Venue News
Prism Hotels & Resorts announces the opening of the Hyatt Place LAX / Century Blvd and Hyatt House LAX / Century Blvd, both located directly adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and with views of the LAX runways and the lights of downtown Los Angeles. In the midst of LAX’s robust $14B renovation, the new properties are steps away from the airport’s highly anticipated “people mover,” and brings an elevated Hyatt experience to the rapidly evolving neighborhood.
As the first dual-branded Hyatt development in the Los Angeles area, the properties offer casual hospitality and purposeful service in a smartly designed, high-tech and contemporary environment. Whether visiting for a business trip, long layover, weekend getaway to L.A, or an event at the nearby Sofi Stadium, guests will be immersed in a relaxing atmosphere that allows for a seamless transition from work to play.
Genesis Hospitality, headquartered in Hamilton, New Jersey, announced the addition of the legendary Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn located in Lambertville, New Jersey, to its collection of historic inns. Nestled on the banks of the Delaware River, this iconic property is a riverfront destination offering the region's largest luxury boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant. Its pampered guests find themselves steps away from Lambertville's quaint downtown boutiques, restaurants, antique shops, and art galleries. The Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn's spectacular, five-acre property is directly connected to the canal side nature trails, waterfalls and dams of lower Hunterdon County and the landmark bridge crossing the Delaware River to New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The Inns of Aurora, a luxury lakeside boutique resort in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, is proud to announce the opening of Taylor House Conference Center. After dedicating twenty years to the restoration, preservation, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the Village of Aurora, Taylor House is the resort’s capstone restoration to a collection of premier hospitality offerings. Taylor House Conference Center is situated in the center of the historic Village of Aurora, featuring charming views of the Village and Cayuga Lake. The Greek Revival building, built in 1838 as a magnificent home, today features two floors of modern meeting and event space. Masterfully intertwined with state-of-the-art technology, original architectural details — including monumental Ionic columns, nine fireplaces, finely detailed crown moldings, and intricate plasterwork — set the stage for productive and inspired meetings. Several pieces of original modern art from the collection of Pleasant Rowland, founder of the Inns of Aurora, enhance the interiors.
Nestled between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in one of Miami’s most upscale neighborhoods, Aventura, the newly-opened Hilton Aventura Miami is a contemporary urban oasis serving as a gateway to the best South Florida has to offer. With a prime location close to both major airports, a robust food and beverage program, including a mixology-focused lobby bar featuring handcrafted cocktails, and amenities like a private executive lounge, Hilton Aventura Miami is built to cater to the diverse needs of groups and business travelers. Taking meetings up a notch, starting November 1, 2021, groups can book the “Mix Like a Master” experience. For either a cocktail party, welcome reception or team building exercise, the “Mix Like a Master Experience” is an elevated mixology class with two levels – “Back to Basics” and “The Master Series.” The beginner series is focused on introducing the group to cocktail basics, like flavor components, different kinds of spirits and topline techniques, with attendees trying their hand at creating traditional cocktails, like a martini or an old fashioned. The advanced experience is curated for more knowledgeable cocktail enthusiasts and allows for attendees to master their techniques and have a firsthand try at creating more demanding cocktails, like the aromatic espresso martini, and learn how to elevate cocktails with fresh fruits, floral infusions, handmade syrups and more. Following the tutorial and cocktail class, guests will sip, savor, and enjoy a private cocktail hour at one of the hotel’s premier spaces.
Hot Off the Presses
Associated Luxury Hotels International, a global sales force dedicated to connecting luxury independent hotels with meeting professionals, joined forces with Delos, a global wellness and real estate technology company, to be the first to bring the Delos Wellness Accreditation for Meetings and Events to market. This inaugural offering, focused on bringing awareness to the value of wellness practices in meetings and conventions, is the first credential program under the ALHI x Delos partnership, with additional advanced training options planned in the future. Backed by scientific research, the Delos Wellness Accreditation for Meetings and Events is designed to provide meeting planners with the knowledge and resources needed to create healthier, more productive meeting environments. Participants learn how to design, plan and implement wellness solutions to create safer, healthier experiences for meeting and event attendees.
Radisson Blu Mall of America finished in the top three of multiple categories for the 2021 Stella Awards. The hotel took first place, winning a gold medal, in Best Sustainability Initiative, and the destination also received two silver medals, one for Best Onsite Support Staff and the other for Best Décor/Design. The Stella Awards are the meeting industry’s highest honor, recognizing hotels, convention centers, conference centers, airlines, cruise lines, DMOs/CVBs and DMCs that consistently deliver quality service and innovation to meeting and event professionals. This year, more than 6,000 votes were cast from around the world for the 603 destinations, hotels and service providers nominated in 17 categories across six regions in the United States and worldwide.
In Memoriam
It was with great sadness that we learned of the recent passing of prominent event planner Gwen Helbush, owner of Where to Start (WTS) Weddings. Gwen’s corporate world experience taught her the management skills she needed to work with multiple vendors and get the best for her clients. Her broadcasting and theater studies in college helped frame how she sees weddings, playing an important and unique role in event production.
Gwen loves getting to know her clients. Her client’s unique stories mean so much to her, and she’s genuinely interested in learning what makes her couples and their guests truly happy. She believes that knowing what you love about life and about each other is the most important aspect to creating a meaningful wedding. As you share your dreams and unique story with Gwen, she gathers the knowledge she needs to help you refine your ideas and create the wedding celebration you and your guests will truly love.
"Big or small, for a wedding planner, the work is the same: Keep your cool, never say no, and count on your colleagues," she said in a 2017 interview with Special Events.
People on the Move
9Rooftops recently welcomed Leah Matoney as the company’s Director of Field Marketing & Events. Matoney is responsible for overseeing special events and field team marketing efforts across the 9Rooftops portfolio of clients. Matoney specializes in the wine and spirits and CPG categories, working previously on the agency side with clients like William Grant & Sons. Prior to joining the 9Rooftops team, Matoney was responsible for program planning, promotions, and coordinating effective sales blitzes, while overseeing a team of distributor field representatives, at Breakthru Beverage. As Field Sales Manager, she worked with liquor suppliers including Fifth Generation (Tito’s), Treasury Wine Estates, and Brown Forman.
