Grand Hyatt San Antonio, located on the city’s River Walk, completed a renovation of guest rooms, meeting spaces, bar, corridors and lobby in time for its 10th anniversary.

Indianapolis Marriott Downtown completed its year-long renovation that transformed the property by creating modern accommodations, a redesigned lobby and meeting spaces, along with new dining options.

The Summit, A Dolce Hotel by Wyndham opened in Cincinnati's Madisonville neighborhood. The hotel boasts 239 guest rooms and 32,600 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.

From fish bowls and hackathons to bean bag brainstorms and outdoor walking sessions, the attendee experience has come a long way from the ho-hum theater-style setup and drab PowerPoint presentation. Designing programs that truly involve attendees in novel and inspiring ways is the key to successful meetings nowadays.

Gary Baker, CMP, hospitality veteran of both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, joined The Spa at Norwich Inn as director of sales.

Here are some create-your-own-silver-lining frequent flyer tips to help your attendees make the best of their unintentional detours on the way to the big meeting, event or conference—they may even be able to escape the airport for a bit!