Mobile
Claiming Stake As Gulf Coast’s Meeting Capital
By Selena Chavis “I would absolutely consider Mobile for future events. The city just really rolled out the red carpet for us,” said Wendy Parsley, founder of New York-based Quint Strategies and planner for the PPI Transport Symposium, an event held in Mobile in October.
Mobile represents a convergence of varied culture and character that form a unique merger of Southern heritage, American history and metropolitan progress, said Leon Maisel, CEO of the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “We’re becoming the capital of the gulf coast; we’re sort of in that same genre as Savannah (Ga.), Charleston (S.C.) and New Orleans,” he said. “There are plenty of beach towns, but we have the historic and cultural offerings to go with it.”
Maisel explained that the city also offers groups a walkable downtown convention district that encompasses 1,100 meeting rooms, the Arthur R. Outlaw - Mobile Convention Center, the Mobile Civic Center, and the many attractions and entertainment options of the downtown area. “A delegate from a convention can walk around downtown and never leave,” Maisel said.
Offering 6,000 hotel rooms in central Mobile, Maisel said that the city could still accommodate a 10,000-room convention with its extensive hotel inventory located within less than one hour’s drive. “Our optimum large-scaled meeting is about 2,000 to 4,000 attendees.”
And recent expansions and developments of the city’s infrastructure are further propelling Mobile into the position of the gulf coast’s meetings destination. Offering a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and 16 meeting rooms, the Mobile Convention Center is undergoing an extensive carpet renovation. “In addition to being of the highest quality, the carpet was specifically designed for the convention center,” said General Manager Bob Brazier. “The carpet designs reflect Mobile’s rich history.” Included in the carpet’s design are renderings of several of Mobile’s most historic buildings such as Barton Academy, the GM&O Building and City Hall. Other familiar Mobile images in the design are the battleship
USS Alabama, Fort Conde’s cannons, Mardi Gras beads and the Bienville Square fountain.
Refreshed Hotel Inventory
| 
The RSA Battle House Tower, connected to the historic Battle House hotel property, opened in 2007 as the tallest building in Alabama. Pictured in the foreground is the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
|
Many of the city’s mainstay properties have been completely refurbished, including the 375-room Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel, which is attached to the convention center. The property, which offers 32,000 square feet of meeting space, was christened as a Renaissance in November after undergoing a more than $50 million renovation effort over the past two years, said General Manager Jeff Mayers. “From the hotel’s restaurant, the Harbor Room, to the hotel uniforms, nautical aspects are incorporated into every aspect of the hotel, such as the deck-styled floors, and the Fathom Lounge that features daily drink specials depicting different Ports of Call.”
After being closed for four decades, the historic 238-room Battle House, A Renaissance Hotel, recently opened its doors. “With Mobile’s downtown renaissance, we are pleased to welcome the Battle House and Riverview Plaza to the Renaissance family,” said Michael Murphy, vice president of sales and marketing for Renaissance Hotels. Offering an atmosphere that blends the old and new, the original eight-story hotel, which first opened in 1852, is connected to the state-of-the-art RSA Battle House Tower, the tallest building in Alabama. The property features 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting and pre-function space, including the ornate Crystal Ballroom.
According to Parsley, the recent PPI Transport Symposium, which drew 700 to 800 exhibitors and delegates from the forestry products industry, was held at both the Battle House, A Renaissance Hotel and Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel, with overflow at the newly refurbished Holiday Inn Downtown Mobile Historic District and the Radisson Admiral Semmes. Parsley said, “Attendees gave high marks for the whole city.”
The 209-room Holiday Inn Downtown Mobile Historic District, which recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, houses nine meeting rooms and more than 8,700 square feet of meeting space, according to hotel officials.
The 170-room Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel is located in the downtown district and offers 9,000 square feet of meeting space. Director of Sales Richlyn Lynch said that the hotel recently added refrigerators to all rooms as well as new bedding. “Right now, 80 percent of the hotel is Sleep Number Beds,” she said, adding that the property positions itself as an upscale but affordable option.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 9 percent
· Hotel Tax: 8 percent
· Transportation: The Wave Transit System, a public system, travels through Mobile County. Fares are $1.25. Electric trolleys provide free downtown transportation with stops at major attractions. |
Mobile will also soon be home to the new 150-room Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Mobile, Maisel said, adding that the property is expected to offer meeting space for smaller groups and will open in 2008.
On the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, the 405-room Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa offers 37,000 square feet of meeting space. In early 2008, the resort is renovating its European-styled spa and fitness center, according to hotel officials. On site, the resort offers two golf courses as part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Additional hotels include the 251-room Mobile Marriott, which offers 10,000 square feet of meeting space; the recently refurbished Holiday Inn Mobile - Bellingrath Gardens, which offers 6,300 square feet of function space; and the University of South Alabama Mitchell Center, a facility offering seating for 10,000.
