HelmsBriscoe-Newsletter-Issue102

In This Issue...

State of the Industry•TARP Guidelines Published •Big, Bigger, Biggest•

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Did You Know..• . Site Inspection: Loews Lake Las •VegasNews You Can Us• eFood & Beverage Money-Saving Tips•What Would You Do• ?A Sleep in the Dee• pAirline Fees Gone Wil• dHelmsBriscoe Commercia• lOmni Hotels - A word from one of our •partners...

Greetings From HelmsBriscoe

HelmsBriscoe has been helping clients implement best practices in meetings procurement for over 17 years. One of the best practice topics that has become increasingly important during these uncertain times is transparency, which sounds daunting but really isn’t. Transparency simply means that there should be a documented process for the criteria and motivations used to determine whether a property or vendor is therightfitforyourmeeting.

The good news is that it doesn’t take expensive software or a great deal of extra effort to improve transparency. While it can vary from companytocompany,followingisasimplifiedoverviewoftheprocess:

Develop a standard meeting request form. This form should capture the business purpose for the meeting, who requested the meeting •and who is paying for the meeting.

AnRFPforeachprogramshouldbedevelopedandsenttoatleast5qualifiedproperties.Havingavarietyofoptionsisconsideredgood•procurement practice and should be strived for.

Explore venue options. Avoid getting in the habit of returning to the same property time after time without adequate due diligence. •

Exploring new options also ensures that you are receiving competitive bids from vendors.•

Keep a record of the responses you receive. While this can be time consuming, HelmsBriscoe associates will help you manage the •entireRFPprocessincludingsolicitationofproposalsfromqualifiedproperties.

Documentthebasicreasonsyouhavedecidedonavenueorvendorandkeeptheminafilewithyourresponses.Thesereasonsdo•notalwaysneedtobefinancial.Convenience,perception,anticipatedservicequalityandmanyother“soft”considerationsareperfectlylegitimate reasons for choosing one property over another.

Developatracesystemthatconfirmsyouhavereceivedacountersignedcopyofallyourcontracts.•

Onceadecisionismade,keepalltheseformsinanelectronicorpaperfile.Keepthemforatleasttwoyearsaftertheevent.•

By implementing these practices, you can be assured that you and your organization will be able to clearly demonstrate why a decision was made regardless of the passage of time or changes in the environment.

Thank you for your business and we stand by always ready to serve you. Call us to see how our clients utilize HelmsBriscoe to ensure their meeting planning process is transparent.

State of the Industry

According to a survey by Business Travel News, while few companies are talking about expanding their travel spending, there has been no indication that companies are expecting to make further cuts at this time. This has left the industry trying to discern whether it is still hanging onto the roller coaster or if we have truly hit bottom and can begin to work at climbing backup.Asoneindustryleaderputit,“we’rehopingthatflatisthenewup.”

TARP Guidelines Published

The U.S. Treasury Department published new rules governing some meeting, event, incentive and travel expenses for companies that received Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds andthetravelindustryisbreathingasighofrelief.ThoughtherulesarenotfinaluntilAugustto allow for public comment, they are not expected to change. They require TARP recipients “toeliminateexcessiveandluxuryexpenditures”asdefinedbytheTreasurySecretary.TheU.S. Travel Association and the National Business Travel Association applauded the new guidelinesandsaidinastatement,“WearepleasedthataftermonthsofdiscussionwiththeObama Administration and our industry’s full-court press on the value of meetings, events and incentives, these regulations do not do any further harm to the meetings and events marketplace.”Itisexpectedthatnon-TARPcompaniesthathavelimitedeventsandtraveltoavoid criticism by stakeholders will now begin to relax their policies too.

Big, Bigger, Biggest!

IHGhasretaineditsplaceforthefifthstraightyearasthehotelcompanywiththemostnumberofguestrooms.Thecompanyadded25,000 rooms in 2008, bringing its total to nearly 620,000. They anticipate adding 250,000 rooms over the next several years. Most of the growth was in their Holiday Inn Express brand and the expansion of Crowne Plaza. Next on the list is Wyndham Hotel Group with nearly 600,000 guest rooms, followed by Marriott International with just over 545,000 rooms. Hilton is just behind Marriott and actually had the largest percentage growth of any chain on the top 10 list at 9.4%.

Greg MalarkCOO

HelmsBriscoe

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Easy. Smart. Trusted.HelmsBriscoe, the global leader in meetings procurement.

Welcome Readers!

