Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort celebrated the grand opening of its new convention center expansion and guest room renovation. The convention center expansion of 28,000 square feet will offer nearly 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space at this Walt Disney World Resort location.

Nearly 8,000 UNITE HERE hotel workers at Marriott-operated hotels in four North American destinations will hold strike votes the week of September 10. The strike votes by approximately 7,800 workers come on the heels of the Labor Day demonstrations UNITE HERE Marriott workers across the country protesting what the union claims is Marriott’s lack of movement with contract negotiations on key labor issues, including wages, basic job protection and safer working conditions and standards. According to UNITE HERE, more than 100 hotel workers were arrested in multiple cities for staging acts of civil disobedience outside Marriott hotels on September 3, 2018.

Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is departing the organization later in 2018. Lugar has accepted a new position as president and CEO of the American Beverage Association (ABA).

Thousands of Marriott International union workers across eight U.S. destinations are planning massive demonstrations and civil disobedience on Labor Day, September 3 in response to an ongoing contract fight. UNITE HERE union Marriott workers, including hotel housekeepers, front desk reception, bellmen, cooks, dishwashers and servers will target downtown Marriott hotels in several major U.S. destinations.

Now a year-round destination, Epic Discovery is Vail Mountain’s playground, with ziplining, summer tubing, a mountain coaster and miles of trails for hiking and biking. This wasn’t my summer vacation, but rather part of a Marriott Convention & Resort Network (CRN) press trip in Colorado. Over the three days, we saw meeting space, amenities and group offerings at the collection’s properties in the state—including the soon-to-open Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.

A mountain setting can take away the distractions of the office and city life and allow for a connection to nature, which often can spike productivity, creativity and collaboration. Unplugging, bringing the meeting room outdoors and creating new experiences seem to be on-trend for 2018, according to four experts dialed in to mountain meetings. 

With a recent surge of growth, the cities of Southwest Michigan are ready to host more groups and events. New-builds and property restorations are drawing locals and visitors alike back to the downtown neighborhoods. Recently opened hotels have added to room counts, with more properties expected to debut later this year and early next, and convention center and venue projects are adding even more meeting square footage to this region.

The TWA Hotel is gearing up for its spring 2019 opening at John F. Kennedy International Airport by offering planners a first look at its 50,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces. The overall project, led by MCR and MORSE Development, is restoring and reimagining Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport and transforming it into a 512-room hotel.

Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking (MPAHT) marked the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons by becoming a signatory to The Code. The Code, short for “The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism” is an industry-driven initiative to provide awareness, tools and support to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

The Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) hosted a grand opening ceremony, Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 following a two-year, $207 million renovation and expansion project. State and local government officials, along with KICC facility officials and staff welcomed meeting clients, local stakeholders, interested citizens, and media to an open house that showcased how the new facility will host small to large-scale events.