted banquet, lounge and even casino tables! You can even have them create lighted lounge cubes with your company logo on them. Boston party rental provider the Prop Factory offers Glo-Products(R) that include towers, bars, tables and centerpieces.

When it comes to event decor lighting, your options are limited only by your imagination!

Interested in a free night at a newly-renovated hotel? Who isn't?

Sheraton Hotel & Resorts, which has undergone a multibillion dollar global revitatlization effort, is offering thousands of free rooms for one night only at 86 hotels throughout North America in celebration of the brand's makeover. Visit sheraton.com/freenight from October 6-9 and register for a chance to book a free room October 23 at new and newly renovated flagships hotels. Among the hotel options are Sheraton Waikiki, Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Kauai, Sheraton Dallas and Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

Overall, Sheraton's brand makeover has included 70,000 new or newly renovated guest rooms, more than 300 new lobbies featuring the Link@Sheraton experience with Microsoft, and over 100,000 new Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds. In total, almost half of Sheraton's North American profile has been renovated.

"We have spent the last few years renovating and rebuilding one of the hotel industry’s most iconic brands and as the economy begins to recover Sheraton is in an enviable position, poised to come out of the gate fast and leverage our new flagship hotels, renovated properties and signature brand offerings," said Frits van Paasschen, Starwood CEO, in a statement. "When travelers return to the road en masse, Sheraton will be ready."

The Sheraton Boston Hotel has completed its $50 million renovation. Following a revamp of the South Tower rooms a few years ago, the North Tower's 700 guest rooms and its lobby have followed suit.

Overall, Sheraton Boston offers 1,059 standard guest rooms, 79 Executive King rooms, 74 suites and four Club Level suites. Standard amenities include spacious work areas and access to high-speed Internet.

A great venue for Boston events, the hotel has 53 Boston meeting spaces, the largest of which measures in at 1,838.74 square feet. The grand Constitution Ballroom is a great setting for weddings and receptions, offering picture windows, French doors, a private balcony and seating for 100 to 400 guests.

Following a meeting at the hotel, business guests can enjoy coffee at the Starbucks, grab a light snack at Cafe Apropos, or sit down for something more substantial at Sidebar & Grille. The hotel is also home to one of New England's largest indoor pools at the adjacent Prudential Center/Copley Place Complex.

View more information about the Sheraton Boston Hotel on the Cvent Supplier Network

Just a stone's throw from Boston, Cambridge is a convenient alternative for meeting planners. Sharing Boston's convenient port of entry—Logan International Airport—and its top-notch convention facitlies, such as the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Cambridge's various special event venues make it stand out as a great New England destination all on its own.

Read all about the hotels, restaurants and venues for private events in Cambridge at the Cvent Destination Guide.

Labor Day is just around the corner, so it's time for everyone to squeeze in one last getaway. Based on more than 30,000 hotel room booking requests made through its Name Your Own Price hotel service, Priceline has released its 7th annual top 50 destinations for Labor Day.

Here are the top 10 destinations Americans will be traveling to this weekend:

1. New York City, Times Square/Theater District
2. New York City, Chelsea Area
3. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South
4. Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place
5. New York City, Empire State Building Area
6. San Francisco, Union Square West/Nob Hill
7. New York City, Midtown East
8. Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park Area
9. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity North
10. Boston, Copley Square/Theater District

Quite a few New York City destinations made the list, which is good news for the struggling hotel market there. Brian Ek, Priceline's Travel Ekspert, also notes a few key changes from last year's list. International destinations are back on the list (starting with Vancouver at number 11, Montreal at 16, Paris at 17, etc.) as are many beach destinations.

The Langham Boston, a luxurious hotel and architectural masterpiece in the heart of Boston, is offering an exclusive “Day Delegate Power Pack” promotion to help organizations or companies “commit to get fit” at their next meeting. This promotional package includes the general session room rental cost; a continental breakfast; a morning stretch break with a snack of tropical fruits and raspberry dipping sauce, energy and granola bars, and assorted flavored yogurts; a light and healthy spa luncheon; and an afternoon energy release break with a personal fitness instructor to lead your attendees through interval morning and afternoon stretches. Chuan Body + Soul, the hotel’s fitness center and spa, will dedicate personal trainers to your meeting to lead your attendees through stretches to energize their mind and body. In addition to these great offers, all guests will enjoy a 15% savings on their next massage, facial or body scrub at Chuan Body + Soul. The cost of the Power Pack Package is $135 USD per person, per day.

