On Apr. 25, 2018, AC Hotels by Marriott opened its first Canadian property: AC Hotel Montréal Centre-Ville.

The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Montreal on Boulevard René-Lévesque, just steps away from the Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montreal's convention center), the Quartier des Spectacles (entertainment district), and two city blocks from Old Montreal.

The Eliza Jane, a 196-room hotel located just two blocks from the French Quarter, opened on Apr. 24, 2018 as the newest member of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. The Unbound Collection by Hyatt launched in 2016 as a unique collection of new and existing luxury and upper-upscale properties offering unique stay experiences and story-worthy moments.

The Summit, a Dolce Hotel opened in Cincinnati in April 2018. The brand new 239-room hotel is the latest addition to the Wyndham Hotel Group’s Dolce Hotels and Resorts brand.

The Summit offers 32,600 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, with an emphasis on group conferences and collaborative spaces. The modern Madisonville Ballroom, a rooftop terrace and 17 customizable meeting rooms with built-in tech and lighting provide ample options for meeting planners to creatively utilize the space.

The Hôtel Martinez, Cannes recently reopened as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, following major renovations and a complete redesign.  Located on Boulevard de la Croisette, the 409-room hotel is one of the most recognizable hotels on the French Riviera.

Parisian architect Pierre-Yves Rochon has combined the hotel’s original Art Deco style with contemporary design that takes inspiration from the colors of the French Riviera and the Mediterranean way of life.

The new dual-branded AC Hotel and Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria opened its doors on Apr. 26, 2018.

Located in the heart of Dallas Midtown, the 256-room property contains more than 17,000 square feet of combined meeting space that can accommodate events for up to 200 attendees. 

AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria offers 140 guest rooms that feature a European-inspired design along with workstations and flat-panel TVs.

On Apr. 24, 2018,  the newly remodeled and rebranded Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort opened its doors to guests.

Formerly known as The Fess Parker, A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort, the hotel has undergone a complete renovation and will remain managed by Hilton (NYSE: HLT) and jointly owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and the Fess Parker family.

The Galt House, Louisville’s largest hotel, is joining the Trademark Collection by Wyndham as an independently owned soft-branded property.

The flagship hotel, which will begin a $80 million renovation this June, will be Wyndham Hotel Group’s largest single addition in North America.

Galt House Hotel is the largest downtown meeting, convention, and conference hotel in the region, with 1,310 guest rooms and 130,000 sq. ft. of event space that can host meetings of up to 3,000 attendees.

There is a lot of preparation going on in Japan for the Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo in 2020.  In addition to new hotels and venues that will expand the many existing options for events, transportation infrastructure will be transformed. Plans include a ring road that will bypass central Tokyo, a central arterial road that will better connect central Tokyo to the Tokyo Bay area, a new railway connecting Haneda Airport and Tokyo Station, plus improvements to the existing Narita Airport railway system that will cut transit time from thirty minutes to a mere eighteen.

On Thursday, April 12, meeting professionals around the world came together to celebrate our great industry. I was lucky enough to be in Las Vegas – the meetings capital of the world – for a media tour centered around Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID).

Some key facts about meetings and Las Vegas:

The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority (RSCVA) Board of Directors has appointed global entertainment and convention venue management company, SMG, to oversee operations at Reno-Sparks’ major convention and entertainment facilities.

The four-year operating agreement includes the RSCVA-owned Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC), the state-owned Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center (RSLEC), as well as the Reno Events Center (REC) and the National Bowling Stadium (NBS), which are both owned by the City of Reno.