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What's New in Event Venues: New Construction, Instant-Booking Solutions, Celebrity-Driven Wellness Experiences, and More

Rounding up the latest news from hotels, convention centers, meeting spaces, restaurants, and other event venues around the world.

Event Venue News for February 2023
This month, flexible meeting and office space company Convene acquired etc.venues, a U.K.-based company that specializes in urban day conferencing venues. The acquisition adds 16 venues to the Convene portfolio—nearly doubling its global footprint and making it the largest single provider of dedicated premium meeting and event venues in the U.S. and U.K. (Scroll down to read more.) Convene had previously opened its first international location in London (pictured) in May 2022.
Photo: Courtesy of Convene

We're rounding up the biggest venue news of the month—in one convenient place. Got a tip? Get in touch!

In Case You Missed It
This month, BizBash's editorial team rounded up the 10 best ski towns for corporate retreats, and learned all about Norwegian Cruise Line's new “Experiences at Sea" division, which will provide charter events and immersive experiences on the water. We also got a look inside Journey, a new venture that combines fine dining with digital entertainment; it features floor-to-ceiling (including the tabletop) projections that transport guests seated at a 20-person communal table to five different locations during each course of the prix-fixe meal. 

Here are seven more things you should know this month...

1. Marriott, Hilton, and IHG are leading the way in new construction—and Dallas might be the new hospitality hotspot. 
According to Lodging Econometric’s fourth-quarter United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report, the three hotel chains account for a combined 67% of projects in the works right now. (Marriott leads the way with more than 180,000 rooms in the pipeline; Hilton Worldwide follows with almost 155,000, and InterContinental Hotel Group with nearly 79,000.) This follows a successful 2022 for the brands, with Marriott opening 131 new hotels, Hilton opening 118, and IHG opening 57. Other recent analysis from Lodging Econometrics shows that among U.S. markets, Dallas leads the way in new hotel construction, followed by Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Nashville. 

2. Kimpton's new concierge program focuses on unexpected, authentic experiences based on personality types.
Last week, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants rolled its out “Stay Human” experiences. The goal? To appeal to a wide variety of travel styles and personalities. Guests and groups can work with a hotel’s Stay Human Concierge to find experiences tailored specifically to them; eclectic options at various properties include on-demand elixir shots, private perfumery classes, sound bath healing sessions, and Thai boxing classes. Kimpton worked with a global group of diverse creators (including art directors, DJs, journalists, photographers, and more) to curate the options; this so-called “Stay Human Creator Collective” will travel to select hotels around the world to experience the packages first-hand. 

“Kimpton has always been rooted in human connection and delivering experiences that meet the needs of every kind of traveler," said Kathleen Reidenbach, Kimpton’s chief commercial officer. "We are taking action to directly address an area of opportunity that consumers uncovered—the travel industry can do more to cater to the diverse needs of travelers—with bespoke experiences at our hotels that allow our guests to chart their own course and be their most authentic selves when they stay with us."

3. Celebrity-driven wellness options are trending.
With an increased focus on guests' health and wellness, many event hosts are seeking venues that can help. And who wouldn’t want to learn wellness techniques from world-renowned athletes? A number of hotels have recently partnered with celebrity athletes to launch new wellness offerings, including the Wynn Las Vegas’ new "Wynn Living Well," which offers exclusive in-room workouts from dancer and fitness instructor Amanda Kloots, along with coach-led sessions of TB12, the performance and recovery method pioneered by football star Tom Brady. And in Boston, the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel has partnered with five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin on a 22-minute guided workout video. The experience takes guests through a series of breathing exercises, warm-ups, step-by-step high-intensity movements, and a cool down.

4. Convene has nearly doubled its global footprint.
Earlier this month, flexible meeting and office space company Convene acquired etc.venues, which specializes in urban day conferencing and has venues across the U.K. in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, and in the U.S. in New York City. The acquisition added 16 venues to the Convene portfolio—nearly doubling its global footprint and making it the largest single provider of dedicated premium meeting and event venues in the U.S. and U.K. This acquisition comes on the heels of Convene merging with SaksWorks in 2022, and announcing its new San Francisco location opening later this year. 

“The London and New York City markets continue to rebound at a tremendous pace post-COVID with demand for outsourced premium meeting and event solutions accelerating from clients and landlords alike,” said Ryan Simonetti, the CEO and co-founder of Convene, adding: “The workplace of the future is a meeting space. While individual work can be done anywhere, Convene provides purpose-built meeting and social event spaces with the tools and amenities aimed at inspiring collaboration that are needed for high-impact, team-based work. We are proud to further this offering with the addition of etc.venues to our global network.”

5. Marriott International has a new instant booking solution for small meetings and groups.
Marriott International has become the first brand to directly integrate with Groups360's GroupSync Marketplace, which offers "instant book" functionality for guest rooms and meeting spaces across the U.S. and Canada. The goal? To cut down on the lengthy sourcing and contracting process for group meeting planners, especially for smaller events. The integration gives planners access to real-time, best-available group rates and inventory at over 1,500 Marriott properties across the U.S. and Canada; once the instant booking is completed on GroupSync, hotels receive instant notification for faster handling and execution of small meetings. In addition, planners can now view available inventory before submitting an RFP for more complex events at all Marriott hotels globally. 

(Interested? Marriott is celebrating the launch by giving away one million Marriott Bonvoy points with the Plan to Win Giveaway. Anyone who books a small event has the chance to win 30,000 points.)

6. The new Virgin Hotels Collection is uniting luxury brands under the Virgin umbrella.
Luxury lifestyle hospitality brand Virgin Hotels is merging with Virgin Limited Edition, the private, global collection of unique retreats, hotels, and islands owned by Sir Richard Branson. The two brands will now come together under a new name, Virgin Hotels Collection. James Bermingham, the current CEO of Virgin Hotels, will take up the realm of CEO for the new Virgin Hotels Collection brand on April 1. New projects from the company include the newly opened New York Virgin Hotel, which offers 460 rooms; a splashy, 4,000-square-foot restaurant; and a variety of event spaces. Additional properties in the works include locations in Glasgow, Mallorca, Miami, and Denver.

7. A Miami hotel launched a $25,000 tasting experience—complete with a Rolex.
Yes, you read that right. Iconic Miami hotel Fontainebleau has launched an exclusive, $25,000 whisky experience from Macallan, available from now through May. Guests can sample three single-malt spirits from the brand’s limited-edition M Collection—and leave with a brand-new Rolex GMT-Master II “Batman” watch, which is currently only available via waitlist. “We continue to focus on experiential offerings we can provide our guests, as we’ve seen incredible demand for high-end spirits the last few years,” said Patrick Fisher, the senior vice president and managing director at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, in an interview with Robb Report.

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