Insurance Conference Planner: Mid-Atlantic States

Byline: Kay Carstens

WHAT'S NEW

Yet another round of convention center construction! It never stops. The Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., centers are only newly completed, but New York City and Philadelphia are about to start enlarging the Javits and Pennsylvania convention centers.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority says its difficulty attracting conventions because of too-high prices and quarreling on-site unions is all in the past, and it has its long-sought approval for a $632 million expansion, which will nearly double the exhibition space and allow for two simultaneous conventions.

Then, in December, New York Governor George Pataki signed a bill approving the expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan's West Side. The bill gives the go-ahead to adjust the boundaries of the Javits Center, facilitates the state's contribution of $350 million toward the expansion, and permits a dedicated $1.50 per key surcharge on New York City hotel rooms. The expansion, which takes the center from 760,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space to 1,442,000 square feet after the first phase of development, is slated for groundbreaking this spring. In the works are a 50-story, 1,500 room hotel; an esplanade along the Hudson River; a 6,000-seat ballroom; and a 22-acre "living" roof covered with plantings.

Neither enlarged center is scheduled to open before 2008.

In other news, the Museum of Modern Art returned to midtown Manhattan in November after a three-year hiatus in Queens during the building's $425 million transformation.

Outside Washington, D.C., the Gaylord National Convention Center and Resort plans to be ready to swing open its doors in March 2008.

In Atlantic City, Atlantic City Outlets - The Walk, a 41-store outlet shopping area, opened in August in a two-block area close to the casinos. In November, Tropicana Casino and Resort opened its Cuba-themed expansion, the Quarter, a three-story indoor streetscape lined with 25 stores, an IMAX theater, nightclubs, and restaurants. By fall, Caesars Entertainment will renovate and open a former pier as a lavish shopping and entertainment district with 90 retailers.

This coming May, Baltimore's Babe Ruth Museum will open the doors of its new, larger facility, Sports Legends at Camden Yards.The museum's previous facility will remain open as the Babe Ruth Birthplace and maintained as an historical home. Baltimore has also seen the return of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, damaged during record snows in 2003, with additional exhibit space. Also new is the Jim Rouse Center at the American Visionary Art Museum. The National Aquarium in Baltimore is expanding too. A new $66 million permanent exhibit called Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes will open in an enormous crystal pavilion in 2005. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture will open in June and Frederick Douglass/Isaac Myers Maritime Park in August. Late in 2005, Phase I of the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum expansion will open.

FACILITY UPDATE

MARYLAND

Two of the biggest names in Baltimore's food industry, H&S Bakery Inc. and La Fontaine Bleu Catering, are close to finalizing a deal for a 250-room Renaissance hotel and conference center near Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

The 210-Room Clarion Hotel & Conference Center Antietam Creek in Hagerstown will re-emerge late this spring after a $150,000 refurbishment. Work is under way to upgrade about 90 of the guest rooms and the Magna Centers for Executive Learning.

In November 2004, the 225-room Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center opened with 35,000 square feet of meeting space, a 130-seat amphitheater, and 12 breakout rooms.

As part of a $3 million renovation to all 420 rooms, Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore is putting Sleep Number beds in many of those rooms. The Radisson's latest round of renovations should wrap up by the end of March. Next year, the hotel expects to spend about $2.5 million to refurbish its 22,000 square feet of meeting space.

NEW JERSEY

After completing a multimillion-dollar renovation, the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown reopened in January with 244 guest rooms. Meeting and banquet space has been expanded from 15,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet.

In Atlantic City, the 1,625-room Tropicana Casino And Resort has opened a $245 million tower, The Quarter, that adds 502 guest rooms and dining and entertainment venues. The expansion includes 45,000 square feet of meeting space, bringing total square footage to 122,000.

In Atlantic City, the $1.1 billion, 2,010-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will spend $200 million on a 500,000-square-foot expansion, to open in 2006, adding 600 slot machines, 92 table games, six retail shops, and four restaurants.

NEW YORK

The Plaza on Central Park will close by April 30 to transform the 805-room hotel to about 150 new hotel rooms, 200 condominiums, and multilevel retail space. The exterior and historical interior spaces, including the Oak Room and Bar, the Palm Court, the former Edwardian Room, and the main ballroom will remain largely unchanged and all will reopen in 2006.