Even if fitness is not the focus of your next event, the Langham is a luxurious destination for any group. As the former Federal Reserve Bank, this Boston venue is an architectural masterpiece set in the center of Massachusetts' economic and cultural heartland. The hotel offers the ability to accommodate events for as little as 8 or as large as 600 attendees. The Langham also has an in-house audio-visuals department, a professional conference services team, and an award winning culinary team to attend to every detail of your event.

View more information about the Langham Boston on the Cvent Supplier Network

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is calling for increased lodging and meal taxes in the city. The mayor's spokesperson Dot Joyce said the tax package is needed as an alternative source of venue during a tough financial time, beyond relying on property owners and state funding, according to The Boston Globe.

Menino's local-option tax package would raise the Boston hotel tax from 12.45 percent to 14.45 percent. The meal tax would be increased from 6.25 percent to 7 percent. This tax increase would come on top of the recent sales tax rate increase in the state of Massachusetts of 5 percent to 6.25 percent, which went into effect August 1.

"None of us like new taxes—we have kept property taxes steady—but as I see it, these local-option tax increases would primarily impact visitors to our City, and travel, tourism and convention business remains strong," Mayor Menino said in a statement. "Even with the proposed increase, Boston’s meals and hotel tax rates would remain lower than many other comparable cities like New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Chicago."

President of Boston's City Council Michael Ross thinks the tax will be worthwhile.

"I think this is good public policy because it will align Boston’s vitality with that of its businesses," he told the Globe. "It’s the amenities that keep people attracted to the city...You’re not going to keep that if you’re losing $100 million to the state, as we did this year."

Those working in the Boston restaurant and hotel industries aren't as convinced.

"I don’t think it will shut any restaurants down, but I think it comes at a time when restaurants, like so many retail businesses, are having as difficult a time as I’ve seen in my 20-plus years here," commented Peter Christie, head of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

What do you think? Would you take your Boston events elsewhere because of the tax increases? Or is event planning in Boston worthwhile when you considering alternative cities, such as Chicago hotels with 15.4 percent hotel taxes or Washington, DC restaurants with 10 percent meal taxes?

Looking for exclusive Boston meeting space? Landmark Taj Boston is looking to provide just that. With its "Ultimate Takeover Package," this Boston hotel invites planners to book 100 or more guest rooms, and their meting group will be the only group in-house for the duration of the event.

Great for Boston events, Taj Boston can accommodate events of 20 to 500 people. Its 18,000 square feet of meeting space includes two ballrooms and 15 meeting rooms. It has several unique venues to suit any meeting goal and theme, including the intimate Wine Cellar, where up to 12 people can enjoy private wine tastings and seminars.

This luxury Boston hotel also boasts 228 guest rooms and 45 suites, as well as a fitness center with a dedicated massage room, dedicated conference concierge and 24-hour business center. Its convenient location just steps from Boston's Back Bay neighborhood places hotel guests within walking distance of fashionable shops and galleries and Boston's financial and theater districts.

It started last week when I was spending some time on Twitter. I noticed that conference and event manager Karen Brown (whom both Cvent and I follow) had sent this message: "FINALLY sending out new RFPs for 2010 and 2011."



Great news, but I didn't think much of it. That is, until I kept seeing this topic pop up again and again in articles and industry reports. No longer was it all doom and gloom, canceled conferences and low attendance in the world of meetings and events. Rather, news coverage revolved around something positive: meetings are picking up for 2010.

An article in Boston Business Journal featured interviews with industry leaders who have started to see signs of improvement in meetings business and are optimistic about the coming months.

