CSI etc welcomes new employee Rhonda MacKenzie

We are happy to announce our newest addition to the team Rhonda MacKenzie. Rhonda joins us from an illustrious career (21) years with GES Exposition Services and Concept Convention Services prior to that.

Rhonda's career started with Concept Convention Services in the early 80s and continued on with GES Exposition services 21 years! As Operations
Coordinator and Exhibitor Services Coordinator she helps exhibitors get their services ordered and processed. In her career she has run a few serious Marshalling Yards for such shows as:WIRA,PPA, National Indian Gaming and the International Auto Show.

Welcome Rhonda we are sooo very excited to have you on the CSI team!

CSI etc hires Kelly Wall

We have a new fabulous employee at CSI etc please welcome Kelly Wall.

Kelly was previously with Concept Convention Services in the 90s where he learned the business from the ground up. Kelly comes to us now from GES he will be our Head Foreman here at CSI etc... Kelly has had the honor to work on such shows as International Auto Show, NFL Experience, and the NBA All Star weekend in multiple cities.

Welcome Kelly Wall!!!

GROUP BUSINESS REBOUNDING

Hotels are reporting a rebound in business from group customers, a key segment that includes companies, associations, sports teams, religious groups, social organizations and the military. The U.S. Travel Association forecasts a 7 percent increase in meeting and convention spending this year, to $90.7 billion. That follows a 15 percent decline in 2009, when organizations canceled meetings, sent fewer employees to trade shows and insisted on bare-minimum amenities. Hotels and convention bureaus responded with aggressive deals and packages, such as providing free coffee breaks or discounts on audiovisual equipment. Groups are responding now, spurring an optimistic mood in the meeting planning and convention industry. (USA Today; Travel Advance, Aug. 17)

Tourism proposal gets cool reception

Tourism proposal gets cool reception

Arizona's hotel operators want families to take an end-of-summer vacation and, hopefully, fill their empty rooms.
Kristen Jarnigan, spokeswoman for the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association, said her industry is weighing legislation that would require public schools to start their academic year at the same time. The law would forbid schools from starting before Labor Day.

"It extends the holiday season," she said. "You get in that Labor Day weekend where everyone does that one last hurrah getaway that pumps millions of dollars of tax revenues into the budget in tourism tax dollars."
It also would fill empty rooms and the cash registers of resorts, hotels and motels.
But the idea is getting a decidedly icy reception on various fronts.
Lucy Messing, president of the Tucson Education Association, said Arizona schools used to start after Labor Day. But she said that was "based on the fields and people returning from vacation."
"But we're about education," she said. "We certainly should not be run by the hotel lobby."
Messing said the current calendar, put together by a committee of school administrators, educators and parents, seems to best suit the needs of those involved.
That's also the assessment of Filbert Barrera. He is the president of the Parent Teacher Organization for the Marshall Elementary School in Tucson.

"Changing the school year would have to be based on an education benefit, rather than spending money and planning on trips," he said, adding he opposes pushing change to accommodate tourism.
Tom Horne, the state school superintendent, also said the idea makes no sense.
Jarnigan, however, said there are lots of good reasons to consider adjusting the school year.
She said there is evidence that August, when most schools start up now, is at least marginally hotter than June. She cited figures showing the average high in August at 102.4 degrees, versus just 102 degrees for June.
Cooler temperatures, even by a fraction of a degree, means lower utility costs, she said.
But Jarnigan said the proposal doesn't necessarily mean extending the school year into the entire month of June. She said districts could get in the required 180 days of education by omitting week-long breaks many now have in the fall.
One complicating factor is some schools run on a year-round calendar, based at least in part on the educational theory that students lose too much ground when they've got too much time between classes.
"They would also need to be included in the discussion," Jarnigan said, before the Legislature mandates a universal start date.
But Messing said much more is involved.

