Destinations Hotels & Resorts has added new resources to its meeting planner Web site, the Destination Meeting Collection, made it easier to compare the features of its hotels, added a way to search by desired “experience” (mountain, coastal, resort, urban, conference center), and enhanced its electronic request for proposal process.

At DH&R’s annual sales meeting, held last week at the Hamilton Park Hotel & Conference Center in Florham Park, N.J., Vice President of Marketing Maureen Callahan showcased DH&R’s Meeting Scope report, a compilation of meeting planner satisfaction scores that shows an overall approval rating in the high 90’s. “I think it is a real testament to our commitment to the meetings industry,” she said.

During a panel discussion on “Meetings in 2012,” Bruce Schiemo, division vice president/director of travel purchasing at BI, and David Caldwell, group vice president at Maritz, shared their perspectives about working with hotel properties. Schiemo challenged all the sales managers in the room to find a way to break through the e-mail clutter by making their messages more personalized using video and photos. He also suggested involving the entire team, including food and beverage, to create a more integrated message that shows planners what the hotel can do for them.

Seven of DH&R’s meeting properties are certified by the International Association of Conference Centers, including Skamania Lodge in Portland, Ore.; the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Denver; and the Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Within the past couple of years, DH&R has established meeting planner advisory boards in the association and financial services markets, building on the success of the incentive advisory board it created five years ago.

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