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Seattle's The Elliott hotel, set to open this spring adjacent to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, is building in the technology that you would expect of a new luxury property in Microsoft country. The property's 25,000 square feet of meeting space includes two ballrooms, a dedicated videoconferencing room, a 151-seat theater with high-speed network connections and power outlets at each seat, and a board room with a built-in rear projection screen. The 425 guest rooms feature high-speed Ethernet Internet access (complimentary) and three telephones (one wireless and two multiline). Among The Elliott's business services is 24-hour technical support. Need more amenities? The hotel has set aside 113 rooms for The Elliott Club, with upgraded services including a dedicated concierge staff. Mary Molloy, former corporate sales manager at The Warwick Hotel in Seattle, has been named corporate sales manager for the property.
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San Francisco's Financial Center Building has been vacant for a decade, but construction is under way to resurrect the historic 1926 structure as the Omni San Francisco Hotel. The upscale property is scheduled to open in January 2002 after a $100 million restoration project. Among the amenities in the 362 guest rooms will be a pillow menu (choose from a variety of pillow types), a CD player, robes, two-line phones, and high-speed Internet access. The Omni's 13,000 square feet of meeting space will include a 14-person ballroom and a 2,800-square-foot ballroom.
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Embarcadero Center, a San Francisco business center with five office towers as well as restaurant and retail space, now has a meeting facility. On the promenade level of Four Embarcadero, the Conference Center has four meeting rooms. The largest seats up to 70 people theater-style, with a built-in screen and podium. The other rooms are much smaller; one seats six, the other 12. Other event venues at Embarcadero Center include the opulent Banking Hall of the Old Federal Reserve Bank Building, accommodating 920 people for receptions, 400 for dinners.
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In Berkeley, Calif., The Claremont Resort & Spa has renovated and expanded the Spa Claremont. Now 20,000 square feet with 32 treatment rooms, new features include the “hydrotherapy circuit,” a combination of water treatments including a eucalyptus-filled steam room. The Claremont has 279 guest rooms, each equipped with voice mail and two double data ports. It is owned by KSL Recreation Corp., which also owns, among other properties, La Quinta Resort and Club near Palm Springs, Calif., and Maui's Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa.
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The Hilton Sunnyvale (Calif.) converted to a Four Points by Sheraton hotel this past fall. The 375-room midscale property includes a ballroom and several meeting spaces, as well as a restaurant, a fitness facility, and an outdoor pool.
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Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center expects to complete a major renovation and expansion early this year, adding a 265-room guest room tower for a total of 396 rooms with dual phone lines and high speed Internet access. The property has 26 meetings rooms.
Aussie News
Communications at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Center are going to get a lot faster after a partnership recently inked with Davnet Communications (Davtel). The deal will provide show organizers and exhibitors with high-speed data, Internet, and voice communications, as well as faster, higher-quality videoconferencing.
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After a $60 million renovation, the Regent Sydney has reopened with a new Regent Club. The executive floor upgrades include use of a private boardroom (for a minimal hourly charge), full breakfast and cocktails, health club membership, and complimentary pressing, among other services.
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The Adelaide Convention Center has joined a marketing alliance of seven centers around the world, which are working to encourage event planners to rotate their international events among them. The group, which includes centers in Boston; Durban, South Africa; Hong Kong; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Hamburg, Germany; and Jerusalem, is promising consistent levels of service.
Northwest Resources
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Central Oregon Coast Association
www.orcoast.com -
Portland Oregon Visitors Association
www.pova.com -
San Francisco CVB
www.sfvisitor.org -
San Jose CVB
www.sanjose.org -
Santa Clara CVB
www.santaclara.org -
Seattle-King County CVB
www.seeseattle.org
Wild Things Meet Here
Metreon, a Sony Entertainment Center not far from San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, has caught on with the corporate entertaining crowd. Event spaces include the Where the Wild Things Are “playspace” (below), based on the children's book of the same name.
Australia/New Zealand Resources
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Christchurch New Zealand Conventions
www.conventionsnz.co.nz -
New Zealand Tourism Board
www.nztb.govt.nz -
Brisbane Visitors and Convention Bureau, www.visitbrisbane.com.au
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Melbourne Convention and Marketing Bureau
www.mcmb.net.au -
Sydney CVB
www.scvb.com.au -
Tourism Tropical North Queensland, www.tnq.org.au
Melbourne CC Upgrade
The Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre is completing renovations to its Bellarine Ballroom and the meeting rooms on the corporate floor. Each meeting room now has an electronic whiteboard and projection screen. Data cabling and fiber optics have been upgraded in both areas as well.
