Deep in the Heart

The numbers are in, and from bookings and delegate spend to capital investment and economic development, virtually every Lone Star State destination is reporting robust, often record, group growth and returns. In true Texas frontier spirit, the drive is on for even more.

Sports Report

Lone Star Feast

Late founder Bill Kimpton, who held heartfelt compassion for his guests, would be proud. Holding a commanding position in D.C., its top market for nearly two decades, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants offers some 55,000 square feet of combined space in 11 Capital Region properties, including flagship Hotel Topaz (2001) in D.C. and Lorien Hotel & Spa in Old Town Alexandria.

Unveiled in June 2018, the new 31st-floor Observation Deck atop the CEB Tower in Rosslyn, Va., the tallest building inside the Beltway, is now the highest public space in the metropolitan D.C. area. Designed by Legends, the firm behind projects including One World Observatory in New York City and OUE Skyspace in Los Angeles, the 12,000-square-foot space includes a private event venue for 250, open-air terrace and cafe.

"Talent wins games,” once said all-time basketball great Michael Jordan, whose three seasons at the University of North Carolina included making the winning jump shot as a freshman in the 1982 national championship game, “but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Visit North Carolina, contracted by the North Carolina Department of Commerce to lead tourism development as a business unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, embraces this wisdom in its industry-specific marketing programs, sports included.

Arthur Bovino is a restaurant, food media and travel writer with experience writing for a variety of major publications. He is the author of Buffalo Everything: A Guide to Eating in ‘Nickel City’ with 50 Recipes. The book will be released on August 14, 2018.

Prominent in Buffalo, New York's nearly $1 billion tourism-driven redevelopment, the F&B scene is now a tastier draw than ever for the Queen City of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile in Niagara, an area rich with agricultural and culinary resources, F&B experiences are naturally one way to go.