H E L M S B R I S C O E

Site Inspection:

Loews Lake Las Vegas

There probably aren’t too many luxury hotels in Nevada that are approachable by boat but on my recent visit to Loews Lake Las Vegas, that’s exactly how I reached it. You can arrive by land too but the quick water taxi ride from the Lake Las Vegas village is a lot more fun. This 25-acre lakefront desert resort offers wonderful water and mountain views and surroundings that make it seem a world away from the Vegas Strip, not the mere 17 miles that it actually is.

There are 493 guest rooms, including 46 suites, a full-service spa, two 18-hole golf courses, two pools and even a lakeside beach. I haddinnerintheirfine-diningrestaurant,Marssa,featuringPacificRim cuisine and a sushi bar considered the best in the state. It is under the creative eye of Nevada’s only Master Sushi Chef. There are four additional restaurants and lounges.

The resort has 45,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and multiple outdoor venues including a private lawn overlooking the lake. The Village, just minutes away, features a range of restaurants, a small casino, and shops. Lake Las Vegas is an alternative to Scottsdale or Palm Springs yet offers easy access to the world-class entertainment and gaming only Vegas can provide.

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News You Can Use

Here’s a new one – the construction of the new • Wilmington, NC Convention Center is actually under budget, giving them an additional $5 million for expansion. Originally designed to include 12,000 sq. ft. of ballroom space, 30,000 of exhibit space and 6,150 of meeting space, the center will now add an additional 4,500 of meeting space. It is scheduled to open April 2010. The 147-room • Ritz-Carlton Charlotte, opening in October, will be the chain’s first LEED-certified hotel. The propertyoffers 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

A new 1000-room hotel in • Nashville has been approved by the Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. It will be adjacent to the planned new Music City Center in downtown. Plans call for the hotel, which will be designed

Did You Know...

That the average meeting produces 20 pounds of waste per person per day? That the meetings industry is the second most wasteful industry after construction?

For ways to reduce waste, visit:

www.sustainablemeetingsportal.org.

One tip I especially like: when attendees register, give everyone a personalized, reusable water bottle and provide pitchers of water throughout your conference.

by John Portman Associates, to have approximately 100,000 square feet of meeting space. The goal is to open the hotel in the fall of 2012.

The • Waldorf Astoria collection has two new properties. The legendary Roosevelt in New Orleans (formerly the Fairmont) has been returned to its original glory after a $145 million restoration. The 504-room hotel has 64,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 37 meeting rooms. The Dakota Mountain Lodge & Golden Door Spa is at the base of The Canyons Resort Village in Park City, Utah. The 200-room resort will initially have meeting space to accommodate 20 people conference style but an additional 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space is slated to come on line in 2011, including a 6,000 sq. ft. ballroom, the area’s largest.

Loews Atlanta Hotel• is opening in Midtown spring of next year.Therewillbe414guestrooms,allwithfloor-to-ceilingwindows,and25,000sq.ft.ofconferencespaceononefloor–alsowithfloor-to-ceilingwindows.

W Fort Lauderdale Opens• - The 346-room, 171-residence W Fort Lauderdale is open for business. A Stephen Starr restaurant, Steak 954, is featured, along with the Whiskey Blue nightclub. The property has a Bliss Spa, a Sweat workout center and two pools. A total of 12,400 square feet of event space and studios can be booked for meetings.

The 295-room • Island Hotel Newport Beach recently wrapped up a two-year renovation of all guest rooms, public spaces, meeting facilities and the Palm Terrace Restaurant & Lounge. Décor was redesigned with a tropical them. Paintings of exoticbirds,oversizedplantsandMuranoglasslightfixturesimported from Italy now adorn the property. The hotel offers aspa,afitnesscenterandmorethan30,000squarefeetofmeeting space.

The 582-room • Terranea Resort in Southern California’s Palos Verdes opened recently. Accommodations include a 360-room hotel with 32 suites, 20 oceanfront bungalows, 50 casitas and 32 villas. A total of 135,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space is available, including the 18,000-square-foot Palos Verdes Grand Ballroom, the 6,600-square-foot Marineland Ballroom, the Catalina Room and 15 breakout rooms. For outdoor events, groups can use The Meadows, a 16,000-square-foot lawn with a stage, or the 13,000-square-foot Palos Verdes Terrace and Lawn. The property offers eight restaurants,a50,000-square-footspaandfitnessfacility,anda nine-hole par-three golf course.

