Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Special Time of Year

Tomorrow, candy and costumes rule then we all rush to our alarm clocks to "fall back"--a busy weekend. Fall is a great time of year for some hospitality venues. This Halloween Forbes Traveler lists 10 Vampire Vacations; last year they presented a list of America's Haunted Hotels to check out for the holiday. When its time to change the clock, Historic Hotels of America celebrates with its Fall Back in Time promotion to help you decide what to do with that extra hour. Deals for each of the participating hotels center around pricing that matches the year the hotel first opened (For example 1913 =  rates of $191.30). How will you celebrate this weekend?

--Ellie M. Bayrd, Associate Editor

Quick News links: Winter Carnival, B&N e-reader, text messaging, gift cards and Louvre love

A few bits of news I felt were worth mentioning:

+ The St. Paul Winter Carnival received two awards from the International Festivals & Events Association, including a silver award for Best Educational Program and a bronze award for Best Event Photography (Tom Maloney). The carnival is judged in the category of festivals with annual budget of $250,000 to $749,999. (Hat tip MinnPost.)

+ Rumor has it Barnes & Noble is planning to release its own answer to Amazon's Kindle called the Nook. Early talk looks good for B&N. While I think it will be a long time before I give up books for an e-reader, I do like that you can actually lend books to other people with the Nook (although, your friend has to have one too). Lending books is a huge part of the reading experience for me, plus it's a money saver. (Hat tip Wired and Gizmodo.)

+ Morrissey Hospitality is offering up an awesome gift card deal this holiday season. According to the press release: Starting Nov. 1, every shopper who purchases $100 worth of gift cards from one of Morrissey's seven participating properties - The Saint Paul Hotel, The St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna, The Hotel Minneapolis, restaurant Max, Tria restaurant and Enjoy! - will also receive a free bonus package including five promotional $20 gift cards to those same properties, which can be used by the customer themselves or to give as gifts.

+ Mall of America launched a text-messaging service last week called MallCall: The Text Best Thing. According to the press release: Mall patrons can opt-in with each visit by texting a provided phone number. Then only during store hours and only on that day, customers will receive real-time text messages about promotions and in-store coupons allowing them to take advantage of that day's special offers.

+ Just for fun, I loved this Face2Face post from earlier this month. MeetingsNet editor Sue Pelletier shares what she did during a nine-hour layover at LAX. I would never think to take the shuttles to different hotels and just check them out! What a good use of time.

+ Want to learn how to tell a masterpiece from a fake? Or, maybe you'd like to take a trip to Paris without leaving the Twin Cities? The highly anticipated exhibit The Louvre and the Masterpiece opened over the weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This is a huge deal for the MIA as many of the pieces have never before left the Louvre and we are only one of two stops the exhibit is making in the U.S.

What else is going on?

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Mother Earth News, Great Places You've Never Heard Of: Lanesboro, Minn.

Congrats to Lanesboro for making Mother Earth News' 2009 list of Great Places You've (Maybe) Never Heard Of. The oldest magazine dedicated to the topic of sustainable living (with a circulation of some 475,000), through interviews and research, picked 11 communities to call out this year, including Rock Port, Mo., Walla Walla, Wash., and Oakland, Calif.

The magazine credits Lanesboro's natural and cultural offerings per capita stating, "Among the towns featured in the 2009 list, none has such a remarkable array of options for so small a population — just under 800 residents." The magazine cites the bike trails, the arts organizations (Commonweal Theater and Cornucopia Art Center), its local farming connections and the town's ability to preserve its loveliness amongst flocks of tourists.

(For more information, particularly on the town's availability and usefulness for meeting planners, see our Location Location piece on Lanesboro from a couple years back.)

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

On the Roll

Recently, Sue Pelletier of Face2Face took a break from her regular blog posts to look through her blogroll, post new links and share a bit about each blog/blogger. I always enjoy checking out the blogrolls of sites. Those recommendations have directed me to some sites I visit daily.