She said one reason for the current calendar is they run parallel to the academic year at state universities. Messing said that makes it easier for teachers who also are taking courses to coordinate their schedules.
Horne said the push by Jarnigan's group is based on the presumption that Arizonans vacation within the state and would spend their cash at Arizona hotels, something he said should not be taken for granted.
Even if that were the case, he said, there are all sorts of problems with what is being proposed. And he said his experience comes not from his current job but his 24 years as a member of the school board of the Paradise Valley Unified School District.
He pointed out, as did Messing, that the calendars in most districts generally are the product of a committee, with the final result generally ratified by the school board. And, in each district, Horne explained, the views, needs and concerns of all involved become the basis for when the school year starts and ends.
Having a uniform, state-mandated start date, he said, overrules any local control. What it also would do, Horne said, is provoke anger.
"You learn from bitter experience not to mess with the calendar committee," he said.
"One year we changed it," Horne recalled of his board. "And we got so much hostility for that, that we learned never to change that again.

"Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2010/08/19/20100819abg-tourism0819.html#ixzz0xAmCSbQD

 San Diego sees the steepest hotel rate declines in the nation

HEY THATS A FIRST IT WASN'T PHOENIX!!!

As reported by AH&LA

San Diego takes the No.1 spot in the nation for the steepest declines in hotel rates, according to a report from Hotwire.com. The declines come as the city sees reductions in business and group travel. Richmond, Va., came in second, with a 6% decline in rates, followed by Omaha, Neb., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Las Vegas. Anchorage, Alaska, took the top spot for rate increases, with a 40% increase compared with last year.

 Prabhu: Multihotel deals are on the horizon; business travel is strong

Multihotel deals will resume when the credit markets start to loosen and the global economy is in full recovery mode, says Starwood Hotels & Resorts Chief Financial Officer Vasant Prabhu at the New York Stock Exchange, where he and other Starwood executives rang the closing bell Wednesday. Starwood's long-term plan is to sell its real estate assets and focus on management. Prabhu says the company is not in a rush to sell its assets and sales will occur if they deliver "good values on long-term basis." Meanwhile, business has been very good for the firm because corporate travel has been on the upswing, he says.

CSI etc is happy to announce our newest arrival.... no not another Mascot but Ms Diana Rocha!!!

Having graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Tourism Development and Management and a certification in Convention Sales and Meeting Planning, Diana Rocha now launches her career as the new Administrative Receptionist at CSI, etc. Diana started organizing yard sales and birthday parties at the age of 5. Just jesting! Although she was no child prodigy, she did serve as Vice President for the MPI Student Club at Arizona State University from 2008 to 2009. She received industry awards such as the 2009 James Fausel Student of the Year award, and had the opportunity to intern with the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as well as the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. During her intern years, Diana assisted her team with the chamber’s Black and White Ball, and the cvb’s first green publication. Web design, culture, sports and events, sustainability, family, and spoken words are among her interests. Diana aspires to become a successful Hispanic Entrepreneur, a great Chef, and a philanthropist. The one valuable thing about her is that she does not see you as a business prospect or client, rather a member of the family.

Meeting market picks up steam

By Roger Yu, USA TODAY

Americans are meeting again on the road.
Hotels are reporting a rebound in business from group customers, a key segment that includes companies, associations, sports teams, religious groups, social organizations and the military.
The U.S. Travel Association forecasts a 7% increase in meeting and convention spending this year, to $90.7 billion. That follows a 15% decline in 2009, when organizations canceled meetings, sent fewer employees to trade shows and insisted on bare-minimum amenities.
Hotels and convention bureaus responded with aggressive deals and packages, such as providing free coffee breaks or discounts on audiovisual equipment. Groups are responding now, spurring an optimistic mood in the meeting planning and convention industry.
"It's been crazy, great crazy," says Andrea Strauss, owner of the meeting planning firm Classic Conferences. "It's coming back quick and strong."
In a June survey of members by Meeting Professionals International, which represents meeting planners, 61% responded that they're seeing more favorable business conditions, including attendance, budgets and number of meetings. In August last year, only 15% responded the same way. Others reporting a rebound:
•InterContinental Hotels Group says its group and corporate business rose 10% in the first half of this year vs. 2009.

•Eight New York City hotels run by Denihan Hospitality Group, including Affinia Manhattan and The Benjamin, are reporting a 26% increase in revenue from a year ago from group customers.
•JW Marriott in Grand Rapids, Mich., has sold 1,500 more group nights this year, a 20% increase from 2009, resulting from a resurgence in meeting bookings tied to the city's medical industry, says George Aquino, hotel general manager.

