Group Travel Scoop - Groople.com

A Luxury Hotel for your next corporate meeting on the cheap?

Business Week recently published an interesting story regarding travel…the cheapest rates at the most expensive hotels.

If you play your cards right (i.e. using Groople to book the room for you) what’s good deal for an individual can be a good deal for your group travel too. So listen up business travelers!

Cheap is a relative term in this case. It will cost you at least $700 / night to see how the other side lives in these exclusive destinations. We’re talking the cream of the hotel crop here. The highest end of high-end hotel properties.

Believe it or not, the most expensive average hotel rates are not in Tokyo, London, or NYC- they’re in Moscow. The Russians are back!

• Speaking of Moscow, the prices at the Ritz Carlton are generally in the thousands but rates can be had for (gulp) only $1370.

                             p.s. the most expensive room is $17,555

• The Ritz in Tokyo will allow you to live like royalty starting at $625 (most expensive: $18,773).

• I have a real deal for you in the ultra luxurious Pudong Shangri-La in Shanghai with rooms to be had from $283-$5,938.

• Closer to home (here in the US of A) why not pick up a room at the very exclusive Four Seasons in New York for a paltry $755 (they range up to an impressive $30,000)

There’s a quick snap shot of the luxury hotel game and the minimum prices to get in. I better start saving now…ok, that’s $.56 cents and counting…

Read more about these hotels at Businessweek.com

Fall Corporate Meeting Ideas Who's Time Has Come

Corporate meetings are a familiar topic to the Group Scoop. We haven’t delved into the topic for some time now. We rectify that today.

First, we should cover the bad news. Hotel occupancy in the top meetings and conventions markets continues at record levels. No significant increase in hotel rooms is expected in most markets until at least 2008. It’s so busy that Groople is hearing outside complaints from meeting planners about hotels turning away their meeting business for more lucrative prospects.

The biggest problem cities are the most popular ones: Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Orlando, Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, Nashville, San Diego, and New Orleans.

Now, some good news. Avoid the rooming crunch and consider a so-called 2nd or 3rd tier city. We’ve said this before, but it’s as true today as ever. Move out of the seller’s market of Las Vegas and into a buyer’s market in a place like Denver.

Fall is here. I’d like to introduce three very attractive top market alternatives for you to hold your corporate meeting during this time of year.

Denver – Fall in Denver is one of the nicest times of the year to be in Colorado for weather and scenery. Denver is rapidly transforming itself from a slow-paced cowboy town to a fast-paced metropolitan area reminiscent of the east coast. You know about the Rocky Mountains, but you may be surprised at the explosion in art and nightlife Denver has to offer these days. New facilities gearing up for the Democratic National Convention are already online and waiting for your business.

Austin – Austin is the perfect fall meeting location. A safe, vibrant city, filled with music and art. It’s the quintessential little big city, the benefits of first class accommodations and facilities without the burden of high prices and congested traffic. Fall is the perfect time to take the team for a tour into Texas Hill Country to experience an explosive burst of changing colors.

Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa is the largest city in the famous California Sonoma valley wine country. Fall is a terrific time to host your meeting in wine country, the climate is cool enough not to feel hot and warm enough not to feel cold. By the numbers: 200 wineries, 16 golf courses, 55 miles north of San Francisco. Sonoma valley facilities are well reviewed and are more than up to any challenge you may present.

It may not be your first choice, but fall is an excellent time to hold your next meeting.

Corporate Meetings are Going Green

Green meetings represent an interesting shift in meeting planning, and this is part of a larger travel trend known as green vacationing. It is probably not the kind of thing that everybody will pick up on, but I thought I would share some thought on the growing trend around planning green meetings. What is a green meeting? These are meetings intentionally planned around the ideal of environmental responsibility.

So what does a green meeting entail? For the most part, a green meeting involves a bit more planning and conscious deliberation around products, supplies, food and beverage, and printing materials. You still want your meeting or event to be a success, so you have to take care of all the details you normally need to consider. The facilities need to be top notch and a great experience for your guests, so several organizations have come up with some basic guidelines for planning your green meeting.

From Bluegreenmeetings.org come the following 10 tips to help plan what they term your "bluegreen meeting":

1. Create a written statement that establishes an environmental policy for the meetings, and gather acceptance from either your client or your own company, depending on if you are a planner or an in-house resource

2. Use paperless technology. Electronic registration, online advertising, email, and multimedia presentation technology can all help cut down on the amount of printing you do.

3. Meeting close to as many speakers and delegates as possible helps reduce the amount of travel required to get to a meeting venue. Along the same lines, "choose a venue and hotel that are close to the airport and within walking distance of each other."

4. Practice the 3Rs. Ask your venue and your hotel to provide easy and accessible reduction, reuse, and recycling services for paper, metal, plastic and glass.

5. Instruct your food and beverage provider to use bulk dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper, cream and condiments.

