Facilities & Destinations

1 week ago | facilitiesonline.com | Stella Johnson

What business traveler would disagree that there are those times in your life when there is nothing like a good airport hotel to rely on for a planned or sudden overnighter? Am I right? After all, the more you travel, the more likely you are to find that a sudden flight cancellation leaves you stranded in the middle of the night and, maybe, in the middle of the world. (I know I was.

2 weeks ago | facilitiesonline.com | Stella Johnson

One of the latest destination events in the meetings and hospitality industry was recently held on June 9. That day marked the signing of a new initiative, the Minneapolis Tourism Improvement District (MTID), as announced by Meet Minneapolis, the city’s official destination management organization. According to a recent statement by the DMO, the signing is inspiring since it is also the first in the city.

3 weeks ago | facilitiesonline.com | Stella Johnson

What I’ve noticed about some meeting and event planners is that they sometimes tend to stick to what’s familiar, what’s convenient, or what’s already been a proven success with their attendees. Why not? It’s the easy thing to do, and it’s always beneficial to build business relationships for better deals and excellent service. After all, last year’s annual meeting at that fabulous resort just an hour away from the home office was so spectacular and easy to get to, why not do it again?

1 month ago | facilitiesonline.com | Stella Johnson

What’s the latest news coming out of Chicago these days? Well, the city poet Carl Sandburg once called “The City of Big Shoulders” recently welcomed travel and tourism pro Kristen Reynolds to the city’s DMO, Choose Chicago (CC). She does so as the president and CEO. Reynolds, who comes from Destination Long Island, a NYS DMO, where she “spearheaded transformative growth in that region’s visitor economy,” now looks forward to working with city officials, industry partners, and CC team members.

1 month ago | facilitiesonline.com | Stella Johnson

Everywhere you look these days, cities are caught up in a building frenzy to make their destinations more appealing to tourists and business travelers, especially business travelers. Tulsa is a perfect example. Quite recently, Visit Tulsa, the DMO for Oklahoma’s second-largest city, announced its latest plans for its downtown, 275,000-square-foot Arvest Convention Center. It will soon welcome a sister property to its complex by way of a new, 650-room hotel to be directly connected.