The 357-suite Residence Inn by Marriott Manhattan - Times Square is scheduled to open in November and will be the first extended-stay hotel in the city to cater to meetings, with 2,500 square feet of meeting space and three executive boardrooms.

Scheduled to open in July 2006 is the 150-room Four Points by Sheraton Soho Village, Manhattan.

Dream, a modern deluxe hotel within an 1895 beaux-arts building, opened in October on West 55th Street with 220 guest rooms.

As part of a $65 million renovation, the 14th floor of the Grand Hyatt New York has been converted to 22 meeting rooms that can accommodate 10 to 50 attendees. New are the Manhattan ballroom and two glass-walled meeting rooms. The hotel's 1,311 guest rooms and total 55,000 square feet of event and meeting space have been refurbished.

PENNSYLVANIA

Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue has a little sister, the new Homewood Suites, an extended-stay hotel that opened in January connected to the three-year-old Hilton. Homewood Suites adds 131 rooms to the 210-room Hilton, and they share 35,000 square feet of meeting space. The Hilton addition will help to fill the void left by the closure of the 515-room Adam's Mark Philadelphia at the end of January.

Rittenhouse Sheraton Hotel will close April 1 and be converted to either apartments or condominiums.

In April, Normandy Farm Inn and Conference Center in Blue Bell opened after a $30 million makeover with over 30,000 square feet of meeting space.

Crowne Plaza Valley Forge opened in September 2004 with 225 rooms, 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 120-seat amphitheater.

In October, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center revealed its remake of the Monarchs meeting area, now known as Confection Hall. It has four meeting rooms and connects to the property's 30,000-square-foot meeting space.

VIRGINIA

Colonial Williamsburg is adding to and restoring its Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center. When complete, the facility will feature 130 new guest rooms for a total of 323, a new conference center, and new restaurant.

Hampton Roads Convention Center will open this spring with a 108,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a conference center complex. It will accommodate groups of 10 to 14,000 and have a business center and cybercafe in the atrium. A covered walkway will connect retail space and a 300-suite Embassy Suites.

Virginia Beach will open the first phase of its $203 million convention center in June, with the completion slated for 2007. The Virginia Beach Convention Center will have more than 500,000 square feet of space, including a 150,012-square-foot exhibit hall, 28,929 square feet of meeting space, and a 31,029-square-foot ballroom.

The newest facility for meetings at the 240-room Founders Inn in Virginia Beach is an 84-seat Thomas Jefferson Amphitheater with its Dolby Surround Sound, satellite broadcast capabilities, and Internet access from every workstation. A 4,000-square-foot conference center expansion in 2002 also added two meeting rooms and an area for continuous meeting breaks and refreshments.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center will be 15 minutes from Reagan National Airport and 45 minutes from Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International airports. Along with 1,500 guest rooms and suites, there will be 400,000 square feet of exhibition, event, and meeting space; a private marina; and a spa and fitness center.

ASK THE CVB

District of Columbia

Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corp. (202)789-7000; Total Hotel Tax:14.5% www.washington.org

Maryland

Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association (800) 343-3468, (410) 659-7300 Total Hotel Tax: 12.5% www.baltimore.org

New Jersey

Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (888) 228-4748, (609) 348-7100 Total Hotel Tax:12 % + $2 per night www.atlanticcitynj.com

New York

NYC & Company (800) NYC-VISIT; (212) 484-1200 Total Hotel Tax: 13.5% + $2 per night www.nycvisit.com

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (800) CALL-PHL, (215) 636-3412 Total Hotel Tax: 13.5% www.pcvb.org

Greater Pittsburgh CVB (800) 359-0758, (412) 281-7711 Total Hotel Tax: 12% www.visitpittsburgh.com

Virginia

Alexandria CVA (800)388-9119, (703)838-4200 Total Hotel Tax: 10.25% + $1 per room www.funside.com

Arlington Convention and Visitors Service (703) 228-0888 Total Hotel Tax: 9.75% www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com

Virginia Beach Department of Convention & Visitor Development (800) 822-3224, (757) 437-4700 Total Hotel Tax: 9.75%; www.vbfun.com

Phantom Planner

The new MoMA has a hefty entrance fee of $20 for adults. Admission on Fridays, however, nicely scheduled when Friday afternoon meetings are done, is free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Washington, D.C., offers everything but crowds during its off-season: Thanksgiving through March 1. During the spring, especially around the Cherry Blossom Festival, hotel rooms are at their most expensive and least available.