6. Choose hotels that offer linen reuse programs and bulk dispensers for shampoos and soaps.

7. Include vegetarian meals, and include meals planned using local, seasonal produce.

8. Use recycled paper and vegetable-based inks for all printed materials. Double-side all printed materials

9. Instruct the meeting venue to shut off air conditioning and lights in all rooms when not in use.

10. Let delegates, speakers, and the media know about your BlueGreen meeting to encourage participation in your efforts.

Going green is growing in popularity. Hotels, airlines, tour operators, meeting venues, and conference centers are starting to offer more and more services catering to the desire to have a low impact meeting, event, or vacation. If this sort of thing is important to you, take advantage of the growing availability of these services.

Perhaps you don't plan meetings at all but you are still interested in this trend. Look for my post on green vacations and being a "green guest" next time.

Patrick Soch, Senior Marketing Manager

Summer Corporate Meetings Ideas

Summer - corporate meetings season? Lots of folks are on vacation during the summer months, and it is not typically the biggest meeting season of the year. During the summer months, we see some team building trips and a variety of corporate events.

My suggestion for this summer if you are trying to plan a meeting is to opt for simplicity. Summer is an excellent time to plan a meeting that also makes your team feel like they are being rewarded for their knowledge, expertise, and hard work. Plan an off-site corporate meeting based around a great location or beautiful setting, where people can feel relaxed. I am not suggesting you take everyone on a free vacation this year, but I do think you will be pleasantly surprised if you take a slightly different approach.

Opt for a little less planning and structure and a little more for spontaneity, creativity, and pleasure. There are beautiful retreat locations, mountain cabins, lake houses, beach properties, and golf resorts all over the United States. I have a few suggestions of places you might want to consider for something a little different in an off-site meeting venue. These places won't break the bank, either:

Northeastern U.S.:

Consider a trip to the Poconos. These mountains are stunning in their beauty, and offer everything from hiking to fishing. The town of Hawley is in the northerneastern Lake Region of the Poconos Mountains and offers several great resort properties. Plan ahead, and choose a great escape from the city for your next corporate meeting.

West Coast:

Not far from Los Angeles is the town of Ojai, a great place to host a small off-site meeting. Ojai is home to Lake Casitas, which is a great place to spend a summer day. Ojai Valley Inn and Spa offers world-class golf. In fact, it was rated the #1 golf resort in California by Conde Nast readers. Ojai, California has summer festivals, a Shakespeare festival and offers you and your colleagues the opportunity to really get away for a few days.

Rocky Mountain Region:

In northern New Mexico is The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. In the town of Mescalero, just outside of Ruidoso enjoy an incredible retreat at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. The meetings facilities are top-notch. The golf course is excellent, and the setting could not be more beautiful. The resort is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe as a world-class resort facility in the heart of the New Mexico Mountains. Skiing in winter, golf in summer, hiking, fishing, and gorgeous scenery make the Inn of the Mountain Gods an ideal choice for an off-site meeting.

I just gave you some of my ideas. Please contribute some of your own by commenting on this post. Remember to keep it simple this summer when it comes to meetings. A winning idea might come on the trail or at the lakeshore instead of at the conference table.

Patrick Soch, Senior Marketing Manager

Consider Hawaii for Your Corporate Meeting or Incentive Travel

No doubt about it, Hawaii is a fantastic destination for your corporate group travel. Consider Hawaii for an offsite meeting, incentive travel, or a supplier expo. Your employees and attendees will appreciate an incredible island getaway. Consider one of the following properties we have selected from around the islands. We work closely with these hoteliers, and all of these hotels welcome your corporate group business and will provide you with excellent service and the facilities you need for meetings, breakout sessions, catering and more for you corporate group travel needs.

Oahu

Royal Hawaiian

Moana Surfrider

W Honolulu

Sheraton Waikiki

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani

Kauai

Princeville Resort

Sheraton Kauai

Maui

Sheraton Maui

Westin Maui

Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas

The Big Island

Sheraton Keauhou

Meeting Planning in a Seller's Market

I have written a post or two already about the fact that hotel occupancy in the top meetings and conventions markets is at record levels. It is a seller's market right now, and no significant increase in hotel rooms is expected in most markets until at least 2008. Many in-house meeting planners have complained about hotels turning away their meeting business for more lucrative prospects.

In this market, your best tool is knowledge. By taking advantage of careful planning and by positioning your meeting, conference, or expo as an attractive business prospect you can still secure the hotels and facilities you want in the destinations you choose.

Obviously, top-tier cities including Las Vegas are tough markets, especially during peak times. I will keep hammering these points home, so here are some tips for anyone who is responsible for planning an off-site meeting, convention, or corporate event. Professional planners are expensive, and you can still do this yourself if you give yourself plenty of time and plan accordingly:

1) I still encourage you to consider one of the many fine second or third tier cities that surround major metropolitan areas. You can find some real gems if you are flexible and open to fantastic surprises. This is especially true of your small to mid size corporate meetings. Just think of all the great towns not too far from San Francisco, for example: Napa Valley, Monterey, Santa Barbara (if you don't mind a little further south). You can find these destinations around every major metro area, and an experienced group travel expert would be happy to help you find what you need.

