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August 20,
2010
Volume 16, Issue 28
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for a printable version
of the newsletter
MotorCity Casino Hotel Wins
Award for Conference Hotel
MotorCity Casino Hotel has
received the 2010 Pinnacle Award for Hotels. The award is
given to hotels based on hospitality excellence.
The 2010 Pinnacle Awards are selected by readers of
Successful Meetings Magazine based upon their meeting
experiences. Specifically, they are voted on by meeting
planners throughout the country and organized through
Successful Meetings Magazine, one of the meeting
planning industry's leading periodicals.
According to Randy Villareal, MotorCity Casino
Hotel's vice president of hotel operations, "[t]he
Pinnacle Award is one of the hotel industry's most
respected awards, and distinguishes us as one of the best
meeting hotels in the United States. This distinction
will continue to motivate us to always exceed the
expectations of our guests."
About MotorCity Casino
MotorCity Casino Hotel features 400 guestrooms, including
33 suites. In addition, the Hotel offers complimentary
internet access in every room, a complimentary 24 hour
state-of-the-art business center and 24 hour fitness
center.
The Hotel conference center includes 67,000 square feet of
function and banquet space, a Grand Ballroom that
accommodates 1,200 for dinner, four meeting rooms for
90-800 people, two boardrooms that seat up to 20 people
each and a dedicated meeting concierge.
For more information regarding MotorCity Casino Hotel,
please visit:
http://www.motorcitycasino.com/Home.
For a comprehensive list of the 2010 Pinnacle Award for
Hotel winners please visit:
http://www.successfulmeetings.com/pinnacle-awards-hotels-resorts-2010/.
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Saginaw Chippewa Tribe
Begins Water Park Resort Project
On Tuesday, August
17, 2010, The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe started the process of
construction of a new water park resort by demolishing the Soaring
Eagle Inn. The new hotel and water park facility will stand just
miles from Soaring Eagle Casino Resort, which has 200,000 square
feet of gaming floor space and 514 hotel rooms.
Initial plans for the water park were announced by the Saginaw
Chippewa Indian Tribe's Migizi Economic Development Company in
October of 2009. According to The Morning Sun, the Tribe
is now planning a 45,000 square foot water park with a 224 room
hotel.
The actual construction of the water park resort is scheduled to
begin in the spring.
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Freman Hendrix to Join
the Greektown Casino Board of Directors
Freman Hendrix, the current
Detroit Charter Revision Commission ("Commission") chair, will
resign his position on September 14th in order to join the
Greektown Casino Board of Directors. Mr. Hendrix announced the
move on August 17th via letter to Commission Vice Chair, Jenice
Mitchell Ford. Vice Chair Ford will assume Mr. Hendrix's role as
Commission chair and the Commission will vote to appoint a new
member.
Mr. Hendrix, a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, has been
involved in Detroit public service for several years. Prior to
his election to the Commission, he served as deputy mayor under
Dennis Archer and ran twice as a candidate for the mayor of
Detroit. Mr. Hendrix also served as the government relations
director for Eastern Michigan University.
The Commission is a group of nine elected city residents charged
with reviewing and proposing changes to the current City of
Detroit Charter, adopted in 1997. The Commission's term is
non-renewable and expires in 2012.
The Commission has announced that it will receive applications
for a replacement until August 24th. The Commission has thirty
days to fill the vacancy. The Michigan Gaming Control Board will
next meet on September 14th, the day of Mr. Hendrix's
resignation from the Commission.
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Rock Gaming and Forest
City announce Land and Leasing Agreements for Cleveland Casino
Development
On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Forest City
Enterprises, Inc. ("Forest City") announced that it entered
agreements with Rock Gaming, LLC ("Rock Gaming") under which Rock
Gaming will acquire land and air rights from Forest City for
development of a casino along Huron Road, adjacent to the Tower City
Center complex in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Under the agreements, Rock Gaming will acquire approximately 16
acres for development. In addition, the two companies also
announced an agreement in principle on a multiyear lease for space
in the Higbee Building within Tower City for potential construction
and operation of a Phase 1 casino.
"The casino is an important project for Cleveland and the entire
Northeast Ohio region, and today's agreements are major milestones
in moving forward," said Charles A. Ratner, Forest City president
and chief executive officer. "We are confident that the partnership
of Rock Gaming and Harrah's Entertainment will create and deliver a
great project that will benefit not only downtown, but all of
Northeast Ohio for years to come. The Rock Gaming casino at Tower
City Center represents the start of a dynamic new future for
downtown entertainment economic revitalization in Cleveland."
Forest City owns and operates a total of more than 2 million square
feet of commercial space at Tower City Center, as well as parking
for an estimated 3,500 vehicles. Forest City is principally engaged
in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of
commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the U.S.
Rock Gaming is a Michigan-based gaming partnership with plans to
develop casinos in downtown Cincinnati and downtown Cleveland,
Ohio. The company has an agreement in principle to partner with
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. to build and operate the casinos.
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Pure Michigan Campaign
Wins Four Awards
On Wednesday, August 11, 2010, Pure
Michigan, the state of Michigan's official travel and tourism
campaign, announced that the US Travel Association awarded it four
Mercury Awards, Best State Tourism Television Commercials,
Best State Tourism Radio Commercials, Best State Tourism Co-op
(partnership) Program, and Best State Tourism Welcome Center
Program. The awards were presented at the recent US Travel
Association's Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations.
"We are absolutely thrilled and honored to receive four Mercury
Awards, in recognition of the Pure Michigan campaign, from our
colleagues and competitors within the tourism industry," said
George Zimmermann, Vice President of Travel Michigan, a business
unit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
According to the press release, the four awards are in addition to
several existing Mercury Awards the campaign has received,
including: State Tourism Advertising Campaign (2007),
Best State Tourism Television Commercials (2007), and
Best State Tourism Radio Campaign (2008), Best State
Tourism Radio Advertising (2009) and Best State Tourism
Niche Marketing (2009).
The Pure Michigan campaign ran nationally for the second year on
various cable channels. Due to reduced funding adjustments, the
campaign was focused to the regional and in-state advertising
efforts.
"There are millions of Americans who know little or nothing about
the vibrancy, heritage, culture, arts and entertainment in our
great cities, our sandy beaches and stunning overlooks along
America's longest fresh-water coastline, or the majesty and
recreation in our 19 million acres of magnificent forests," Mr.
Zimmerman said. "The Pure Michigan Campaign is designed to
introduce to the nation the attributes that make Michigan such a
popular and unique destination."
According to a Pure Michigan press release, in 2009, the Pure
Michigan campaign motivated 680,000 new trips to Michigan from
outside the Great Lakes region and resulted in more than $250
million being spent at Michigan businesses. For every dollar
spent on the Pure Michigan national campaign, new visits to
Michigan stimulated by the advertising generated $2.23 in new
state tax collections.
The Mercury Awards is a program created by the National Council of
State Tourism Directors to recognize its members for excellence
and creative accomplishment in state tourism marketing and
promotion. For more information, please visit:
http://www.ustravel.org/.
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