CWT Meetings & Events just unveiled its predictions for the top 10 North American cities in 2019. The rankings are based on proprietary and industry data in CWT’s 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends report, to be published in late September.

Pamela S. Dallstream is director of education for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). The healthcare organization held its 2018 SCCM Annual Congress in San Antonio from February 25-28, 2018, an event that brought together nearly 6,000 attendees from around the world.

Visitors strolling down San Antonio’s festive River Walk can also treat themselves to some of the best Texas has to offer, from the historic lure of The Alamo—the beating heart of the state—to the city’s authentic Mexican cuisine and culture.

The Sofa Hotel Istanbul opened in the historical heart of Turkey with 82 guest rooms and 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Boasting contemporary interiors and a private collection of thoughtfully curated artwork, the hotel evokes its enviable location in the heart of Istanbul’s chic shopping district, Nişantaşı. The boutique property is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.

The Grand Hyatt Bogota opened, marking the first Hyatt hotel in the Colombian capital and the first Grand Hyatt branded hotel in Colombia. The 372-room property is located in the heart of Ciudad Empresarial Sarmiento Angulo commercial district, up the road from the Corferias and Ágora Bogotá convention centers, and minutes from the ultramodern Gran Estación Mall, El Dorado International Airport, and Bolívar Square.

The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok opened in the heart of Bangkok as the first Waldorf Astoria property in Southeast Asia. The 60-story hotel features 171 guest rooms and suites.

Columbus, Ohio’s North Market, dating to 1876 and located firmly within walking distance of the city’s major convention hotels and the Greater Columbus Convention Center, offers a full plate of eating and shopping choices, from the hot chicken craze to Vietnamese, Indian, Greek and Italian—among the United Nations-worthy selection of prepared foods—to fresh meats and sugary treats.

The Glen House hotel opened at the base of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. The property has historic roots in the state's White Mountains. The new hotel is the fifth iteration of The Glen House to be built near the site of the original hotel, a landmark that opened in 1852 as tourists began to flock to the summit of 6,288-foot Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast.

Chautauqua Harbor Hotel is now open on the shores of Lake Chautauqua in Celoron, N.Y. The newest addition to Buffalo-based Hart Hotels' Harbor Hotel Collection, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel brings a new level of luxury accommodations and world-class service to the region and is expected to draw visitors from around the world.

For many destinations, a year of unprecedented natural disasters coupled with urban challenges would deal a harsh blow on the business and tourism fronts, but California is not like most destinations. The state has weathered everything from massive fires in popular tourism draws to mudslides wiping out roads, bridges and parts of entire communities. Still, business is booming and the meetings sector flourishing throughout the Golden State, from the marquee cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles to the resort getaways of Lake Tahoe and Palm Springs.