An opening ceremony for the expanded • Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre complex along the Yarra River in Australia was held on June 5. The expansion has

323,000 square feet of exhibition space, a grand ballroom for up to 1,800 people, 32 meeting rooms and a 5,000-seat plenary hall. The new center was built using advanced environmental practices, earning what executives are touting astheworld’sfirst“six-stargreenstar”ratingforaconventioncenter. The existing center has two theaters, a ballroom for up to 2,000 guests, and 20 meeting rooms.

The venerable • Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, has reopened and is again being staffed by the nearly 400 employees who were furloughed earlier this year. The 635-room property was purchased for $20 million by Jim Justice. It will be marketed by Marriott but managed by the Justice Family Group. The resort has a 40,000 sq. ft. spa and 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Last fall the Greenbrier Countyvotersapprovedcasinogambling.“Thisisgoingtobe

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a state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind, Monte Carlo-style casino,”Justice said.

San Francisco hotels are sprucing up, perhaps in response •to the opening of two new properties - the 550-room Intercontinental (44,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) and the 400-room Marriott Union Square (10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space). The 591-room Fairmont San Francisco (47,000 sq. ft. of meeting space), 313-room Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf (19,000 sq. ft. of meeting space), 362-room Omni (10,500 sq. ft. of meeting space), 393-room Stanford Court, a Renaissance Hotel (13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) and the 1,195-room Westin St. Francis (50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) have all undergone recent renovations.

The 454-room • Le Westin Montreal (32,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) recently opened across from the Palais des Congres. Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel completed an extensive facelift of all 825 guest rooms. The property has nearly 52,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The • Fairmont Pittsburgh is scheduled to open in December. It is located in the heart of downtown and near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Developed according to sustainable design and construction guidelines, the hotel anticipatesbeingLEEDcertified,complementingFairmont’sphilosophy of operational sustainability and responsible tourism. The hotel will have 185 guest rooms, including 20 suites, and 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The 292-room • Vail Cascade in Vail, Colo., is launching an executive leadership program. The program lasts two to four days and can be customized to include individual/team assessments, outdoor work, coaching-skills training, one-on-one executive coaching and the opportunity for ongoing work. The resort, managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, offers about 45,000 square feet of meeting space.

Langham Hotels International• introduced its No Strings Attached program recently, a pledge for all meetings booked between now and March 2010. Langham is waiving attrition fees and will require no food-and-beverage minimums for groups that host at least one meal in the hotel. Cancellations that occur at least 60 days prior to the event will incur no penalties; those made within 60 days will be able to apply 50 percent of the penalty to another 2010 meeting. Additionally, there will be no Internet-access fees for meeting delegates staying at participating hotels.

The • Atlanta Airport Gateway Marriott and Springhill Suites are scheduled to open in September 2010 and January 2011. These properties will be Marriott’s newest hotels in the Atlanta Airport market boasting 403 sleeping rooms and over 20,000 square feet of meeting space at the Gateway and 147 suites at Springhill. They will both be located adjacent to the new Georgia International Convention Center with over 300,000 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space. A people-mover tram system will transport travelers directly from the airport to both hotels and the convention center.

In August, the 1500-room • San Francisco Marriott will complete a renovation that will add 10 small meeting rooms to its 117,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The • Hyatt Phoenix will begin a $15 million renovation in July with completion scheduled for December. All 712 guest rooms, bathrooms, corridors, lobby and 48,000 sq. ft. of meeting space will be included in the transformation.

Food & Beverage Money-Saving Tips

Tosaveonstaffingcosts,setupa•few stations where guests can serve themselves. Do-it-yourself sundaes, for example.

Let your organization’s executives •serve guests. Whether your event is for employees or clients, the gesture will have a nice impression.

Instead of canned drinks, offer large •pitchers for lemonade, water and iced tea. If you serve beer, consider kegs.

Replacelargercutsofmeat,fishor•chicken with grilled kabobs.

News You Can Use Cont... The unique and historic • Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle will add Doubletree to its name next month. The 120-room hotel opened in July 2008. It was a men’s club in the 20th century and that feel has been retained but with contemporary design and amenities. The exterior of the landmark building features 23 stone walrus heads across the front (truly!), and inside the Northern Lights Dome Room is considered one of Seattle’s grandest function facilities featuring a stained glass dome. All in all, the hotel has 5,800 sq. ft. of meeting space.

In June, the 582-room • Terranea Resort will open along the scenic Palos Verdes Peninsula, 20 miles south of the Los Angeles airport. The 102-acre property will include a spa, nine-hole golf course, 63,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space and another 75,000 sq. ft. of outdoor function space.

