1. NEW FEATURES POSITION AIRBNB TO COMPETE FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS: As Airbnb seeks to capture more of the business traveler market, it announced new features including a “Business Travel Ready” badge on certain listings. Time: “That means hosts provide amenities like WiFi, laptop-friendly workspace, an iron, hangers, and other ‘essentials.’ Additionally, hosts cannot cancel a reservation within seven days of booking, and they must offer 24-hour check-in. There’s also a new ‘smart pricing’ feature, which automatically adjusts rental prices depending on area demand.” http://ti.me/1SNsozr
2. WHY RESTAURANTS ARE TURNING AGAINST TIPPING: From offering a fair and consistent wage to workers to reworking their business plans in the face of rising minimum wages, more restaurants are looking to forgo tipping in favor of surcharges of 20 to 30 percent. In New York, city regulations that long stood in the way of such changes may be on their way out. New York Post: “‘The timing is right to make a fundamental change to how we pay our workers,’ said Michael Stillman, who runs Smith & Wollensky and five other restaurants in the Big Apple, and would like to add a surcharge. … New York City restaurants have lagged behind San Francisco, Seattle and Miami, for example, in getting rid of tipping because of a 40-year-old city regulation meant to protect consumers from hidden fees. That regulation, the only one of its kind in a major city, prevents eateries from adding a surcharge to bills. But even the city agency responsible for enforcing the arcane rule said recently that it is open to discussing getting rid of [it].”
3. SPOTIFY NOW RECOMMENDS CONCERTS TO USERS: A new tool on the music streaming service Spotify will recommend upcoming concerts based on users’ music preferences. TechCrunch: “The move could impact rival services music fans currently use to track upcoming events, like Songkick competitor Bandsintown, for example, which touts some 19 million registered users. … The Concerts feature will not only alert you to nearby shows, but also allows artists to reach out to Spotify’s user base – something that puts the feature up against Apple Music, and its own ‘social’ platform for artist-to-fan communication, Connect.” http://tcrn.ch/1WORfJ0
* LOCAL NEWS *
ATLANTA: Grindhouse Killer Burgers will open its seventh Atlanta location on Memorial Drive. The 4,000-square-foot space will have an indoor-outdoor bar. Atlanta Business Chronicle: http://bit.ly/20PIk9J
BOSTON: Kerri Lynch-Delaney, owner of Quincy bakery Babycakes, will open an American-style restaurant called 16C next year. Eater: http://bit.ly/1MqsM2w
CHICAGO: Ballaro is now open in Highwood. The venue has a 66-seat private dining room and serves Italian fare such as risotto with wild gulf shrimp and sausage-stuffed pasta with clams.
LAS VEGAS: The 2016 U.S.A. Sevens International Rugby Tournament is slated for Sam Boyd Stadium from March 4-6.
LOS ANGELES: Scandal star Kerry Washington will receive the Giving Tree Award at the Baby2Baby Gala, which takes place tomorrow at Culver City's 3Labs.
The Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society will host its 13th annual Holiday Party on December 9 at Greystone Manor.
Children’s Bureau’s sixth annual Celebrity Chefs & Wine Tasting Event at Casa Vertigo on October 22 raised more than $340,000 for child abuse prevention with 400 guests, 15 Los Angeles chefs, and 18 wineries from around the world.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Summit Series will host Summit at Sea, a boat trip convening nearly 2,000 guests and notable speakers scheduled including Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google; Travis Kalanick, founder and C.E.O. of Uber, and Sophia Amoruso, founder of the fashion company Nasty Gal. In conjunction with the event, Scotch brand Dewar’s will have adapt its "Whisky Confidential” activation for attendees.
NEW YORK: The Museum of Modern Art's eighth annual Film Benefit, which takes place Tuesday, will honor actress Cate Blanchett.
Event designer Ron Wendt produced the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s annual “Fall Party” at its longtime home at the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram’s Building. Guests expressed sadness that the benefit will have to find a new venue next year since the restaurant is being forced to move. New York Observer: http://bit.ly/1RTq0GL
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The Orange County Convention Center will test a proposed shuttle-bus system during the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons convention and the Global Pet Expo in March. Orlando Sentinel: http://bit.ly/1PEDXsH
PHILADELPHIA: The eighth annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival runs through November 22. The festival will feature more than 60 films and filmmaker-led discussions. Philly.com: http://bit.ly/1Ntx0q4
PHOENIX: Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa is slated to open in mid-2016. The hotel will have 201 bungalow-style guest rooms and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
SAN FRANCISCO: The Winery SF has expanded with a new warehouse for Super Bowl 50 parties. The venue can now accommodate parties of as many as 3,000.
TORONTO: The 111th annual Santa Claus Parade will take place on Sunday.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Lab 1270, a retail and concept shop from Union Market, has opened. Plans call for the space to host pop-up dinner events, yoga classes, and activations.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com
With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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