Danielle
Courtenay
As of Oct. 1, 49
Orlando-area hotels no longer are receiving convention sales leads
from the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau
because of a provision in the bureau’s new contract with the county
that prevents such leads going to non-Orange County member
properties.
Sharon Donoghue, Orange County’s deputy
county administrator, said the decision was made because Orange
County’s hotel taxes go to the bureau, and therefore tax dollars
should only benefit hotels within the county.
In response, the Gaylord Palms Resort
& Convention Center, a Kissimmee property with 1,406 rooms and
almost half a million square feet of meeting space, has canceled
its membership with the bureau, worth about $100,000.
“Our biggest concern is for meeting
planners who have grown to trust the Orlando CVB as the regionwide
resource for their Central Florida planning needs,” said Gaylord
Palms’ general manager, Kemp Gallineau. “This matter of local
politics will cause additional work for planners, who will need to
contact up to three CVBs with an RFP.”
“I think it’s short-sighted,” Donoghue
said of the hotel’s move. “They’ll be back.”
Danielle Courtenay, senior vice
president of global publicity and public affairs at the O/OCCVB,
said there are exceptions to the new policy: All members,
regardless of county, will receive leads for conventions of 50,000
people or more, and the bureau can ask the county for leeway in
reaching out to non-county hotels if deemed necessary. Courtenay
said leads will be sent only to hotels that meet the planner’s
specifications.
Courtenay also noted that non-county
member hotels still will be able to participate in ads, listings
and events. “The county and the CVB have a great relationship,” she
said. “We’re prepared to be flexible so we can provide a high level
of service.”