December 2006 ACCESS Advantage
WBEC-West Nomination for ACCESS
ACCESS Destination Services is proud to have received a nomination as Supplier of the Year – Class 3 from the Women’s Business Enterprise Council-West. Nominees were honored at the Fourth Annual Excellence Awards Gala held at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim, CA.
Company President, Candace Bisconte states, “We are very proud of our association with WBEC-West, and with the national organization, WBENC, and it is an honor to be nominated for this award! Our continued success in growing our company is due in part to the relationship we have with this fine organization.”
ACCESS Destination Services is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council, a designation that is important to corporations and organizations that participate in and support diversity programs. The process for certification is a complex and time-consuming one. The WBENC certification for women-owned businesses is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the country and the organization provides a national standard of certification for women-owned businesses.
Women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy, with more than five million U.S. businesses owned and operated by women. Exemplifying this trend locally, ACCESS was recently named, by the San Diego Business Journal, as one of the 2006 Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in San Diego. ACCESS was ranked 27th.
With three of the four ACCESS partners being women, each with over 20 years experience within the industry, the partners made a conscious decision to seek certification to benefit you, our clients, and to recognize the positive influence of women in business today. We pledge to keep current with industry trends and to foster the sharing of knowledge and insight with all of you with whom we partner.
San Diego
New Action Tours! Gettin’ around town has never been so much fun! The San Diego ACCESS team is thrilled to premiere two new action adventure tours perfect for exploring the area in San Diego’s near-perfect year-round climate. The “land” adventure, Tour Coupe San Diego, allows guests to cruise through town in open-air, three wheeled tour coupes that seat two passengers comfortably side by side. Select Tour Coupes have a proprietary GPS navigation system that blends satellite signals, high-tech touring and old-fashioned storytelling. Upon approach to a targeted attraction, the system delivers narration, music, and sound effects bringing the visual alive. The Coupes travel 30 miles per hour and each coupe has a locking trunk and its own key so it can be parked just like a regular vehicle while guests are exploring the sights at their leisure.
Next, the “sea” adventure, RIB Rides, is another novel way to explore San Diego, via a Treasure Hunt - Navy S.E.A.L. style. Guests will test their problem-solving abilities, observational prowess and hands-on seamanship skills as they follow a series of clues around the bay aboard an authentic, fast-moving, 6-passenger Navy S.E.A.L. Rigid Inflatable Boat (R.I.B.). The R.I.B. is a fast, safe, and stable platform for your guests. With the soft inflatable side tubes, the R.I.B. is designed to raft-up to larger or smaller vessels with no fenders required. U.S. Coast Guard Certified captains allow guests to concentrate on their “performance assignments” which may include a combination of riddles, tasks, and trivia questions to solve. The team with the most correct answers and best time wins! Great for a team-building activity or to simply experience the sparkling side of San Diego’s Big Bay in an altogether different and exhilarating way!
For your next Southern California program or team building event, ask the team at ACCESS San Diego if “Tour Coupes San Diego” or “RIB Rides” works within the parameters of your guest activity specifications.
Las Vegas
Comings and Goings! As the Entertainment Capital of the World reinvents itself, a multitude of new upscale rooms and suites are expected to enter the marketplace as mega resort building continues and Las Vegas remains a leader in the nationwide condo-hotel construction boom.
Going is the iconic Stardust Hotel & Casino which, since 1958, has been synonymous with Las Vegas’ glamorous entertainment. Stardust owner, Boyd Gaming, is clearing the way for its new $4 billion resort and convention complex Echelon Place. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2007. The plans call for four hotels featuring 5,300 rooms, a 140,000 square foot casino, 25 restaurants and bars, theaters and substantial meeting and convention space.
Coming is Wynn Resorts $1.74 billion Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on a 20 acre site adjacent to the 2,700 room Wynn Las Vegas. Scheduled for completion in late 2008, Encore plans will include a 2,042 room tower, a 54,000 square foot casino and added convention space. Across from the Wynn Las Vegas, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, one of the first condo-hotels announced, will feature a 64 story tower with 1,282 hotel and condo units at completion in early 2008.
A new luxury hotel now open is the Platinum Hotel and Spa, an all-suite hotel in a casually elegant, inviting environment. Specializing in small groups from five to 250 guests, the Platinum Hotel and Spa is just steps from the monorail, and centrally located to the Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Exposition Center. The hotel’s rooftop event space features sensational Strip and mountain views while the WELL Spa is all about relaxation and rejuvenation.