"Starting in December through March, we definitely were holding our collective breath, but coming into May it seemed like people started coming back and spending money again," Jimmy Callanan, president and owner of JCALPRO, Inc., which handles rigging and logistics support for several Boston venues, told BBJ.

Michelle Ray, director of sales at the Four Seasons Boston, agreed that despite recent challenges, things are looking up.

"The good news is that we are seeing strong levels of business for 2010," Ray said. "Companies recognize the value of face-to-face meetings both for relationship-building and productivity."

The meetings environment in Boston is not surprising. In fact, meeting planners across the country are anticipating a pick up in events in 2010 and beyond.

According to Special Events Magazine's 8th annual Corporate Event Marketplace Study, corporate event professionals say they expect to host the same number of events or more in 2010 as compared to 2009. These events range from incentive trips to marketing events to product launches.

Don't get me wrong—the challenges of the past year have not gone away, nor should they be forgotten. Still, it's great to see some positive news. Like Karen, I want to know, are things looking up for everyone else?

The United States is celebrating its 233rd birthday this weekend (only a few days left to get a gift!), so it seems fitting to have a look at some of the best patriotic event venues in the country where you can celebrate this, or really any, important event.

Old South Meeting House

Located in the heart of downtown Boston, the Old South Meeting House has big reputation with meetings. In 1773, 5,000 colonists gathered here to protest the tax on tea, a protest that ultimately led to the famous Boston Tea Party.

For "revolutionary" Boston events, the Old South Meeting House can accommodate up to 650 people. Equipment such as theater lighting, a modular staging system, a piano, screens and projectors can be arranged.

Liberty Bell Center

On display at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, this 2,000-pound former Pennsylvania State House bell called citizens to the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. After the first bell cracked, the second one cracked as well—twice—and as such it has not be rung since the mid-1800s. However, the Liberty Bell's message of freedom has persevered, serving as an icon of the abolitionist movement, the fight for women's suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement and more.

The Independence National Historic Park issues permits for special park use to groups that will not cause derogation of the park's resources or values, visitor experiences, or the purpose for which the park was established. Planners can submit a permit application for special events and meetings.

Fort McHenry

Does the quote "O say can you see, by the dawns early light..." sound familiar? Likely you know it's our National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. What you might not know, however, is that Fort McHenry in Baltimore was the birthplace of the patriotic tune. It was here in 1814 that 1,000 Americans resisted a 25-hour attack from British troops, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the anthem lyrics.

Meeting planners can obtain Special Use Permits to gain access to the park for runs, weddings, ceremonies, banquets, etc.

Another holiday weekend is upon us, which means it's time to find out where everyone will be going. Priceline.com has released a list of the 50 most popular destinations for the 2009 Independence Day weekend, based on a survey of over 30,000 hotel booking requests made by customers.

Here are the top 10:

1. New Orleans, Downtown/Convention Center

2. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South

3. Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park Area

4. New York City, Times Square/Theater District

5. Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place

6. San Diego, Coastal Area

7. Chicago, North Michigan Avenue/River North Area

8. New Orleans, French Quarter

9. Washington, DC, White House/Downtown

10. Boston, Copley Square/Theater District

Priceline.com's "Travel Ekspert" Brian Ek had this to say about the results: "The big surprise this year is the emergence of New Orleans' downtown/convention center area as the #1 July 4 destination. This is the first time New Orleans is in the top spot for the holiday and could signal the completion of the city's comeback as a tourist mecca following Hurricane Katrina."

He also noted that many of the top locations are reachable by car for large segments of the population, likely due to the current state of the economy.

Did you find any of these destinations surprising? I'm a little surprised not just that New Orleans is number one, but that it actually has two spots on the top 10. I thought Philadelphia was a pretty popular July 4 destination (at least over here on the East Coast it is), so I figured that would be on the list.

Did your July 4 destination of choice make the list?

Read the full list at Priceline's Travel Blog.

Transportation among bustling meeting destinations of the Northeast, including New York City, New Jersey and Boston, is set to get easier with the groundbreaking yesterday of the Trans-Hudson Passenger Rail Tunnel. Named the Access to the Region's Core (ARC) Project, the tunnel will link New Jersey with New York.

