USA meets UK UNITE USA – J U LY 2, 2014 SHOW REVIEW
The fi rst-ever Unite USA was held at the Mermaid Centre in Blackfriars, London (July 2). Laura Gelder met with the exhibitors and got the lowdown on the USA
50 shades effect heads out west
EROTIC novel 50 Shades of Grey and the upcoming film adaptation is promoting a new wave of tourism in the Pacific Northwest. Book tours are now offered in Seattle
and Portland, where the story is set, and it is hoped that the film, when it is released on Saint Valentine's Day next year, will encourage more 'literary tourism' to an area that saw a surge of 'Twilight saga tourists'. The Heathman Hotel in Portland, which features 18 times in the books, has a 50 Shades package which sees couples staying in the same room as the characters.
heathmanhotel.com
"IT’S BEEN VERY USEFUL AND GREAT TO MEET SOME NEW PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS INTO THE USA, LIKE PRESTIGE HOLIDAYS"
KIRSTY DILLURY, PR & MARKETING DIRECTOR, TTM
IN BRIEF New Austin hotel: Sonesta Hotels and
Resorts is opening a new property, Sonesta Bee Cave, in Texas next spring. The 195-room four-star hotel will be located in in the Galleria, a retail, dining and entertainment complex in the Hill Country area, 30 minutes from the city. The hotel includes a rooftop bar.
sonesta.com/beecave
Bullets and Burgers offers commission:
Tour company Bullets and Burgers is offerings agents 15% commission. Availble tours include round-trip transport from Las Vegas hotels, a stop at the Hoover Dam, a private 'desert bunker' and the chance to shoot a machine gun.
Grand Canyon
helicopter packages are also available.
bulletsandburgers.com
Shop, shop, shop: America's Premier Shopping Places can help agents secure their clients discounts on shopping across 26 US destinations, from Las Vegas' Fashion Show Mall to Newport Beach's Fashion Island.
Agents can download
vouchers online which can be swapped for coupons, even adding personal details.
americaspremiershoppingplaces.com
Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale: Low-cost
carrier Norwegian Air launched the first direct service between Gatwick and Fort Lauderdale on July 4, Independence Day in the USA. The direct service operates twice-weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. An introductory fare of £179 for a one-way ticket was on offer.
norwegian.com
THE first Unite USA event was declared a resounding triumph by its organisers the Visit USA
Promotions, and sponsors Selling Long Haul, with 35 exhibitors and 38 buyers engaging in one-to-one meetings. The event, which followed the succesful
format used for other regions, saw a mixture of tourist boards, accommodation providers, airlines and operators meeting with buyers. Visit USA Chairman Jonathan Sloane
said: “This event was missing from our schedule and we hope it will be an annual occurence. We already have our Media Marketplace event and the Visit USA Ball
Association and Unite
in the same week in July, meaning that lots of our USA-based partners are in the country. It makes sense to create an event where we can come together, rather than partners arranging individual meetings." Former Visit USA Chair Kate Burgess- (above,
Craddy middle) added: UNITE USA to be annual Hilton launches Curio
HILTON Hotels is to rapidly expand its new line of boutique hotels, called Curio, with several openings planned across the USA. The SLS Las Vegas opens its doors on August 23, and next up are the Sam Houston Hotel, in Houston, Texas; Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City, South Dakota; the Franklin Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and a soon-to-be- named property in Portland, Oregon. The line-up of four- and five-star boutique hotels works on a franchise system, with each hotel retaining unique identities and designs while still having access to Hilton’s resources, including its HHonours loyalty scheme. The SLS Las Vegas is located on the
Strip and will replace the old Sahara Casino following a three-year, $415 million renovation. It comprises 1,600 guest rooms and suites, nine dining venues (including Umani Burger and Ku Noodle) and seven bars and night clubs.
curiocollection.com
“We
needed a trade element to our Visit USA week and this is it. There is strength and synergy in numbers.” Commenting on this year's Visit USA
Ball, Burgess-Craddy added: “It was our biggest-ever ball, with 450 attendees (around 100 more than in 2013), a new venue and great entertainment."
visitusa.org.uk
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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