•Revenue from group customers is 30% higher so far this year than a year ago at Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. While corporate business is still trailing last year, associations and other groups are booking more meetings and rooms, says Jay Marsella, the hotel's sales director.
Still, it remains a buyer's market. At JW Marriott Grand Rapids, group room rates are down about 5%, while Harbor Beach Marriott's rates are flat from a year ago.

"The message we're told is, 'Continue to be aggressive.' Everyone's felt the turmoil of 2009. We don't want that to happen again," Aquino says

Arizona hotels consider push for bill requiring schools to start after Labor Day

Arizona hotel operators want families to take an end-of-summer vacation - and, hopefully, fill their empty rooms.

Kristen Jarnigan, spokeswoman for the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association, said her industry is weighing legislation that would require all public schools to start their academic year at the same time. More to the point, the law would forbid schools from starting back up before Labor Day.

"It extends the holiday season," she said. "You get in that Labor Day weekend where everyone does that one last hurrah getaway that pumps millions of dollars of tax revenues into the budget in tourism tax dollars."More to the point for her industry, it also would fill empty rooms and the cash registers of resorts, hotels and motels.

But the idea is getting a decidedly icy reception on various fronts.Lucy Messing, president of the Tucson Education Association, said Arizona schools used to start after Labor Day. That was "based on the fields and people returning from vacation."
"But we're about education," she said. "We certainly should not be run by the hotel lobby."
Messing said the current calendar, put together by a committee of school administrators, educators and parents, seems to best suit the needs of those involved.
That's the case in the Mesa Unified School District as well. Mesa, where classes resume Wednesday, just recently completed its calendar process and now has calendars scheduled out through May 2013.

District spokeswoman Kathy Bareiss said a calendar option that would start classes after Labor Day was considered, but was not as popular among parents as the calendar with an earlier start date and a one-week break in October. Bareiss said that, in theory, a statewide uniform start date might sound like a great idea because it can be difficult for families when they have students in multiple schools with different start dates, or when teachers with children live in one district but work in another district that starts on a different day.
"However, this is a very personal issue to parents, and in every district, every family is going to feel differently about the calendar," she said, adding that's why the decision about calendars is best made at the local level by districts and school boards.
Even Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction, said the idea makes no sense.
Jarnigan, however, said there are lots of good reasons to consider adjusting the school year.
She said there is evidence that August, when most schools start up now, is at least marginally hotter than June. She cited figures showing the average high in August at 102.4 degrees, versus just 102 degrees for June.

But Jarnigan said the proposal doesn't mean extending the school year into the entire month of June. She said districts could get in the required number of days by omitting breaks some have now in the fall. One complicating factor is some schools - like Chandler and Queen Creek unified school districts and a number of charter schools - run on a year-round calendar, based at least in part on the educational theory that students lose too much ground when they've got too much time between classes.

"They would also need to be included in the discussion," Jarnigan said, before the Legislature mandates a universal start date. Terry Locke, spokesman for the Chandler district, said the calendar proposed by the hotel association would be very unpopular in Chandler, where the current modified year-round calendar has a 93 percent approval rating from parents.
He said the year-round schedule has attracted families and quality teachers to Chandler schools, and has proven successful in helping kids to retain what they learn.
Horne said having a uniform, state-mandated start date would overrule such local control. What it also would do, Horne said, is provoke anger.

"You learn from bitter experience not to mess with the calendar committee," said Horne, who served on the Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board for 24 years.
"One year we changed it," Horne recalled of his board. "And we got so much hostility for that, that we learned never to change that again."

Tribune news editor CeCe Todd contributed to this report.

