<B> Meetings Beat</B>
<B>"Rooms That Work" Hit The Road</B>
The Marriott Meetings Network, a collection of 41 Marriott meetings properties, will convert more than 1,800 guest rooms into business-minded "Rooms That Work" in the next year, officials said. Designed for the corporate traveler, each Room That Works includes a workstation with a large console table and mobile writing desk, two power outlets and a PC modem jack, a moveable task light and a fully adjustable ergonomic chair. The expansion will increase the number of Rooms That Work by 45 percent, to over 4,000. The New York Marriott Marquis and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis boast the most, with more than 1,500 Rooms That Work in each. Ten other properties in the Marriott Meetings Network have at least 100 such rooms.
<a name="2"><B>Doral Becomes Division of MeriStar</B>
Washington, D.C.-based MeriStar Hotels & Resorts has acquired worldwide rights to the Doral trademark and will seek to develop a Doral brand of executive conference centers, resorts and golf courses. MeriStar's new Doral Division, which will be headed by MeriStar executive vice president of finance and development John Plunket, will consider high-end conference centers for the brand, and some MeriStar properties may be reflagged with the Doral banner. Financial terms of the trademark acquisition were not disclosed.
<a name="3"><B>Star Search Under Way At MPI</B>
Dallas-based Meeting Professionals International is seeking nominations for its 1999 Meeting Professional Awards. Categories include International Planner and International Supplier of the Year, Tomorrow's Leaders of MPI, which is restricted to those with less than four years' membership, and the Marion N. Kershner Memorial Chapter Leader award, for an individual who has significantly influenced the success of his or her chapter. Criteria for all awards include MPI service, professional and career advancement, industry contributions and community service. For a nomination form, contact MPI's marketing department at (972) 702-3050. The deadline for entries is Feb. 22.
<a name="4"><B>Baltimore Offers Group Special</B>
The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association is touting a new wintertime meetings package in which nine participating hotels offer free main conference room meeting space, free coffee breaks and a complimentary one-bedroom suite to any group that books at least 20 guest rooms. The BACVA guarantees responses to interested planners within 24 hours. Dubbed "Meetings in Minutes," the package is effective until March 31, but is not valid for already contracted groups. For more information, see the CVA's Website at www.baltimore.org.
<a name="5"><B>Conrad Goes Conference Center-Style</B>
Conrad International Hotels is expanding its Meeting Concepts program, which originally offered all-inclusive per-room rates for meetings in Asia, to include properties in Europe and the Middle East. The easy-to-budget program, similar to the pricing model used by U.S. conference centers, offers a single rate that includes guest rooms, conference rooms, use of audiovisual equipment, coffee breaks and breakfast and lunch. It now will be available in Barcelona, Brussels, Cairo, Dublin and Istanbul, and the Egyptian resorts of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh. Each hotel will plan and execute all details for groups of 10 or more. Conrad International, a division of Hilton Hotels Corp. of Beverly Hills, Calif., operates 12 hotels, all outside North America.