To avoid crowds at Washington museums, visit just after they open at 10 a.m. Museums become crowded just before lunch through the afternoon. Museums that are not on the Mall (such as the National Building Museum, Renwick Gallery, National Postal Museum) are good choices for groups during these times.

The best time to visit monuments and memorials is in the evening. They are lighted to be visually stunning and much less crowded for a group visit. The Washington Monument is open until midnight. During the summer the Arlington National Cemetery is open until 7 p.m.

Arlington, Va., combines the convenience of proximity to D.C. with a variety of lodging options up to 30 percent less than comparable hotels in D.C. Arlington has 11 metro stops providing direct service to Washington.

Special Venues

Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar at The Quarter at Tropicana in Atlantic City took great pains to create a rich slice of Old Havana charm, and it delivers with amazing recreations of 1940s Cuban architecture and hot salsa music under 30-foot-high skylights and palm leaf paddle fans. Chef Guillermo Veloso's serves up sophisticated Cuban fare and an extensive rum list. For private parties or special events of up to 450 people, call (215) 627-0666

Ensconced in impressive new digs, New York City's reopened MoMA offers a variety of spaces for fancy events. The museum's lobby - with 12,400 square feet of space - can be used for cocktails and seated dinners and has views of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden (also available for events). A contemporary gallery with skylights 100 feet overhead is suitable for events. The special events department can arrange tours of exhibits. In January, Danny Meyer opened the Modern - an elegant, light-filled restaurant with a French-American menu. (212) 708-9400; www.moma.org

Oliver Hoyos' B.E.D. New York has opened. The bilevel west Chelsea penthouse has 15,000 square feet of space and is accessed via a private elevator. Inside the first level's 6,000-square-foot main dining room guests slip off their shoes, don specially designed slippers, and dine in one of the 23 beds. Upstairs is a rooftop garden and glass-enclosed gazebo with 7,600 square feet of space and a 360-degree view. Six private gated garden areas feature oversize dining beds that can each hold 20 guests. (212) 594-4109

Special Venues

Falling Rock Hotel, a boutique hotel at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pa., offers the Wright Experience - a trip to the Frank Lloyd Wright homes of the Laurel Highlands. A guided tour of Fallingwater ends with fruits and cheeses on the terraces. Then it's off to Kentuck Knob for a look at an entirely different, and more contemporary, Frank Lloyd Wright property, followed by lunch on the hillside overlooking Youghiogheny Gorge, or on Kentuck Knob's wraparound sun porch. Another unusual treat at Nemacolin Woodlands? Send a small group out for a lesson in the resort's Hummers on the 18-mile off-road driving course. (800) 442-2736

In addition to the crab and seafood favorites for which the city is known, Baltimore has opened several new Asian and Mediterranean restaurants. Pier 4 Kitchen + Bar, next to the National Aquarium, offers reasonable prices and an upscale atmosphere. (410) 659-1200 The Helmand Restaurant specializes in fine Afghan lunches and dinners at 806 North Charles Street. (410) 752-0311 Mezze serves Mediterranean seafood in Fell's Point. (410) 563-7600 Red Maple is an Asian tapas restaurant 10 blocks north of the Inner Harbor, where the kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. Reservations are a must. 930 N. Charles St.; (410) 547-0149

In Pittsburgh, have cocktails with the stars at the Andy Warhol Museum, a private screening in the Omnimax Theater at Carnegie Science Center, or dine with the dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History - or all three. Memorable, and surprisingly affordable, special places are plentiful in the Carnegie Museums. You can do an informal dinner for 20, a black-tie banquet for 300, or a reception for 2,500. From flowers and menus to satellite downlinks and gallery tours, they are all available. Call (412) 578-2697.