October 31, 2013 - Destination Hotels & Resorts, the nation's fourth largest hospitality company in the nation, has announced the results of its 'State of the Meetings Industry' survey. The survey, conducted with 380+ meeting planners that have held a meeting at one or more of their 40 properties nationwide, identifies the top 2013 trends and state of the industry.

1. Location, Location, Location - While planners consistently referenced budget parameters as their biggest challenge, in a surprise shift “location” led as the most important consideration in selecting a venue (with “rate,” “flexible space” and “amenities” following closely behind).
2. Being Green Effects the Bottom Line - Eco-friendly practices are not new to the meetings industry; group gatherings have been going “green” for some time. However, meeting planners are well ahead of the general leisure travel market in evaluating green practices as part of their booking decision. While 45% of planners say eco-friendly practices are ‘somewhat important’ when choosing a venue, an additional 18% say it’s ‘extremely important,’ a clear indicator that hotels and resorts are going to see an impact on securing future business through offering thoughtful, established programs.
3. What’s on the Table Matters More than Who’s in the Kitchen - More than 78% of planners identified culinary offerings as an important part of their selection process, 30% of them noting it was ‘extremely important.’ Surprisingly, after years of seeing big-name chefs attach their moniker to hotel and resort restaurants, meeting planners were very clear on one thing: they don’t care. Less than 10% cited a ‘signature chef’ as an important factor in how they evaluate culinary options. What do they care about? Smart, well-planned CMP packages that focus on health and nutrition (43%) as well as specialized dietary offerings (35%).
4. Let's Get Physical: Building a Team Adventure - Healthy eating options aren’t the only lifestyle factor that meeting planners are focusing on in the coming year. When asked about teambuilding trends, more than half (54%) indicated that adventure/active options were of the greatest interest. Other attention-grabbing options that received less interest but still deserves consideration include culinary, wellness, cultural and community service activities.
5. Go Figure: Meetings Go Social - Half of meeting planners cited social media is an integral part of the planning process and check TripAdvisor and online reviews before deciding on a hotel or resort.
6. Technology - More than 36% noted an increase in technology integration with meetings compared to a year ago, with strong indications that the trend will continue. Streaming media, web conferencing and on-site video production were the most common uses, with more than 25% of meetings relying on at least one.

A full downloadable copy of the research whitepaper, as well as complete case study examples, is available on the Destination Hotels & Resorts website: http://www.destinationmeetings.com/whitepaper2012

About Destination Hotels & Resorts
Destination Hotels & Resorts is a privately held hospitality management company headquartered in Colorado. With more than 35 independent, luxury and upscale hotels, resorts and golf clubs, Destination is the third largest hospitality management company in the country. The company's portfolio features more than 9,300 guest rooms, 16 golf courses and 17 full-service spas. Destination Hotels & Resorts properties are located in key metropolitan and resort markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Aspen, Lake Tahoe, Seattle, Denver and San Diego. The company is a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based investment, development and management firm Lowe Enterprises and the Lowe Hospitality Group.

For a complete list of properties in the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection, please visit www.destinationhotels.com.