If you look to the left of this page, you'll see we list our own recommendations. As you might guess, Face2Face is on there, and that's how I found the link that inspired this post (she's also among those we follow on Twitter). I also find that I enjoy checking in with Geri Wolf of Style Laboratory's Eventful Rambling blog often, whether for insights on event planning or for dining recommendations and to see beautiful photos of events she's organized. Often I start my day with a look at what's on the mind of HotelChatter, which features a mix of useful travel/hotel news and hilarious hotel dos and don'ts. Another great voice for the travel industry: Christopher Elliott, who seems to get to the heart of travel problems and solve issues for travelers. I found him through his articles on CNN.com. Jeff Hurt's Midcourse Corrections blog often draws me in; he recently started a spirited discussion about having to pay for virtual event attendance to MPI's WEC. For social media thoughts I often turn to Chris Brogan and Chris Lower, whose post yesterday about a PR mishap was quite interesting.

Which sites/blogs do you visit daily and who would you recommend to us or to your fellow hospitality professionals? Check out our updated blogroll for more suggestions.

--Ellie M. Bayrd, Associate Editor

MAC Approves Name Change for MSP Airport Terminals

Say goodbye to the Humphrey and Lindbergh terminals.

The Star Tribune reports that the Metropolitan Airports Commission board members decided today to spend $2.2 million on new signage for "Terminal 1" and "Terminal 2." I ranted about this in a blog post a few weeks ago.

I really don't think the names of the terminals are the problem--I think the problem is that a lot of people don't know:

• that MSP even has two terminals
• how far apart the two terminals are (even the quick LRT ride between the two can affect whether you miss a flight)
• which airlines fly out of which terminal

With respect to that last point, I am glad to hear that the airlines that serve each terminal are going to be included on the new signage. Although, are you really going to read highway signage that closely while you're driving? I don't know.

With respect to the $2.2 million, folks should know the money isn't coming out of taxpayers' pockets. It's mostly from airport revenue. Still, it's a lot of money.

For further reading, MAC has posted a document of "Myths vs. Facts" regarding the terminal name change.

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

CLARIFICATION: I should point out from the "Myths vs. Facts" document that "The proposal is not to eliminate the Lindbergh and Humphrey names from the terminal titles, only from highway signs and other wayfinding aids..."

Lindbergh and Humphrey, or Terminal 1 and 2?

In less than two weeks, the Metropolitan Airports Commission board will vote on whether to spend $2.2 million to change MSP Airport's Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals into "Terminal 1" and "Terminal 2."

Um...why?

When I saw the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal's report, I have to say I was a little miffed. I grew up near the airport. I like the historical and local ties of the names "Lindbergh" and "Humphrey." But I can also be curmudgeonly when it comes to changing things I'm comfortable with. So, is this just me being and old grump? I'm not sure...

In this KSTP video, MAC spokesman Patrick Hogan says up to 25,000 people a year end up in the wrong terminal because the names and signs are confusing. My editor Joel Schettler brought up the good point that out-of-towners might liken the distance between Humphrey and Lindbergh to LaGuardia and JFK, thinking they're different airports entirely.

But after watching the video, it seems like any confusion arising from driving to the two terminals has more to do with the exit ramps from the freeway than the names of the terminals. And is it really that hard? Will renaming them make that much of a difference?

Also, regarding the $2.2 million to change the signs, this is what the MSP Web site says about its funding:

"The MAC uses funds from concession revenues, lease agreements and airline fees to operate the airport. Funding for airport improvements comes primarily from passenger facility charges, federal grants and bond sales as well as from revenue generated through airport operations. Unlike other public organizations in Minnesota, the MAC receives no operations funding from state, federal or local income, sales or property taxes."

So weigh in, business travelers, conventioneers, planners and anyone else who has an opinion. Is this a good idea?

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

UPDATE: I e-mailed MAC spokeswoman Melissa Scovronski and she called me back saying, "A lot of people believe their tax dollars are being used for this and that's one of the biggest misconceptions out there." Although MAC receives money from the FAA for some projects, she says this isn't one of them. She also said on July 20 the MAC board will most likely vote this plan up or down, and that should be the final decision on the name-change.

Twin Cities Hotels: Supply and Demand

This article in the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal caught my eye today because just about this time last summer, the cities were all a-buzz with the opening of the luxury hotel trifecta, W Minneapolis in the Foshay, the Hotel Ivy and the Hotel Minneapolis.

