The Hilton Long Beach Hotel & Executive Meeting Center will undergo an extensive renovation, to update and enhance its guestrooms and meeting space.

The Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) issued a statement regarding some of their meetings concerns following the shutdown.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts' new Westin Wilmington property - which will be directly connected to the Chase Convention Center in Delaware - is scheduled to open in March of 2014 and will feature 100,000 square feet of meeting space.

Associated Luxury Hotels (ALHI) recently added the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando and the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. to its exclusive Big Box portfolio of Four and Five Diamond meeting, convention and incentive hotels.

The travel industry notes it has plenty of challenges ahead including a reassessment of its aging infrastructure for important updates and recovery from an estimated $152 million daily loss during the shutdown.

Kimpton's Hotel Palomar Phoenix is launching its Breakaway at the CItyScape wellness sessions this fall for groups staying at the property for meetings.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Bellingham, Washington, will open its doors on Saturday, October 19, 2013, featuring large suites and a brand new lobby design.

Convene has developed a solution for hosting compliant events and meetings in New York City working under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act.

Editor Tyler Davidson and Lori Tenny report in from IMEX America at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, which has seen a 12 percent increase in exhibitor numbers.

The Radisson Cincinnati North CoCo Key Water Resort is expected to open on November 15, 2013, and will be able to accommodate meetings of up to 300.