2) Avoid peak conference and convention times in major markets. In a market such as Las Vegas, one of the best times to go to avoid crowds and high occupancy is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. June and July are also considered slow seasons. The fall and spring months usually see some of the biggest conventions, which often create sold-out situations for a large radius around the Strip. Take a look at the Las Vegas Event Calendar for the coming year to get a good sense of what peak seasons look like.

Bottom line is there are many free services and tools you can take advantage of to plan your meeting hotel space and facilities. It is definitely possible to plan a successful meeting or event in-house. My recommendation is to keep planning and get help where you can.

Our group travel planners are happy to help find you a perfect hotel for your next meeting. Search now.

Meeting Planners - You've Got Options

Many of our corporate clients are personally responsible for booking travel arrangements for meetings, conferences and conventions. I know this can be a difficult task because we hear it all the time. The top-tier meeting & convention markets have long booking windows with many companies and professional planners making arrangements 24 months or more in advance. Hotel occupancy in those markets is at record levels, so many people feel that options are limited for space and availability.

In an earlier post, I pointed out that meeting space is available in many outlying cities and towns near larger metropolitan areas. There are over 600 conference and meeting facilities in the United States, and when you include Canada your options are considerably higher. According to a report issued by TIA.org (the Travel Industry Association), below are the top cities for general business travel and the top cities for convention, conference, and seminar travelers:

Top 10 Cities for General Business Travel

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles - Long Beach
3. Washington, DC (metro area)
4. New York
5. Atlanta
6. Houston
7. Boston
8. Minneapolis - St. Paul
9. Dallas
10. Detroit

Top 10 Cities for Convention, Conference and Seminar Travel

1. Chicago
2. Las Vegas
3. Washington, DC
4. Orlando
5. Atlanta
6. Dallas
7. San Francisco
8. Nashville
9. San Diego
10. New Orleans

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Top 10 Las Vegas Activities for Conference Travelers

Do you travel to Las Vegas for meetings and conventions? I just got back from Las Vegas, where I attended PubCon 2006, a three day conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Las Vegas knows meetings, conferences & convention. The Convention Center alone hosted 23,000 meetings and conventions last year. Eventually, the sessions end and you might be looking for something to do in Vegas. Here is a Top 10 list. Don't be shy. Post your comments with your own Top 10. We'd love to hear from you:

1) "The Drive" - The GM sponsored high-performance driving experience at the Sahara. Take a Corvette for a spin on a high-performance course, or take the Hummer on the off-road course.

2) Fine Dining - You don't need to skimp on meals in Las Vegas. Eat well, and eat often (especially if your boss is buying).

3) The Canyon Ranch SpaClub - This world-class spa at The Venetian is the larges spa facility in North America, so get in some rest and relaxation

4) La Reve at the Wynn - One of Las Vegas' most popular shows. This is a dream-like fantasty - steamy but not adults only.

5) Most casinos offer regularly scheduled poker tournaments with low buy-ins - see if you can play like a pro

6) World-class shopping at the Paris Hotel shops. The ladies especially will love the high-end clothiers and jewelry shops here.

7) Vegas Nightclubs - Las Vegas offers everything from edgy and sensual to ultra high-class. You can purchase VIP passes to most clubs and avoid the lines.

8) The Fountains at the Bellagio are spectacular at night in their bright lights. This free water and light show is worth the time to see it.

9) You can admire the works of renowned artists at the acclaimed gallery at Bellagio - who knew Las Vegas had culture?

10) The Hoover Dam is worth a trip if you have some time during the day - it is truly an engineering marvel, and you are sure to find the tour interesting and the structure impressive.

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What are your favorites? Let us know

Meeting Hotels Right in Your Backyard

Is making hotel and travel arrangements for an upcoming meeting your responsibility? Consider smaller, so-called second or third tier cities right in your backyard. You can have a successful event or meeting and get a great value, too.

Demand for hotels with meeting space and conference space is up considerably in 2006. With high hotel occupancy rates, some meeting planners are feeling the pressure, but don't dismay.

Top-tier meetings & conventions cities such as New York and Chicago may have limited availability at peak times. Planners are booking group hotel space and meeting space for their mid to large meetings at least 12 to 24 months in advance on average, and some large meetings are arranged two years or more out. Even small meetings require a good deal of advanced planning in some markets.

Second-tier cities are a great alternative for small meetings or for short-notice corporate meetings. My home city, Denver is a great town for meetings and conventions, and the space fills up. In the past year, a great new meeting and event facility opened just outside the city in Broomfield, Colorado. Never heard of Broomfield? It is about fifteen minutes outside the city, and the brand new facility is just off the highway.

Just outside many major cities are smaller, less expensive markets with perfectly suitable hotels and meeting facilities you may want to consider for your next meeting. If you really need to have your meeting in one of the major markets be sure to plan accordingly. Avoid peak convention or expo times, and try to be flexible on the days of the week you hold your meeting.

Planning ahead is key to take advantage of group travel rates, the availability of group hotel rates, and to make sure you get exactly what you need.