TRAVEL EXECUTIVES WORRY ABOUT FRAGILE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News tmaxon@dallasnews.com

HOUSTON – The travel industry took a tremendous hit in 2008 and 2009 as the Great Recession took hold in the United States, Europe and elsewhere and kept travelers at home.
While airlines, hotels and other providers have since recovered much of the lost business, travel executives worried Monday that the recovery could hit some bumps and sink into a second recession.
"We have to be very cautious about a potential double dip for regions around the world that show some softening," said Gordon Wilson, president and chief executive of the Travelport global distribution system. "Nobody can be complacent at this point."
Carlson Wagonlit Travel president and CEO Doug Anderson said the U.S. economy grew in the first half of 2010, but the rate of growth slowed from late 2009.
"The biggest risk is that we slip back into something like what we've come out of, maybe something not as severe," said Anderson, speaking on a CEO panel at the annual National Business Travel Association meeting in downtown Houston.
Southwest Airlines Co. chairman and CEO Gary Kelly said energy prices and their volatility could sidetrack the airline industry's recent profitability. Extremely high oil prices, particularly at the July 2008 peak of $147 a barrel, can wreck any carrier's finances.
"At $147 crude oil in 2008, no airline made money on any ticket it sold. At least in recessions, one can adjust the capacity," Kelly said.
In addition, he said, "we're concerned about the lack of an energy policy. The BP oil spill in the gulf doesn't help that. In fact, I think it sets us backwards."
All that worrying didn't obscure the fact that the executives were pretty upbeat about the state of their companies, at least at present. Frits van Paasschen, president and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. called himself "cautiously optimistic."
The recovery has been stronger than expected, and occupancies are growing in New York, Europe and other places, but "the economic picture looking out further is a little less certain," he said. "We don't have great visibility."
Anderson said that companies "are cautious. They're getting back into spending. They're getting back to growing and developing their business."
The U.S. decline started much earlier but was more gradual than in Europe, Anderson said.
"Europe was much more sudden," he said. "It'll probably take a couple of quarters to work its way through."

A Second Chance ???

"There are no second chances to make a first impression."



Even though none of us remember exactly who said this for the first time, it's still good advice when it comes to trade show "booth etiquette".



At the risk of sounding like a broken record, remember that food and drink (of any kind) have no place in your booth, your cozy little "home away from home for a few days". And do I really need to say it? cell phones/blackberrys should be in the off position. And even if your feet are hurting (why on earth did you where those tribal stilettos/new loafers?) you should never be sitting. Or, for that matter, standing with your back to the aisle. That man with the funny little hat that just passed you by was your new best customer on his way elsewhere.



So straighten up your booth, pop in a breath mint (not that wad of gum in your pocket) and stop channeling Sean Penn before you miss your next golden opportunity to make a new friend. And remember to open with an engaging question (not the standard we've-heard-it-a-million-times-before: "can I help you, sir? ") Begin the sentence with a who/what/where/how. . . "how familiar are you, with our product?" Be prepared, like a good scout. This is your merit badge supreme, your time to shine.



Look for success, it's there, you're ready, and you are about to find it.

SB 1070

Another one bits the dust! yet another cancellation for a large 2011 February show in Az when will this craziness end?

STATE LEGISLATURE CANDIDATES SUPPORTING ARIZONA TOURISM
Over the last few months, the Arizona Tourism Alliance has conducted state legislature candidate interviews in order to find out if candidates are inclined towards support of the tourism industry. Support of tourism was determined based upon responses to the following: Do they have general understanding of the tourism industry and its contribution to the states economy, jobs and employment, and contribution to tax revenue? Would they be supportive of restoring formula funding to the Arizona Office of Tourism? Would they support Prop 302 funds being returned in full to their intended use, to promote tourism in Maricopa County? Would they support re-enacting the “Media Production Jobs Act,” also known as the Motion Picture Tax Credit? Click here for the complete list of candidates who were interviewed and have shown support for the tourism industry. (ATA Update, August 2010)

Legendary Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa Joins Destination Hotels & Resorts Collection

Legendary Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa Joins Destination Hotels & Resorts CollectionDestination Adds Third Phoenix Property to its Portfolio

