Bad Tour
Fans of Breaking Bad can tour sites where the cable-TV show was filmed.
abqtrolley.comAlbuquerque
Local Update
The first phase of the $20 million renovation of the Albuquerque Convention Center is under way; a second phase will begin this fall. Planned enhancements include a new façade, enlarged windows, and a remodeling of the ballroom and the West Building's lower atrium, along with the addition of a café. The project is slated for completion in mid-2014.
JetBlue has begun daily nonstop service between New York City's JFK International Airport and Albuquerque International Sunport.
The Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a meetings incentive, offering a discount of $25 per room, per night, to any group that signs a hotel contract before Dec. 31 of this year. To qualify for the discount, the group must book at least 50 rooms for at least two nights. Contact the bureau for details at itsatrip.org/meeting-planners.
Albuquerque's Casas de Sueños Old Town Historic Inn, a vintage 1930s adobe-style hotel with 21 casitas, opened an event offshoot, the Casa de Banquets, on Central Avenue in what formerly served as Gus's Trading Post. The venue can accommodate up to 180 people.
The 188-room Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town has added a new state-of-the-art LED ceiling-lighting system to its 14,000-square-foot Alvarado Ballroom. In all, the property offers 41,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 21,000 square feet of outdoor events space surrounded by lush gardens.
Meeting Hotels
Properties include the 411-room Albuquerque Marriott Hotel, 395-room Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, 314-room Radisson Hotel Albuquerque, 295-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Albuquerque, 135-room Hotel Blue and 107-room Andaluz.
Historic Old Town is the site of the 188-room Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town and 173-room Best Western Rio Grande Inn.
In the Balloon Fiesta Corridor/North I-25, properties include the 311-room Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North, 168-room Clarion and 150-room Nativo Lodge.
The 276-room Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel and 150-room Courtyard by Marriott Albuquerque Airport are at Albuquerque International Sunport.
The 228-room Sandia Resort and Casino is 10 minutes from Albuquerque International Sunport.
Find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, at mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Albuquerque Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 167,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 30; (505) 768-4575; albuquerquecc.com
Airport Transit
Albuquerque International Sunport, about five miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $15; by shuttle, $18
Taxes
Room tax, 6%; sales tax, 7%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%
Group Venue
Attendees can kick back and enjoy the burgers, salads and local draughts at the Chama River Brewing Co. The private Porter Room hosts groups of up to 40 within walls lined with the works of famed photographer Elliot Porter, while the Brewers Lounge seats up to 50. (505) 342-1800; chamariverbrewery.com
Contact
Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 733-9918; itsatrip.org
Make Tracks
Traveling
between Albuquerque and Santa Fe? Take the 80-minute ride aboard the
New Mexico Rail Runner Express (
nmrailrunner.com), which traverses
ancient pueblo land with stunning scenery.
Santa Fe
Local Update
The Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a
new incentive for meetings called Book for Good, in which the bureau
will make a donation to the group's own foundation, a scholarship fund
or a nonprofit organization of their choice. All Santa Fe meetings
booked by Dec. 31, 2013, and taking place any time in the future are
eligible to receive a donation based on room nights and the meeting's
time of year. See details at santafe.org.
A renovation of La
Fonda on the Plaza's 178 guest rooms and halls is under way. When
completed this summer, the updated rooms and corridors will have new
lighting, floor coverings, handcrafted furnishings and more. The
property has 20,347 square feet of event space.
The 65-casita
Encantado Resort, right, is now managed by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
The property, which has a spa and five meeting and event spaces, has
been renamed the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe.
The
new Drury Plaza hotel complex currently is under construction in the
city's historic St. Vincent Hospital building and the adjoining Marion
Hall, one block east of Santa Fe Plaza. The project comprises two
properties -- a 182-room hotel in the hospital building and a 30-room
boutique hotel in Marion Hall. The larger property is slated to open
next summer, while no date has yet been set for completion of the
boutique hotel. Both will have meeting space, with details still to
come.
The 219-room Eldorado Hotel & Spa has debuted a new
4,000-square-foot gallery for group use, bringing the total meeting and
event space at the property to 23,185 square feet.
Founded in
1989, the Santa Fe School of Cooking celebrated the debut of its new
facility on North Guadalupe Street last fall. The new venue has two
kitchens, with capacities of up to 10 and 60 people, respectively,
available for private lessons and events.
Also last fall, the
Santa Fe Culinary Academy opened in the School of Cooking's old
location. In addition to offering private classes, the academy runs a
training program for current and aspiring chefs, who operate a
restaurant on the premises. The facility has 4,000 square feet of
meeting and event space.
Meeting HotelsSanta Fe properties
include the 219-room Eldorado Hotel & Spa, 172-room La Fonda,
157-room La Posada de Santa Fe, 157-room Sage Inn, 110-room Bishop's
Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa, 65-room Four Seasons Resort Rancho
Encantado Santa Fe, 57-room Inn of the Anasazi and 43-room Old Santa Fe
Inn.
Just outside the city is the 395-room Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center Santa
Fe Convention Center, exhibit space, 18,000 square feet; number of
meeting rooms, 11; (505) 955-6200; communityconventioncenter.com
Airport TransitAlbuquerque International Sunport, about 60 miles from downtown Santa Fe. Transfer cost by shuttle, $27 one way, $47 roundtrip
Santa Fe Municipal Airport, 10 miles from downtown Santa Fe. Transfer cost by shuttle, $15 one way, $27 roundtrip
TaxesRoom tax, 7%; sales tax, 8.1875%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15.1875%
Group VenueTia's
Cocina can host breakfasts, lunches and dinners for up to 60 guests.
Chef Estevan Garcia, a Santa Fe native, prepares Northern New Mexican
dishes like the blue corn pancakes. (505) 988-4900;
hotelchimayo.com/santa-fe-dining.aspx
ContactSanta Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 777-2489; santafe.org