The District

• The 332-room Willard InterContinental, with its prime location on the inaugural parade route, made sure its countenance was shiny for the event. An expanded lobby and a new Scotch bar within the Round Robin, with an impressive collection of single malt whiskies, were in place by January.

• The Connecticut Avenue Collection of the Hilton Washington, Marriott Wardman Park, and the Omni Shoreham are partnering to provide mid-sized conventions more than 3,600 guest rooms, 200,000 square feet of meeting space, 124 meeting rooms, 180,000 square feet of exhibit space, and eight restaurants. For the right sized groups, the Collection will run free shuttles between the hotels and offer complimentary meeting space and welcome receptions.

• The Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center is around the corner from trendy stores and restaurants in the heart of Georgetown. It has 146 guest rooms with more than enough hard-wired and wireless gadgets to please a geek. Meeting rooms range from boardroom size to a grand ballroom for events of 10 to 1,600 people.

Sidebar #1: Trip Tips

• Three years late and you-don't-want-to-know how many millions over budget, the Capitol Visitors Center opened in December 2008 as the new main entrance to the U.S. Capitol. There is no charge to tour the exhibits and watch the informational film.

• Gaylord National Resort has a shuttle that runs every 20 minutes between the conference resort entrance and Ronald Reagan National Airport baggage claim. One-way is $18, round trip $32.

• The Baltimore Convention Center is offering perks like a free day, discounts, and especially flexible terms to mid-size groups booking meetings within an 18-month window.

• Get half-price, day-of-show tickets for D.C. theater seats at Signature Theatre, the Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, and Imagination Stage online at ticketplace.org Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 midnight through 4 p.m.

Sidebar #2: Ask the CVB

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 225-5745, (215) 636-3304
www.philadelphiausa.travel

Visit Pittsburgh
(800) 359-0758, (412) 281-7711
www.visitpittsburgh.com

Valley Forge CVB
(800) 441-3549, ext 7990
www.valleyforge.org

Lehigh Valley CVB
(800) 747-0561
www.lehighvalleypa.org

Pennsylvania Dutch CVB (Lancaster County)
(800) PA-Dutch
www.padutchcountry.com/

Washington, D.C.

Destination DC
(202) 789-7000
www.washington.org

Maryland

Annapolis and Anne Arundel County CVB
(410) 222-7000
www.visit-annapolis.org

Baltimore Area CVA
(800) 343-3468, (410) 659-7300
www.baltimore.org

Prince George's County CVB
(888) 925-8300, (301) 925-8300
www.visitprincegeorges.com

Virginia

Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association
(800) 388-9119, (703) 838-4200
www.FunSide.com

Arlington Convention and Visitors Service
(800) 296-7996, (703) 228-0888
www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com

Roanoke Valley CVB
(540) 342-6025
www.visitroanokeva.com/

Virginia Beach CVB
(800) 700-7702
www.vbfun.com

Sidebar #3: Special Venues

• Party next door to the U.S. President at Decatur House on Lafayette Square across from the White House. This elegant 1818 mansion offers the Decatur Carriage House, Courtyard, and Entertaining Parlors for group events of 10 to a reception of 450 guests. (202.842.0917, www.decaturhouse.org/rentals

• In Pennsylvania, Wheatland, the Lancaster estate of President James Buchanan, is an outdoor venue of 4.25 acres of unique period gardens for an event in temperate weather. In addition to beds of flowers from the 1800s, there are plots of herbs and vegetables that appeared on estate tables during that period. (717) 392-8721, ext. 222, or e-mail director@wheatland.org

• In May 2008, Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino and Resort opened its Cuba attractions: The Havana Rooftop Slots and The Rumba Lounge, where the sights, scents, and sounds of Havana city streets prevail. Then in September, the resort doubled the Caribbean magic by opening Palm Cove premium slots. Off the Palm Walk in the South Tower, Tropicana brought the Temptations from Motown to start the action in its new Palm Cove high-limit slots parlor. Tropicana has 2,125 rooms and more than 122,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. (609) 344-2925, www.tropicana.net