Charlie Peck, president and chief operating officer for Destination Hotels & Resorts, recently announced that the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa in Phoenix joined the company’s exceptional portfolio of properties. Destination is working closely with new owners JDM Partners, LLC to make significant improvements to the property. As previously reported, Destination was hired as the interim management company for the Wigwam in 2009 between owners.
“It’s our goal to turn these short term management opportunities into long-term relationships,” said Peck. “We were happy that JDM Partners, LLC, was pleased with the work we did for the Wigwam as an interim management company and saw the potential we had for managing the property into the future.”
Destination has had a presence in the Phoenix area for more than 30 years managing the award-winning Royal Palms Resort and Spa, as well as the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center. Destination has tapped a number of long-time Phoenix area hoteliers to lead the property with Greg Miller as the vice president; Miller oversaw operations at Royal Palms for more than a decade including the property’s successful restoration. Charles Naberhaus returns to Phoenix as the hotel’s managing director; he held the same title at Pointe South Mountain Resort for seven years. And, Director of Sales & Marketing Frank Ashmore joins the Wigwam team after a recent assignment in Italy and 15 years in the valley at The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix and Montelucia.
The AAA Four Diamond-rated Wigwam joins Destination as the property celebrates its 80th anniversary as one of Phoenix’s first iconic resorts. The Wigwam features 331 rooms and 72 suites on more than 440 acres of lush green grass with winding walkways lined with vibrant floral landscaping. The authentic Arizona resort offers amenities such as the AAA Four Diamond-rated Red’s Steakhouse, a Signature Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and the regions only 54 holes of on-site resort championship golf.
Rich in golf traditions and legacies, the Wigwam’s three golf courses are recognized internationally as top golf experiences in the Southwest. The first 18 holes were created by then golf pro V.O. “Red” Allen in 1935 who was later inducted into the Arizona PGA Golf Hall of Fame. In 1964, Allen later worked closely with Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to expand the golf experience with newly designed courses featuring expansive, lush green fairways, cascading canals, streams, spectacular views and landing strip tee boxes the iconic Jones was known for.
With a rich history that dates back to the early 1900s, the Wigwam resort is one of the last standing developments of Arizona’s early cotton ranch development. Built in 1918 as a guest ranch retreat for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company executives visiting area ranchers, the original accommodations featured guest rooms for just six people and upon check-in guests received a horse with their room key. As the noted retreat expanded, amenities were added and the grounds were polished with trees and shrubs and popularity amongst guests ballooned with several returning to the resort with their families for winter vacations. On Thanksgiving Day 1929, the Resort opened its doors as a guest ranch fit for up to 24 guests and just one year later the legacy of golf was born at the Wigwam with the addition of a nine-hole golf course.
For more information on the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, please visit http://www.wigwamresort.com/.

A Blogger and a Reader

A company blog is an opportune place to let down your hair and get to know your customers. Think of it as a conversation between people, not between a brand and one person. In order to have a conversation, you need two people -- a blogger and a reader.

So readers drop me a note give me some ammo?

Hotel association says Arizona conferences, conventions down due to SB

As written by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

First they were cancelling in protest of the state's new immigration law.
But now the reason organizations are avoiding Arizona for their conferences and conventions may be strictly business.

That's the assessment Tuesday of Kristen Jarnigan, spokeswoman for the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association.
"They're just worried about their attendance," she said. "It's because of the controversy. They don't want to book in a destination that's going to cause them any risk."Specifically, she said the fear of some groups is that their individual members may decide they'd rather not come to - and spend their money in - Arizona.

The latest figures put direct losses to hotels at $15 million. Jarnigan called that figure very conservative. She said the Sheraton in downtown Phoenix recently reported it has lost $9 million alone in business because of fallout from the legislation.
"In all reality, that number is probably quadrupled," she said.

And that number covers only what the hotels would have collected directly from guests for rooms. None of that, she said, covers what conventioneers would have spent in food, clothing or entertainment while in Arizona.
In each case, Jarnigan said, the bottom line is SB 1070. But less clear, she said, is how the law figures into the decision.
At first, Jarnigan said, the cancellations were a direct response to the Legislature approving and the governor signing the law. That was driven, in part, by calls to boycott the state, including a now-abandoned push by Congressman Raul Grijalva.
Now it's different.

Some of it, she said, is the negative publicity about the effects of illegal immigration. That includes safety fears, fueled in part by comments by Gov. Jan Brewer on national TV about headless bodies found in the desert.
"It certainly doesn't help us attract more visitors," Jarnigan said.

