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This Week in Event Venues: Resort Bubbles, Fine Dining Pop-Ups, New Tech for Hotels, and More

Rounding up the latest news from hotels, convention centers, meeting spaces, restaurants, and other event venues across the United States and Canada.

Moxy's three New York City hotels—Moxy Times Square, Moxy East Village, and Moxy Chelsea—are now offering daytime bookings ideal for remote work; the bookings are available on dayuse.com and hotelshero.com. An extra bonus? Post-work dinner and drinks at the Times Square location's Magic Hour rooftop—billed as the city's largest all-season indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge—or at the East Village location's Cathédrale restaurant (pictured), which has a lush, outdoor dining terrace with a retractable roof.
Moxy's three New York City hotels—Moxy Times Square, Moxy East Village, and Moxy Chelsea—are now offering daytime bookings ideal for remote work; the bookings are available on dayuse.com and hotelshero.com. An extra bonus? Post-work dinner and drinks at the Times Square location's Magic Hour rooftop—billed as the city's largest all-season indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge—or at the East Village location's Cathédrale restaurant (pictured), which has a lush, outdoor dining terrace with a retractable roof.
Photo: Courtesy of Moxy East Village

As hotels and event spaces begin to cautiously reopen after coronavirus-related shutdowns, we're here to round up the biggest news of the week—in one convenient place. Got a tip? Get in touch!

In Case You Missed It...
Yankee Stadium is now the first sports and entertainment venue in the world to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility and Management, a new designation that offers a blueprint for best operating procedures during COVID-19. Earlier this week, we took an in-depth look at how venues can achieve the rating.

Here are six more things you need to know this week. 

1. "Resort bubbles" are coming to Hawaii.
Under the current guidelines in Hawaii, travelers are not allowed to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days, even with a negative COVID-19 test. But this week, Kaua’i mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami announced an “Enhanced Movement Quarantine"—otherwise known as a “resort bubble”—program that would allow visitors to visit hotel restaurants and on-site pools if they wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wear a GPS monitoring bracelet. Hotels can choose whether or not to participate in the program, which has been approved by Governor David Ige; the state hopes to debut the first bubble by the end of October.

“The resort bubble program is an added tool to reopening our economy while we learn to coexist with this virus. It’s not a replacement or the final solution, and we will continue to keep our community updated as we make progress," said Mayor Kawakami in a statement.The Westin Nashville is offering the 'Zoom Room' (pictured) for 15-person meetings. The room, which is sanitized between each booking, can host hybrid meetings through a partnership with PSAV.The Westin Nashville is offering the "Zoom Room" (pictured) for 15-person meetings. The room, which is sanitized between each booking, can host hybrid meetings through a partnership with PSAV.Photo: Courtesy of The Westin Nashville

2. Venues continue getting creative with work-from-home offerings.
Remote work is likely to be the reality for the foreseeable future—and hotels like The Westin Nashville continue to launch new offerings to accommodate it. The 454-room hotel now offers the "Zoom Room," a 15-person meeting space that can host hybrid events through a partnership with PSAV. The hotel also has a "WFHotel" (work from hotel) package with special day rates and perks, as well as full private buyouts of the hotel's 25th floor for small meetings.

And for kids doing virtual learning, Chicago eatery and event space PB&J is offering mid-day "lunch breaks" for students and parents, available every Thursday (starting today) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to food, the West Loop space provides educational workbooks and coloring sheets at each table, as well as sidewalk chalk competitions, kid-friendly songs on the jukebox, and a list of socially distanced games for "recess."

3. This free software should help hotels get back in business.
Nuvola
, a tech company that develops software for hotel optimization and guest engagement, has launched two free tools to help hotels open safely. "Checklists" is a customizable solution that streamlines a hotel's safety protocols and cleaning measures; hotels can select a preexisting list or upload their own checklist, and share with all staff members and supervisors. "Checkpoints," meanwhile, allows a hotel to schedule and track cleanings using a contactless QR code. The two modules are available for free until the end of 2020.

When it reopens on Sept. 30, Park MGM will be the Las Vegas Strip's first entirely smoke-free casino.When it reopens on Sept. 30, Park MGM will be the Las Vegas Strip's first entirely smoke-free casino.Photo: Courtesy of MGM Resorts

4. Las Vegas is getting its first smoke-free casino.
Yes, you read that right! Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas will reopen on Sept. 30, and the 2,993-room joint resort—which has been closed since March—will be the Strip's first entirely smoke-free casino. “As we looked toward our reopening, we identified an opportunity to be responsive to recurring guest demand for a fully non-smoking casino resort on The Strip," explained Anton Nikodemus, president of MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas Portfolio.

5. San Diego debuted a socially distanced restaurant week.
How do you get people back to restaurants—in a safe way? Add some friendly competition, of course! On Tuesday, San Diego launched Dine Diego, the 2020 equivalent of the city's annual Restaurant Week where more than 300 local eateries will offer alfresco, to-go, or in-house promotions. This year, San Diego added a gamification component: Guests are asked to snap a photo at each eatery they visit, and then upload to a Bingo-style game board on SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com. Complete five in a row, and you'll be entered to win a San Diego "staycation" package. Photos posted on Instagram will also be in the running to win 52 gift certificates to local eateries. Winners will be announced on Oct. 15, the last day of the monthlong event.Toronto’s Liberty Entertainment Group has relaunched Don Alfonso 1890, its Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, as a limited-run pop-up at Casa Loma.Toronto’s Liberty Entertainment Group has relaunched Don Alfonso 1890, its Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, as a limited-run pop-up at Casa Loma.Photo: Courtesy of Liberty Entertainment Group

6. Restaurants are getting back to business in unconventional ways.
Speaking of restaurants, Toronto’s Liberty Entertainment Group has relaunched Don Alfonso 1890, its Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, as a 60-seat, limited-run pop-up at Casa Loma. The intimate space, which opened yesterday and is available for dinner service daily, includes an eight-course tasting menu served alongside a floral exhibition from the Casa Loma Gardens team. The elegant pop-up was the vision of Liberty Entertainment Group creative director Nadia Di Donato, who was recently recognized by the U.K.'s Design et al and shortlisted for the 2020 International Hotel & Property Awards.

“When we were forced to shutter Don Alfonso, we never expected such an overwhelming outcry of support from Toronto’s sophisticated dining community, the media, the hospitality industry, and the city as a whole,” explained Nick Di Donato, president and CEO of Liberty Group. “The response is such that we’re excited to make this work in another beautiful surrounding in order to meet patrons’ demand for an experience not to be missed—until we find a permanent home.”

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