NC Piedmont Triad
New Affordable Travel Options To Booming Region
By Ashley Wright From hotels popping up in Greensboro to the art-filled, updated downtown of Winston-Salem and the flourishing home furnishings business in High Point, North Carolina’s Triad region is full of renovations and new life.
And on top of these developments Skybus Airlines is now offering service to the Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO). Destination marketing officials said the airline provides meeting planners with a broader range of affordable travel options. “The super discount carrier with outrageously low fares will have a great impact on meeting planning in the Triad,” said Stephan Dragisic, director of communications for Visit Winston-Salem, the city’s convention and visitors bureau (CVB). “Establishing their second focus city at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, Skybus will be offering its now famous 10 seats on each flight for $10.” The carrier offers this special rate for the first 10 passengers who book their ticket. “This service will be great for planners as it will offer attendees an incentive to book early,” Dragisic said, “and create the ‘Southwest effect’ of bringing down the rates of the legacy carriers.”
Skybus, which claims to be the “next generation” of low-fare carriers, currently offers flights from the Triad to Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Conn.; Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.; Jacksonville, Fla., and Los Angeles. Company officials added that a maintenance facility as well as pilots and flight attendants will be based in the area.
“The response to our initial service from GSO to our home in Columbus has been beyond all of our expectations, and we’re excited to begin offering direct service from the Piedmont Triad region to cities throughout the country,” said Bill Diffenderffer, Skybus CEO.
Drive-in access to Winston-Salem could also be enhanced soon, according to officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), which is conducting a project development study for U.S. Interstate 40 Business from west of 4th Street to east of Church Street in Winston-Salem. If approved, the project would include removing and replacing highway pavement, replacing bridges, and improving access ramps. Construction is slated to begin in 2013.
New Hotels Open In Greensboro
Greensboro Area CVB President/CEO Henri Fourrier said the city offers a great location for meeting planners due to its close proximity to other major southern U.S. cities and its central location within the state.
Fourrier also said Greensboro is experiencing new development with a number of properties that have recently opened, including the Proximity Hotel, which he said has already earned national recognition, and renovated ones like the Doubletree.
The 147-room Proximity Hotel offers 7,000 square feet of event space, according to Mark File, marketing director, who said the property was built to use 40 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than comparable properties and has a sustainable design and construction that follows the U.S. green guidelines. Yet, Dennis Quaintance, chief design officer for the hotel and its on-site restaurant, promised, “We made sure none of our sustainable practices caused one iota of sacrifice in comfort for our guests.”
The newly renovated, full-service Doubletree Hotel Greensboro also came online in 2007. Converted from a Howard Johnson property, the hotel is adjacent to the 250,000-square-foot Joseph S. Koury Convention Center. Ownership of the Doubletree changed hands with the acquisition of the property by the Milestone Capital Corporation in December. Mason Mednick, executive vice president of Milestone, said, “We expect the market to quickly embrace the property based on the superior quality of its guest and meeting room facilities.” The hotel includes 175 guest rooms and 11,250 square feet of meeting space.
Another new property to the city is a 116-room Residence Inn, according to Greensboro CVB officials. Gail Murphy, director of marketing for the Greensboro CVB, said that these new openings now give the area 84 hotels and more than 9,200 rooms.
Additional hotels and meeting spaces include the Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center, which is undergoing renovations that include enhancements to the golf course, to be completed in March, and a “face lift” for its 22,000-square-foot, full-service, catering and events facility, said Barbara Parris, director of catering/special events.
Other accommodations include the 1,000-room Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, which offers 250,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space; the Grandover Resort and Conference Center, which offers 247 guest rooms and 45,000 square feet of meeting space; the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, which includes the 2,400-seat War Memorial Auditorium, a 167,000-square-foot special events center and a 30,000-square-foot pavilion; and the Greensboro Children’s Museum, which offers 37,000 square feet of meeting space.
Convenience In Winston-Salem’s Downtown
Known as the “city of the arts,” Winston-Salem is continuing its commitment to groups, much of which is through the development of the city’s downtown.
Local officials and Atlanta developer Mit Shah of Noble Investments have worked together to develop the Twin City Quarter (TCQ), a convention center district that contains the Marriott Hotel Winston-Salem, the Embassy Suites Hotel Winston-Salem and the M.C. Benton Jr. Convention Center. “We’re extremely pleased to now be able to offer one-stop shopping through the hotels’ and convention center’s 170,000 square feet of meeting space,” said Candy Cline, director of sales for the Winston-Salem CVB. “The Marriott and Embassy Suites brands guarantee planners and meeting attendees an exceptional level of quality, comfort and luxury.”
Twin City Quarter contains a 146-suite Embassy Suites hotel (west tower) and a 315-room Marriott hotel (east tower), according to TCQ Director of Marketing Ron Stephens. “With one sales office as the contact point for all of the facilities in the TCQ,” Stephens said, “convention and event planners can work easily and efficiently with the staff to take full advantage of the entire facility and the multitude of options now available to them.”
The Winston-Salem Entertainment Sports Complex is home to the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (LJVM) Complex, Dixie Classic Fairgrounds, Ernie Shore Field and Groves Stadium—all together representing more than 90,000 square feet of meeting space. According to Ed McNeal, director of marketing and communications for the city of Winston-Salem, recent renovations of the complex include the building of a new $4.7 million field house at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The Delta Arts Center recently moved into a new 4,763-square-foot renovated building, which is more than three times the size of its former home and offers 1,493 square feet of exhibition space and a loading dock that can double as a classroom. “We have been busy getting settled and unpacking the boxes for our first exhibit in this new space,” said Diane Caesar, executive director of the Delta Arts Center. “We are so excited to be here as it affords infinite opportunities that are just waiting to be implemented.”
Additional hotels include the Holiday Inn Select Winston-Salem, which has 6,000 square feet of meeting space; the 194-room Clarion Collection Sundance Plaza Hotel and Spa, which has 9,000 square feet of meeting space; and the Graylyn International Conference Center, which has 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
High Point Offers Group Incentives
Twice a year, the city of High Point hosts more than 80,000 attendees during the International Home Furnishings Market, which, according to High Point CVB officials, requires world-class service from the city’s accommodations, restaurants and event facilities. The event, they believe, has honed the city’s skills in welcoming and servicing groups.
Key Info · Sales Tax:
—Greensboro: 6.75 percent
—Winston-Salem: 6.25 percent
—High Point: 6.75 percent
· Hotel Tax:
—Greensboro: 6 percent
—Winston-Salem: 6 percent
—High Point: 6 percent |
Nancy Bowman, marketing and communications manager for the High Point CVB, said the bureau also offers incentives to qualified groups that book their event in the city. “Incentives can be anything from a complimentary coffee break to assistance with group transportation, board receptions and other meeting costs.”
Showplace is home to the Furniture Market during the year and contains 84,000 square feet of meeting and convention space in downtown High Point. Karen Wall, director of event sales and operations, said that the 100-foot-tall central atrium serves as a breathtaking entry point and a great location for gala events. Two LCD screens were recently installed in the atrium that can be used for exhibitor advertisements, show promotion material, past show footage and more.
Providence Place is High Point’s newest event venue, according to CVB officials. The venue can seat up to 1,600 people. There are 23 breakout rooms that can accommodate groups of 10 to 250 people.
Hotels in the area include the 252-room Radisson Hotel High Point with 12,500 square feet of meeting space and 12 meeting rooms; the 80-suite Ashford Suites, which has four meeting rooms and can accommodate groups of up to 100; and the 62-suite Biltmore Suites, which has two meeting rooms that total 550 square feet of meeting space.