But the bigger issue, she said, appears to be that organization members just don't want to be hassled because of the new law.
Jarnigan said she got a call Tuesday from a boy scout leader from Houston who is bringing his troop to the Grand Canyon.
"He is concerned because nine of them are Hispanic," she said. "He didn't know if he needed to carry their birth certificates. He was worried for his kids."

And that is nearly a week after a federal judge barred the state from enforcing key provisions of the law.
Jarnigan said meeting planners, who make money based on convention attendance, have a tendency to be averse to risk. She said they would much rather relocate a conference than jeopardize the event.
"People just want to wait until the whole controversy dies down," Jarnigan explained. She said it's just easier for them to book the conferences elsewhere.

Questions have been raised about various claims of losses.
Byron Schlomach, an economist at the Goldwater Institute, said he does not doubt that SB 1070 has had an effect on tourism and conferences. But he cited the overall national and state economy, saying that also has to be factored in.

Jarnigan, however, said that $15 million figure is based on direct reports from member hotels and resorts whose employees have been told by meeting planners and others that the reason they are pulling out of Arizona is directly related to SB 1070.
In fact, she said, some groups actually have given up their deposits to be able to move their meetings elsewhere.

She acknowledged that only a portion of that estimate of lost dollars - she can't say exactly how much - is attributable to "firm bookings," where the groups already had signed contracts to come. The balance, said Jarnigan are what the industry calls "strong tentatives," where an Arizona site either had a verbal commitment or, at least was in the top three final choices where the talks had gotten down to specific numbers of people and money.

"What that number doesn't track are all the people that are not even considering us right now," she said.
The problem, according to Jarnigan, is not confined to the Phoenix area.
"We've had some significant cancellations in Tucson and in Sedona as well," Jarnigan said. One Sedona resort, she said, told her association that a single conference that moved elsewhere lost the facility $800,000.

Arizona's immigration law has little impact on Arizona's tourism

Despite the threat of widespread travel boycotts tied to the state's strict new immigration law, early results for hotels and resorts in metropolitan Phoenix show little evidence of any short-term impact.
Hotel occupancy was up 6.5 percent in May and 10.6 percent in June from a year earlier, outpacing national gains, according to Smith Travel Research. Average room rates were flat on an above-average increase in rooms. Revenue per available room, the most closely watched measure, rose 6.2 percent and 11 percent in May and June, respectively.
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There is not enough July data out yet to get a good read, though occupancy and room rates fell in the first two full weeks of the month.
The gains through June give a depressed industry a little something to celebrate, but hoteliers and industry analysts caution that they don't tell the full story of the state of the industry or the immigration-law fallout.
First, the Valley was one of the hardest-hit hotel markets in the country during the recession, and this year's gains are off ultra-low numbers in 2009.
The improvement mainly marks a badly needed rebound, said Jan Freitag of Smith Travel Research.
The big unknown, he and others said: Would the gains be stronger without the immigration law, which was passed in late April and goes into effect Thursday?
"We don't know how much more it could have been," said Robert Hayward, chairman of the Valley Hotel & Resort Association and a principal with Phoenix hospitality consulting firm Warnick & Co.
Most significantly, Hayward and others say, the true tourism impact of the immigration law likely won't show up in hotel-industry statistics until next year and beyond.
That's because the biggest fallout has been from large associations canceling conventions or taking Arizona off their list of meeting sites in protest. Many associations have broad membership bases and emphasize diversity.
Such meetings are generally booked at least two years in advance and can't be canceled at the last minute without large penalties and the logistical nightmare of relocating.
Most of the groups had no choice but to come this summer and fall because the last-minute cancellation fees "would have probably put a lot of these associations in a very difficult situation," said Leo Percopo, general manager of the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.
One national group, the League of Resident Theaters, singled out hefty fees as the reason it wasn't canceling a small May meeting at a Marriott resort in Tucson.
But in a letter to Gov. Jan Brewer, the group said it encouraged members to cancel plans to explore Tucson before or after the meeting and instead visit a neighboring state.
The 1,000-room Sheraton, opened two years ago by the city of Phoenix to attract large conventions, has seen just two groups cancel meetings booked for this year, with an estimated loss of nearly $1.6 million in revenue.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity moved its 5,000-attendee July convention to Bally's hotel in Las Vegas, and the National Minority Suppliers Development Council shifted its planned 7,000-attendee convention in October to Miami.
That is small change compared with the loss of business for future years that was tentatively booked and canceled after the law passed, Percopo said.
For 2011, the Sheraton's lost business currently stands at just under $2.5 million, he said. From 2012-14, the total is between $4 million and $5 million. All had been on the verge of signing contracts.
"You're not going to start to see the impact, in my opinion, until the mid- to late first quarter of 2011," Percopo said.
He and other hoteliers are most worried about the lost business they can't quantify: groups that are striking Arizona off their list of meetings destinations in protest.
"The issue is that we're creating this hole in the future," said David Krietor, a deputy Phoenix city manager who oversees convention center issues.
The Sheraton and other large hotels should be booking big groups today for conventions to be held in 2013 and beyond and say the sales leads just aren't at the levels where they should be in a recovering economy.
Percopo, who has taken three trips to Washington, D.C., in the past 90 days to salvage association business and woo new groups, said the Sheraton's leads are currently flat with last year. "If last year was strong I'd be OK with that, except that last year was not," he said.
Hayward said some meeting planners and vacationers have likely been waiting to see if the law survives legal challenges and goes into effect Thursday as scheduled.
He worries about a new wave of cancellations and protests from those opposed to the law because "now it's for real."Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2010/07/28/20100728arizona-immigration-law-tourism.html#ixzz0vZd2udij