A • JW Marriott will open in Puerto Rico in 2011. The 371-room resort will have 21,000 sq. ft. of meeting space including a 12,000 sq. ft. ballroom divisible into multiple sections. The resort will be located approximately 20 miles east of San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport on a 27-acre oceanfront site and will be part of the existing 1,000-acre, master-planned development called Coco Beach Resort. Included in the development is an existing 36-hole championship golf course.

The • Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa in the heart of Sonoma County, California, just completed a multi-million dollar makeover. The 155-room Tuscan-style property has 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

In Arizona, the 497-room • Talking Stick Resort is scheduled to open in early 2010. The property will have more than 100,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space.

What Would You Do?

AsurveyconductedbyUSATodayasked“Whatisthefirstthingyoudoaftercheckingintoahotelroom?”Thetopanswer,at34%,was“adjustthethermostat”followedby“turnontheTV,”“unpack,”“checkoutthefreetoiletries,”“pluginrechargeableelectronics,”and“findthegym.”

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Airline Fees Gone WIlD!

Airlines have made charging for services an art form. A very detailed chart that appeared in USA Today June 22, (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-06-22-chart-airline-fees_N.htm) showed how extensive and expensive these fee-for-services can be, airline by airline.

Take a trip from, say, Phoenix to Pittsburgh on USAir. Assuming you make the reservation on the phone, make one change, have onebag,areflyingcoach,wantanaisleseat,adrink,ameal,anda little shut eye, here’s what it might cost you over and above the cost of your ticket:

Phone reservation: $25•Fee to check your bag curbside - $5•First checked bag - $20•Fee to change reservation one time (not including cost of •ticket price difference) - $150 ($50 if on the day of departure to the same destination)Preferred seat selection - $30•Meal - $7•Alcoholic beverage - $7•Headset - $5•Pillow/blanket $7•That’s $256 over and above the cost of your ticket. Add •another $40 if you want a day pass to the club lounge.

Note that Southwest Airlines, up to now the only carrier without extra fees, will soon be charging for a third bag. But it could be worse. European discount airline Ryanair recently confirmeditwillsoonchargetousethetoilet!

Easy. Smart. Trusted.

Omni Hotels - A word from one of our partners...

There are places we go and moments in time that stay with us; that is what Omni Hotels is all about. We create genuine, authentic guest experiences at 43 distinct luxury Hotels and Resorts in some of the top business and leisure destinations in North America. Through our preferred partnership with HelmsBriscoe, Omni Hotels has been able to grow our business and in turn offer incentives that HelmsBriscoe associates are able to pass on to their clients. Incentives they would not normally receive and at no cost to their clients. We feel that our partners at HelmsBriscoe are actuallyextensionsofoursalesstaffandweworktogethertofindsolutions for their clients throughout the entire process. And please remember our great incentive with No Attrition for meetings booked by September 30, 2009 that take place by December 31, 2009! Ask your HelmsBriscoe contact for other promotions that are currently available.

From, Tamara Bent, Omni National Sales

HelmsBriscoe Commercial

There was an article recently in Meetings & Conventions magazine about how to work with event planning/meeting management companies. The advice gave the pros and cons of working with largevs.smallfirmsbutitbroughttomindthefactthatmanyofthese firms include site selection in their portfolio of services.While it might seem that working with one company for all your meeting planning needs makes sense, it probably doesn’t.

By separating the two functions you can ensure success by utilizing the expertise best suited to the task. When it comes to the site portion, HelmsBriscoe is the acknowledged leader in helping clients select meeting venues. Our status as the number one meetings customer of every hotel chain means that your group room purchase becomes part of our buying clout. In addition, our expertise in contracting, the collective knowledge bank of our 1000 associates worldwide, and our contacts at properties throughout the world are unmatched. Why not let the experts do what they do best?

A Sleep In The Deep

Have you heard about the undersea hotel being built in Dubai? Being somewhat claustrophobic, it reads like a nightmare to me but they’re certainly aiming big – self-acclaimed 10-Star status (whatever that means) and room rates of $5,500 per night. According to a newspaper article, the new hotel is called the Hydropolis Undersea Resort and will cost $500 million to build. It will be roughly the size of London’s Hyde Park set sixty feet underwater. There will be 220 bubble-shaped Plexiglas fittedsuites. An automatic train will carry guests from dry land through a 515-meter long tunnel underwater into the hotel lobby. Two domes – one a concert auditorium and the other a ballroom (so,yes,youcanhaveyournextmeetingthere)-will“penetratetheGulf’sbluesurface.”Guestswillbeprotectedbythehotel’ssecurity system - a missile defense system. It was scheduled to open this summer.