Overall, the ARC Project is expected to double commuter rail capacity in the nation's busiest rail corridor, running from Boston to Washington, DC. Rail lines including the North Jersey Coast Line, Morristown Line, and Northeast Corridor, which serves East Coast cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and New Haven, will see more frequent and express service thanks to the ARC Project. A number of lines, including the Bergen County Line, Raritan Valley Line, North Jersey Coast Line, and Main Line, will receive direct service to Manhattan.

The Department of Transportation has committed $3 billion to this $8.7 billion project over its lifespan, the largest commitment to any transportation project anywhere in the country in the history of the Department. In addition to facilitating transportation, the project is expected to generate 6,000 construction-related jobs and has been hailed as a great step to getting out of the economic crisis.

"This is going to promote mobility, reduce commuter congestion, staunch carbon emissions, enhance regional competitiveness and lay a foundation for an extraordinary expansion of mass transit in the most densely populate state in the nation," New Jersey Gov. John Corzine told CNN.

Learn more at the ARC Project.

The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau is making Boston events even more enticing. Book a meeting in this historic city at one of 25 participating hotels through March 31, 2010, and you can take advantage of the CVB's value program, which features exclusive offers from CVB partners Amtrak, American Airlines and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.

Program deals include a minimum of three percent credit to the master account at participating hotels, a 20 percent discount on Amtrak, special discounts on airfare from American Airlines, a round-trip voucher for each attendee on Boston's subway system and special discounts at city attractions.

The offer is valid only for new meetings at participating hotels. To qualify, groups must be 10 or more rooms on peak night. Participating hotels include Boston Marriott Copley Place, Doubletree Guest Suites Boston, Hilton Boston Back Bay and Hyatt Harborside. Several of these hotels offer great deals on top of the CVB's offer, making it easy to save money on your Boston meetings.

Find more information at the Greater Boston CVB website. And don't forget, you can research meeting hotel deals and promotions at participating properties and others in the Boston area on the Cvent Supplier Network!

Memorial Day is nearly here! If you're among the many with long-weekend travel plans, you may be interested to know how they align with those of the rest of the country. According to priceline.com's 7th annual survey of the 50 most popular Memorial Day holiday destinations, the Las Vegas Strip is number one.

Here are the top 15 destinations:

1. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South

2. New York City, Chelsea Area

3. New York City, Times Square/Theater District

4. Boston, Copley Square/Theater District

5. Chicago, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area

6. Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place

7. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity North

8. San Francisco, Union Square West/Nob Hill

9. New York City, Empire State Building Area

10. San Diego, Downtown & Harbor Island

11. Chicago, North Michigan Ave./River North Area

12. New York City, Midtown East

13. Austin, Downtown

14. San Diego, Coastal Area

15. San Antonio, Riverwalk

What do you think about the list? At first, I was surprised that Las Vegas was number one, but after thinking about it, it makes sense. I've heard about and seen so many great deals for flights and hotels in Sin City, it would definitely be something I'd look into for a long weekend!

The survey was based on actual booking requests made by priceline.com Name Your Own Price hotel service customers for the May 23-25 weekend. You can read the full list of destinations at Brian Ek's Priceline travel blog.

May 9 through May 17 is National Travel and Tourism Week! The U.S. Travel Association wants meeting professionals like you to participate in this "annual salute to the power of travel."

One of its big initiatives is the U.S. Travel Rally Day, held Tuesday, May 12. Described as "a bold and concreted effort to represent how travel fuels jobs and economies," the initiative has already received commitments from over 25 convention and visitors bureaus across the nation, including Boston, Orlando, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington, DC.

The Spokane Regional CVB held such a rally in early March. Put together in just two days, the CVB spent $781 to hire a photographer, pay for audio-visual equipment, make 300 Meetings Mean Business buttons, and print a dozen large signs. Their efforts resulted in 200 event attendees, national, regional and local media coverage, and $86,507 in direct media equivalency. Pretty impressive!

If you want to participate, check out USTA's toolkit. It offers tips for a successful rally, sample press releases, sample invitations to rally participants, and other handy documents.