Pierced workers ...oh this should cause a storm

Pierced, tattooed hotel workers? Readers overwhelmingly say 'no, no, no'Comments 49
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY

Would it offend you if you saw a hotel worker wearing this piercing? Reader Greg Marquez - who models his piercing - says he'd be fine with it. He thinks it's OK for hotel staffers to wear small piercings - such as a stud in the nose. He does not believe that it's an indication that he'll get poor service.
CAPTION
By Greg MarquezDo you think it's OK when a hotel worker greets you with a pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue or tattooed arm? What about a simple nose ring; is that, perhaps, more acceptable?
The answer - across the board - is "no," according to the overwhelming majority of the surprising 177 comments written on Hotel Check-In. Most readers say they don't want to see any of it.
And most readers don't seem to care about the specific type of piercing in question. They also don't seem to care about the hotel type - whether an edgy boutique hotel, where you might expect a bit more leniency on personal appearance, vs. a Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt, which most of us would expect to take a more conservative stance.
Typical of the majority view is this reply from flight attendant ToniSuzanne, which another 35 readers endorsed:
"No, no, no," she writes. "I do not want to see this stuff on hotel employees" and other people who deal with the public.
The No. 1 most recommended comment with 46 recommendations comes from Hotel Check-In reader OtisCampbell, who writes:
"If the employees interface with customers, then yes the company has the right to limit piercings, tattoos and general appearance while at work."
It's interesting to note how much readers took the time to ensure that their voice is heard.
Besides the 177 comments, hundreds more readers voted on individual comments that they personally endorsed. The top 10 most-recommended comments including ToniSuzanne's, for instance, received an additional 246 votes (as of last night).

