New York’s Emerson Resort & Spa has completed a $500,000 renovation of its 2,500-square-foot Catamount event space. The property, located just two hours from Manhattan, offers panoramic views of the surrounding Catskill Mountains — plus the world’s largest kaleidoscope. The space is available for events ranging from weddings to corporate retreats.

The Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) opened its doors on Aug. 6 after a two-year renovation and expansion. The new build has increased KICC’s contiguous exhibit space by more than a third.

State and local government officials, along with KICC facility officials and staff, welcomed clients, local stakeholders and media to an open house that showcased the new facility and its capacity for events.

The program included comments from:

Hosting an event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a way to provide an unforgettable experience. Giving attendees the opportunity to see the exhibits after-hours or even dine in the midst of jellyfish, sharks or silvery sardines will ensure they remember your event for years afterwards.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been operating since 1984, and is host to 200 galleries and exhibits representing more than 550 species of fishes, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, birds and plants. In 2017, 1.9 million people visited the aquarium.

Napa Valley’s Clif Family Winery is on the main drag on Route 128 in St. Helena, Calif. — just a block away from the well-known Gott’s Roadside (known as Taylor’s Refresher for its first 50 years) drive-in eatery.

From the outside, the building looks like a family home, surrounded by a decent size parking lot and a few small businesses. It’s not ostentatious, like many of the area wineries, so is easy to miss as you are driving by.

Puerto Rico’s newly established destination marketing organization has been officially dubbed Discover Puerto Rico.

Established July 1, the new DMO will be responsible for all global marketing, sales and promotion of Puerto Rico as a premier destination for leisure and business travelers. 

On July 16, Caesars Entertainment Corporation broke ground on its newest development: the CAESARS FORUM Las Vegas conference center. Slated to open in 2020, the venue will feature 550,000 square feet of flexible meeting, event and convention space.

Atlanta, Georgia’s Cobb Galleria Centre recently completed a major renovation of one of its event spaces, the Gallery.

The Cobb Galleria Centre is located in the 88-acre Galleria complex in northwest Atlanta. Cobb Galleria Centre is offers 320,000 square feet of event space, four exhibition halls, 20 meeting rooms, four executive boardrooms and a grand ballroom.

Marriott International has purchased the 1,000-room Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel for $255 million. The property is slated for a significant renovation designed to transform it into a model for the revamped Sheraton brand. Marriott acquired Sheraton as part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide purchase in Sept. 2016.

In early June, Marriott International revealed its comprehensive transformation strategy for the Sheraton brand, building a 4,200 square foot vignette at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York.

I attended Meeting Professionals International (MPI)’s 2018 World Education Congress (WEC) last month in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was my first time in both the state and the city, and I was favorably impressed by the location, the conference and the local destination management organization (DMO), Visit Indy.

The Kimpton brand has expanded its footprint to Toronto.  The 14-story contemporary Kimpton Saint George hotel opened its doors on Jun. 19.  The new property features 188 guest rooms, including 20 suites and a Presidential Suite.

"We are thrilled to bring our uniquely personal and authentic boutique hotel experience to Toronto,” said Bertrand Mangeot, general manager of Kimpton Saint George.