Two U.S. senators called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to ‘closely scrutinize’ the proposed merger of online travel agencies Orbitz and Expedia. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, who are Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy & Consumer Rights, say the merged companies would control 75% of online bookings and stifle competition. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has dealt with the Department of Justice (DoJ) many times to voice its opposition to Expedia’s proposed $1.6 billion acquisition of Orbitz …..
Memphis is taking preliminary steps toward an overhaul and possible expansion of the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Plans were proposed to finance the long-term project through a 1.8% increase in the city’s hotel-motel tax and a $2 per day occupancy fee on rooms within the special Tourism Improvement District. No details of the project have been released; however Memphis media reported there is a proposal for a major expansion of the building on the table ..…
UBM EAS named Las Vegas as the host of Routes America 2017, an international conference for airline executives and government officials. Routes focuses on the development of international air travel. Las Vegas was the first U.S. city to host the event in 2013 .….
Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre, Canada’s largest trade show venue, has been renamed Enercare Centre in a $7.5 million naming-rights deal. The rebranding deal runs into 2026 and includes public space inside the building showcasing Enercare, Inc.’s products and services …..
The opening of Harrah’s Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center has been set for September 17. The center has 100,000 sf of meeting space. The newly built center has two 50,000 sf flexible ballrooms and is the largest hotel-conference complex between Boston and Baltimore. One of the first events will be the 2016 Meeting Planners International World Education Congress …..
Hyatt is renovating the meeting space at its two downtown Denver convention hotels at an estimated cost of $10 million. The twin projects cover four ballrooms plus meeting space at the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency hotels at the Colorado Convention Center …..
