Prevue May-June 2018 - 12

freshmeets

Amplifying the Meetings Experience
Hard Rock and Hilton know how to get down to business

"Our company is in the
middle of a growth
spurt."

Rendering of Hark Rock Hotel Atlantic City

O

n the heels of opening new digs in
Daytona Beach and its first hotel in
the heart of the Swiss Alps, Hard
Rock Hotels is set to amplify the Big Easy
with the opening of Hard Rock Hotel New
Orleans next spring in the city's historic
French Quarter and Theater District. In true
Hard Rock fashion, the 350-room, 18-story
property will woo attendees with musical
memorabilia and experiences like breakout
jam sessions with Fender guitars and
music-centric spa menus, and regionally
inspired cuisine-including famed Pitard's
Adult Snowballs-that reflect the city's
heritage. In this respect, New Orleans was
a natural fit. Almost every guest room will
offer iconic views of the city, including canalfacing parade routes from balconies and
terraces. More perks: 12,000 sf of event
space and a location that is adjacent to
two streetcar lines and just blocks from the
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Danielle Babilino, SVP of global sales
and marketing for Hard Rock Hotels &
Casinos, says we should expect more from

12 | prevuemeetings.com

the brand this year, too. "Our company is
in the middle of a growth spurt and we're
always trying to find innovative ways that set
us apart while also taking on the essence of
the cities that we reside in." Babilino points
to new developments like the June opening
of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic
City (more on that in our "Northeast Luxe"
story on page 33) and forthcoming hotels in
London and Los Cabos. The Los Cabos
property, on the shores of Cabo San Lucas,
is also sure to be a real stunner when it
opens early next year with 639 rooms and
40,000 sf of meeting space, while the 900room London property is a conversion of
the existing Cumberland Hotel at the Marble
Arch on Hyde Park (at the crossroads of the
iconic Oxford Street and Park Lane) with
panoramic views over Hyde Park.

Built for Meetings
Hilton Hotels and Resorts, which is
"made for meetings," according to Joe
Berger, president of the Americas at Hilton,
is also amplifying the meetings experience.

"We make it easy for meeting planners,"
Berger says. For planners who are eyeing
California's central coast, Berger and team
are making it really easy with the opening
of the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront
Resort, the first Hilton to hit this area.
Rebranded from a DoubleTree and newly
renovated, the villa-style 360-room property
absorbs the essence of its locale through
its soothing aesthetic and regional dining
experiences, not to mention meeting
spaces like The Plaza Del Sol, which
offers 180-degree views of the ocean and
connecting rotunda.
Berger says planners can look to
Hilton's Conrad Hotels and Waldorf
Astoria Hotels & Resorts for a corporate
or incentive luxe experience. Take the
new Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach,
for instance, and its 290 suites, private
conference facility entrance, and the city's
only ocean-facing Sky Deck at more than
20,000 sf, a great space for receptions or
cocktail-style events. There's also 10,000
sf of indoor meeting space, including a
ballroom with more than 4,500 sf and views
of the Atlantic Ocean. Conrad elevates
meetings through its Conrad Concierge App
that personalizes the attendee experience,
and through "Stay Inspired," a website that
provides experiential ideas to groups that
have one, three or five hours of downtime in
between meetings or conferences.
Berger says that while Hilton is a
global company with luxury resort brands
and gateway city properties worldwide,
they have also had a lot of success in
non-gateway markets such as Cleveland,
Omaha and West Palm Beach.-Johnalee
Johnston & Laurel Herman
hardrockhotels.com; hilton.com
http://www.hardrockhotels.com http://www.hilton.com http://www.prevuemeetings.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue May-June 2018