2007 marks the scheduled completion date for Tower 3 of the three tower, 576-suite, Signature at MGM Grand property, located close to the MGM Grand’s full service Conference Center. The property will lend itself perfectly to a Board of Directors’ retreat, a corporate getaway or an exclusive small meeting group. Guests of The Signature at MGM Grand will find convenient access to the Las Vegas Monorail, a four-mile track that connects MGM Grand to the Las Vegas Convention Center and eight major resorts along the Las Vegas Strip.
Loews Hotels has announced its plans to acquire and manage the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort, which will be renamed the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort. Five million dollars will be invested into the 493 room property to introduce Loews Hotels branded services and amenities. Upgrades will include the renovation of all suites and casitas; updating the pool decks, cabanas and terraces; and renovation of the lakeside fire pit among many other planned features.
In addition to these resort projects, the LVCVA began planning a major ($737 million) makeover of the LVCC beginning late this year or early next year, expected to be completed in 2010.
To experience this incredible energy first-hand, contact the Las Vegas office of ACCESS Destination Services for your next site inspection to Las Vegas and the surrounding areas.
Los Angeles
Spa Boom in Los Angeles! Industry sources indicate that the spa experience is fast becoming one of the most highly requested activities for groups and that hotels and day spas nationwide are stepping up their efforts to accommodate the needs of meeting attendees. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers research, supplemented by Smith Travel Research and the International Spa Association, approximately 40 percent of luxury and upper-upscale lodging projects under development in the United States have spa facilities and services compared to 27 percent of existing upscale properties. “This is a dramatic trend reflecting the lifestyle appeal of hotels to an increasing number of business and leisure travelers,” said Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D., and principal, Hospitality & Leisure practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In Los Angeles, this focus on the spa experience is evident as well. Updates in the Los Angeles area are many including both hotel/resort projects and stand alone spas.
At the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills (a Four Seasons Hotel), a new spa, designed around a curved water wall embracing a majestic amethyst crystal geode, features luxurious treatments influenced by a combination of Western and Eastern philosophies. Following a warm up in the aromatherapy crystal steam room, guests will enjoy the many spa services including a variety of massages such as Swedish, Aromatherapy, Balinese, and Reflexology to name a few. In addition, several body treatments and rituals allow for a multitude of choices.
Equinox Fitness Club + Spa Century City will open in early 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The Spa at Equinox will offer over 20 treatment rooms including 3 outdoor cabanas, a manicure and pedicure suite and over 14 types of massages, a variety of facial assessments, treatments and products. This multi-million dollar world class facility promises to deliver results for the body, mind and spirit.
Bliss Los Angeles at the W Los Angeles-Westwood, just opened this year, is the 7th Bliss spa worldwide. Located on the second floor of the W Los Angeles-Westwood, the new Bliss Spa is the company’s long awaited Los Angeles outpost. Bliss’ 7,000 square foot space contains a retail beauty boutique, a manicure pedicure lounge, and a main spa facility with ten treatment rooms with both women’s and men’s locker rooms and lounges outfitted with saunas and aromatherapy infused steam showers.
A new spa, targeted to open in the summer of 2007, is part of a $25 million renovation project undertaken by the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. The still-to-be-named spa will comprise 6,000 square feet including manicure and pedicure facilities and 6 treatment rooms including a couple’s suite. This project will also include complete guest room redesign and the addition of a destination bar.
Opening in December is a $250 million project in Westlake Village that includes a Four Seasons Hotel, a state-of-the-art wellness center, and an expansive spa and fitness center. Tucked into the Santa Monica foothills, this exceptional 20-acre complex is an oasis from the bustle of Los Angeles. The Spa’s white marble interiors, accented with semi-precious stones, cover over 40,000 square feet. Twenty eight treatment rooms all open onto private outdoor gardens. A holistic menu of treatments and therapies blend Asian traditions with modern Western sensibilities.
In addition to the resort spas described above, two stand-alone spas are worthy of mention. In its relatively new location on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, Raya Day Spa offers superior European skin care services as well as a variety of massage treatments. Burke Williams Spa features multiple locations in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas, including Pasadena, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica. The professionals at Burke Williams combined everything they have learned about massage and skin care into some very special, and very unique, treatments one can find only at Burke Williams.
On your next site inspection to the Los Angeles area, contact the destination management specialists at ACCESS Los Angeles for an uplifting introduction to the very best spa services in the area and information on incorporating spa experiences in your next program whether it is an actual spa activity or a special theme event designed to incorporate the spa mindset.
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