But PKF Hospitality Research, according to the article, predicts that drops in RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) will be more severe in the Twin Cities than throughout the national market. The forecast attributes the Twin Cities' tough situation to not only the nationwide drop in demand, but also the unfortunately timed rise in supply here in Minneapolis.

What do you think, hoteliers? Is the situation really more dire in the Twin Cities? And how do you keep business without devaluing your products and services too much?

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

Podcast Episode 6: Tony Wagner, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Tony Wagner is vice president of meetings and events for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a group that assists clients in identifying their meeting spend, negotiating with vendors and developing event concepts. Editor Joel Schettler recently sat down with Wagner for our latest Podcast to talk about the current state of the hospitality economy, the “perfect storm” we’ve felt in the meetings industry and how he works with companies to help them manage their meetings, maximize their investment and develop strategic goals.

Joel Schettler: Please describe the effects the economy has had, as you see them, on corporate travel and meetings and events.

Tony Wagner: In this economic challenge that North America and the entire world is going through, we’re seeing that companies are looking at all of their expenses, and travel is no exception—it is one of the most disposable items that you can quickly attack… I do think as you look forward, as the air capacity has decreased, and there are more available seats than marketplace, I think you’ll see that it will fit more into the budgets of corporate travelers and people attending meetings...

JS: Are you seeing these effects worldwide, or are certain markets hit more than others?

TW: In general we’re seeing a decrease across the board in meetings and events. It may not be as pronounced as here in North America, but, for example, in Europe we’re seeing a decrease in the average spend per participant per day.. . We’re also seeing changes in behavior of where they’re having meetings. The U.S. dollar has strengthened, which means you might not have as many foreign groups coming into the U.S., and vice versa—[American companies] tend to stay in the U.S. for meetings right now...

For more of our interview with Wagner, check out our most recent podcast episode, and then let us know your thoughts about what he had to say.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Popular Science: Geek Getaways

I was reading through the latest issue of Popular Science. The magazine offers a three-part series on "The Future of Travel." Part I talks about "getting there" and how in the next few decades we'll see airplanes that look like stealth bombers and hypersonic commercial jets that will take us from NYC to Sydney in 90 minutes - THROUGH SPACE. Part III discusses comfort, and why airplane seats are so miserable.

But Part II is what got me excited. Pop Sci features eight experiences, or what they call "Geek Getaways." Out of those eight getaways, TWO fall in Minnesota and one is located in Iowa. How cool is that? Now instead of taking offense to the fact that we might be a little extra geeky up here, just read about these freakin' cool excursions. I had no idea.

+ ELY, Minn., Wildlife Research Institute: Go hang out and study black bears with biologist Lynn Rogers. Sure it costs $1,500, but as the article says, "you'll become part of the longest and most in-depth bear study ever conducted." For webcams and more information, go here.

+ NORTHEASTERN Minn., Mine State Park: Take a daily tour ($10) of the Soudan Underground Laboratory where they take subatomic particles and smash them against atoms. You even get to ride in a miner's cage to 2,400 feet below ground.

+ DES MOINES, Iowa, Great Ape Trust: Did you know that the largest great ape research facility in North America is in Iowa? Become a member ($50) to tour the venue and meet the apes. This is where Kanzi lives, who is known as the world's smartest ape. (Image from the Grape Ape Trust Web site.)

I think it's amazing that I can live here all my life and not know nearly enough about what's in my own backyard - or as little as a few hundred miles away. And if I have such little a clue and I write about the state of Minnesota for a living, imagine all the people who don't live here - they don't know what they're missing!

Where have you been in Minnesota, Iowa or the general Midwest, that blew your mind? Share it with us.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Southwest Adds MSP-Denver Flight

In the upcoming spring issue, I had the opportunity to interview air travel expert Terry Trippler. I found him to be knowledgeable and refreshingly candid. Anyway, one thing he mentioned to me was his hunch that Southwest would expand their service from MSP International pretty soon after beginning their Chicago service here in March. And now they have!

The Star Tribune report says that beginning May 26, three daily non-stop, round-trip flights will carry travelers from the Humphrey Terminal to Denver for a one-way price of $89.

United Airlines and Frontier Airlines also offer MSP-Denver flights, according to the article. It will be interesting to see how much of a "Southwest effect" takes place here at MSP if Southwest continues to add low-cost flights.

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor