 December 2006
» San Diego North Develops New Positioning Platform and Tag Line» San Diego North Supports Restaurant Week » Sales Update » Marketing Update » Industry News & Member Spotlight » Put the San Diego North CVB to Work for You » Stories from the Watercooler » Welcome Aboard! » Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits » Bureau Contacts San Diego North Develops New Positioning Platform and Tag Line With the launch of its branding in 2000, the Bureau created a unique identity for the San Diego North region. Over the years, the brand has been successful at building awareness of San Diego North as a year-round resort destination as it exemplifies all the best that San Diego has to offer, yet is a distinct region on its own. Over the past year, the Bureau has worked with its board of directors and branding experts to update the positioning statement and tag line. The result of these meetings is a new positioning platform and tag line that the Bureau will roll out in 2007. Positioning Platform: San Diego North is San Diego's Resort Region: a casual oasis where open spaces meet upscale amenities and attractions, putting visitors into a state of Active Relaxation. Tag Line: Room to fill your senses.  This platform supports the new platform developed by San Diego ConVis, but continues to position San Diego North as a distinct region. A special "Thank You" to the San Diego CVB and its ad agency NYCA for their assistance in the development of this new platform and tag line. «back to top San Diego North Supports Restaurant Week 
Many San Diego North restaurants are participating in the 3rd Annual San Diego Restaurant Week. The event runs from Sunday, January 7 through Friday, January 12, 2007. Diners can enjoy a special three course, prix fixe dinner menu at more than 125 restaurants throughout the county for just $30 or $40 per person, depending on the restaurant (tax, beverage and gratuity are not included). Participating restaurants will offer guests incredible dining values while showcasing specialty dishes and highlighting popular items from their menus."The San Diego Restaurant Week has become the culinary event of the year," said Cami Mattson, president and CEO of the San Diego North CVB. "It's wonderful to see locals and visitors alike take advantage of it, trying new restaurants and discovering the region's culinary features." There are no tickets or passes required; food lovers may simply dine out at as many participating restaurants as they like during San Diego Restaurant Week 2007. Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling restaurants directly or at www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com. «back to top Sales Update Sales Report : October-November 2006
Bureau Hosts 2006 Fall Showcase/FAM Trip 
Six meeting planners from around the country attended the San Diego North CVB Fall Showcase Tour in November. The three-day tour, which began on November 1st, highlighted several of the most luxurious resorts and renowned attractions in La Jolla, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Santa Fe. For more information on how to participate in future tours, please contact our sales department by calling 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com.
Bureau Attends Incentive Travel & Meeting Expo The Bureau attended the Incentive Travel & Meeting Expo (ITME) Motivational Trade Show which took place on September 26-28 in Chicago. Among the estimated 10,000+ delegates who attended the show, 130 planners visited the booth. The Bureau generated 11 immediate leads and 59 future business leads. Stephanie Colby-Aburto, director of sales for the Bureau, and Anna Wachtel, national sales manager for the Bureau, attended along with co-op partners from L'Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa, Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, Homewood Suites Del Mar and Pala Casino Resort & Spa. «back to top Marketing Update Harrah's Sponsorship Makes Bureau Web Site Mapping Program Possible San Diego North works to continually improve and expand the capabilities of its website. Through the generous sponsorship of Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort, we have been able to add an in-depth, interactive mapping program. This new program allows users to choose a starting location, be it a hotel, restaurant, or a residence, and then map out other things to do in that area based on category and distance. The categories included are accommodations, attractions, beaches, golf, spas, casinos, museums, cultural arts, restaurants, tours, parks & recreation, and camping. Each category can be added to or removed from the map with the click of a button and locations can be viewed in a range from one half mile up to 20 miles from the original starting point. Another feature of the new program is that individual locations can also be selected for inclusion in a custom, printable itinerary. It is believed that this new program will help visitors get a feel for our large and diverse region and give them many reasons to extend their stay in San Diego North. San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine will begin regular coverage of the local tourism and spa industry beginning in the December 2006 issue. With a readership of over 200,000 local residents per month, the magazine offers a value-packed multi-media travel program. The 28-year-old publication has the highest income readership of any other San Diego-based paid circulation, audited publication. You can also watch their new travel segments Saturday mornings on KUSI-TV, with TravelTalkRadio.com's Sandy Duyvetter and members of our Good Morning San Diego team throughout the week. The magazine is also offering a Valentine gift guide with placement for as little as $500. If you are interested in the Valentine Gift Guide, please contact Annie Cochran at 760.802-2363 or cochran@sdhg.net before December 18, 2006. «back to top Industry News & Member Spotlight Industry News 
Vikram Sood joins The Grand Del Mar as general manager of the new 261-room property slated for completion in fall 2007. Sood was most recently hotel manager of the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.Construction has begun on the new Sheraton Carlsbad Resort situated on 15 acres directly adjacent to LEGOLAND. Owned and managed by Grand Pacific Resorts, the resort is scheduled to open its first phase in late 2007 which will include 250 guest rooms and will be linked to LEGOLAND by a direct pedestrian walkway. Eight San Diego North properties were included in the auto club's 2007 4-diamond Southern California hotel rankings. The properties included: La Casa Del Zorro, L'Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, Hyatt Regency La Jolla, La Valencia Hotel, Pala Casino Resort & Spa, and Rancho Bernardo Inn. The announcement, which also included 4-diamond restaurants included Vivace, A.R. Valentien, Sky Room and El Bizcocho. Member Spotlight 
Actresses Brooke Shields and Lauren Holly joined five foster children from Los Angeles at LEGOLAND to light up the world's largest LEGO holiday tree at LEGOLAND California. During the ceremony, LEGOLAND presented the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption with $10,210 to benefit Wendy's Wonderful Kids, a national program focused on moving foster care children into adoptive families.
SeaWorld's new Wild Arctic Interaction, which includes a thrilling and chilling encounter with beluga whales, opened last month. Guests slip into wet suits and venture into the pool where they may touch, feed and give training signals to beluga whales. The program includes a visit with Pacific walruses, harbor seals and the polar bears in their behind-the-scenes habitats. While on this exclusive tour, participants learn fascinating facts about the animals' natural history, diets, anatomy and behavior.
The Sea Lodge Hotel will be renamed La Jolla Shores Hotel effective January 1, 2007. "The hotel has evolved over the past 36 years into a unique and dynamic property. The new name of La Jolla Shores Hotel better compliments our dedication to continued property upgrades coupled with its beautiful beachfront location," said John Campbell, general manager of La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc., which owns and operates the hotel. «back to top Put the San Diego North CVB to Work For You Promotion Opportunities for ARES Members Hot Deals - Members who are contracted through ARES can post Hot Deals promotions in the next issue of the Bureau's opt-in consumer newsletter, Getaway Highlights. In addition, the Hot Deals listing will link from the San Diego North CVB Web site, which generated traffic of over nearly 212,000 unique users during the 05-06 fiscal year. Dynamic Packaging - The Bureau's Web site can now feature any combination of attraction tickets with any contracted hotels and distribute it as a packaged product, through ARES' new dynamic packaging capabilities. This new feature provides additional discounts and offers complete customization to the consumer. For information on ARES services click here, or call 1-800-828-0868. The 06-07 Co-op Trade Show Opportunities Are Now Available Co-op trade shows with the SD North CVB are a great opportunity for you to create additional exposure for your business in a cost-effective, productive, and highly visible manner! For more information, contact Donna Alfsen, sales coordinator, or any member of the San Diego North CVB sales team at 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com. The trade show profiles are available by clicking here. For a listing of the 06-07 co-op trade shows and sign up form, click here. Keep It North and Reap the Benefits The Bureau offers assistance to area hotels and its displaced groups by providing alternative accommodations/meetings space through the Keep It North referral program. Keep It North is designed to keep business within the area and among members. To participate, members simply submit a referral to the sales team and also become eligible for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas, Utah, Phoenix, Cabo San Lucas or other rewards. For information about the program and to download submission forms, click here. «back to top Stories from the Watercooler 
Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort Employees Helping SeniorsAs an ongoing effort, Harrah's Rincon Casino employees hold food drives as well as pack boxes of nonperishable food for The Angel's Depot "Senior-Food-For-A-Week" project. Nutritious, nonperishable food is delivered free to needy and veteran seniors throughout San Diego County. The food boxes are distributed through pre-qualified senior centers, churches, nonprofits assisting seniors and government agencies with social service or healthcare programs. Go to their website www.theangelsdepot.org for more information on how to get involved. «back to top Welcome Aboard! We are proud to announce the following organizations which have joined as new members of the San Diego North CVB: Isaac's Catering 2051 Palomar Airport Road Carlsbad, CA 92011 Phone: 760-931-0267 / Fax: 760-931-0918 www.isaacscatering.com Full service caterer/event planner serving San Diego North and surrounding areas. Corporate catering, jet service catering, and celebrations. A Balloon Adventures and Wine Tour by Magical Adventures 2840 Agusta Way Temecula, CA 92589 Phone: 714-285-0288 / Fax: 714-285-1820 www.hotairfun.com Hot air balloon ride packages over scenic Del Mar, Temecula and Palm Springs. Fly in our new equipment and uncrowded baskets for the ultimate experience. «back to top Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits Hotels Meeting Spa Demand With New Facilities Spa treatments have overtaken golf as the most popular attendee activity during corporate meetings and events, says Commercial Property News, and the hotel industry is rushing to keep up. Resort spa managers said as much as half of their current customer base is coming from corporate groups, and the growing demand is not expected to peak anytime soon. Forty percent of new luxury and upper-upscale lodging projects under development include spa facilities, compared with 27% of existing hotels in that segment that offer spas, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. For more information on this article click here. Survey: Hotels Make Room For Special Events Hotels are forecasting strong business from special events this year, with 46% telling Special Events Magazine they expect to stage more special events this year than last. This figure represents a healthy 8% jump over the forecast they gave for 2005. Further, nearly two-thirds predict that they will stage more events in 2007 than in 2006. Nearly half of respondents - 46% - said that the average budget of a special event staged at their hotel runs between $10,000 and $49,999. Some 12% said that the average budget runs from $50,000 to $99,999, and 7% said it runs from $100,000 to $249,999. For more information on this article, click here. Marriott Testing Smartphone Check-Ins Marriott is working with Intel Solution Services and Microsoft to enable Windows Mobile device users to check into their hotel from their smartphone - the Pocket PC Phone variety. So instead of waiting of on a long line to check in, a guest could just breeze up to an automatic key dispenser says ehotelier. Guests will be able to check into their room, change room types, receive welcome information and reconfirm their room rates. Should a wireless signal be lost during the check-in process, it picks up where it left off once they're reconnected. Last but not least, when they arrive at the hotel, guests retrieve their room keys from the automated key dispenser in the lobby. For more information on this article, click here. «back to top Bureau Contacts Cami Mattson, president and CEO Barbara Bovee, director of marketing and operations Stephanie Colby-Aburto, director of sales Debbie Mirageas, office manager Hilary Townsend, public relations manager «back to top If you feel you've received this message in error, or if you no longer wish to receive news and special offers please Click Here to be removed from this list. |