File photo shows an eye piercing worn by high school student Ashley Forgacs, 16, of Fort Collins, Colo., taken on Oct. 3, 1999.
CAPTION
By Rich AbrahamsonFurthermore, USA TODAY's Facebook friends wrote an additional 54 comments on USA TODAY's Facebook page. Here, it was a little easier to find people who looked beyond the form of self expression.
'Best service' was at Nordstrom's from a tattooed, pierced person
Mike Kunkle, for instance, had this to say on Facebook:
"True story from about 10 years ago... The best service I ever got at Nordstrom's was from a young man with multiple tattoos and piercings. He was personable, clean, well-dressed, and had absolutely awesome interpersonal, communication, and service skills. By contrast, at many other businesses, I have encountered rude, lackluster and downright horrible service experiences from employee who looked liked they stepped out of "Dressed for Success" book."
The majority of readers, however, echo ToniSuzanne's strict view on body art.
Do you want piercings - or a career?
Many readers say that people who wear visible body decoration do so at risk to their professional lives.
"If the pierced, inked lifestyle is the one they chose, they should also accept the lack of opportunities it may represent," writes reader sidehack, in the second-most recommended comment with 35 votes. As for hotels: "If a four-star resort wants to hire 'lizard girl,' they must also tolerate the loss of business if the clients don't come back."
Reader Hippodude writes that people should feel free to get as many piercings or tattoos as they want, "but that does not mean than an employer need put you out at their as the image of their firm."
Some piercings make me gag
Even reader Texas Stoltz, who writes that his own wife has a belly ring, says he'd prefer not to see it. The other day at a store, he requested a manager and a young woman came up to help him.
"There was a chrome (piercing) hanging out her nose and when she spoke there was a ring in her tongue," he writes. "I was going to gag."
Reader RoofingPrincess writes that the "huge plugs (that) some people put in their earlobe creep me out" - and she doesn't want to see them.
Piercings can be OK in certain hotels - and in nightclubs, restaurants
In a rare example, reader magnum67 differentiated between the type of hotel in question - and the pierced or tattooed worker's gender.
"Motel 6??? I would not care," reader magnum67 writes. At hotels such as Marriotts and Hiltons, he would let women wear earrings - perhaps limiting it to three per ear. Men? No piercings. Tattooes? Nothing visible.
But ultimately, magnum67 writes that "these hotels need to portray a professional appearance and too many piercings makes the hotel look like a no-tel."
Andrew Briscoe on Facebook writes that he doesn't have a problem with "people who are tattooed and pierced all over but I think of hotel employee, I expect them to be professional looking. If I were to go to a night club, a tattooed and pierced employee would be awesome there."
Reader CarynGates says that piercings and tattoos in a trendy coffee shop or restaurant "are perfectly fine" and in fact might even "add to the overall feel of the place." But hotels? No way. "Your desk person is one of the guest's first impressions. This is a case where less is more!" She'd limit piercings to two per ear and ban facial piercings.
Tattooes, piercings poor measure of customer service
Reflecting Mike Kunkle's comments above regarding the tattooed, pierced Nordstrom's clerk, reader Mashley278 gives us some interesting insight from the standpoint of someone who's been in the hotel industry for nearly a dozen years (though we don't know in what capacity).
"Quite honestly, you couldn't find an industry more resistant to change," Mashley278 writes. "In 1998, I had a manager that refused to use email and faxes. Today, the dress policies and dress codes are out of date and quite often look ridiculous. I've had great employees that were tat and piercing free and I've had horrible ones and vice versa. The focus needs to be on the service provided - not what the person providing the service looks like."
I wish more pierced and/or tattooed hotel staffers would've written in about their experiences with hotel dress codes. We did, however, hear from Kitty Besiktasli, who on Facebook writes about her experiencing working on a Hilton hotel's front desk about two years ago. "My boss made me wear something to cover the tattoo on my wrist," she writes.
Readers: Have any of the above comments made you reconsider your original opinion? Staffers: What has your experience been with piercings or tattooes?

IMMIGRATION LAW SHOWS LITTLE SHORT-TERM IMPACT, LONG-TERM STILL UNKNOWN

Early results for hotels and resorts in metropolitan Phoenix show little evidence of a short-term impact from Arizona’s new immigration law. According to Smith Travel Research, hotel occupancy was up 6.5 percent in May and 10.6 percent in June from the previous year. In addition, revenue per available room increased 6.2 percent and 11 percent in May and June, respectively. The increases through June are positive, but hoteliers and industry analysts caution that they don't tell the full story. What the numbers don’t show is whether the gains would have been stronger without the immigration law, which was passed in late April. In addition, industry insiders say the true tourism impact of the law likely won't show up in industry statistics until next year and beyond. This is because most of the impact would come from associations and other groups boycotting Arizona as a site for meetings. Generally, meetings are booked at least two years in advance and can't be canceled at the last minute without large fines. Many hoteliers are worried about losing business they can’t quantify, such as groups taking the state off their list of potential destinations. (Arizona Republic, July 28)