May 6--POLLOCK TAKES THE REINS AT HOSPITALITY GROUP: Christopher Pollock has been picked to run the Greater Fort Lauderdale Hospitality Association. The industry veteran will leave his job as general manager of the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale hotel. 

He succeeds Eric "Ric" Base, who was dismissed as president of the association by its chairman, Jim Allmand, after just four months. 

Base said the association was interested in becoming more involved in lobbying and politics. "I'm not a political guy," he said. 

Allmand said conflicts with board members, plus a need for the group to raise its profile with local politicians led to the decision to release Base. 

In contrast to Base, who is Canadian, Pollack has deep roots in Fort Lauderdale. A former manager of one of the city's biggest hotels, the Sheraton Yankee Trader, Pollack also holds degrees in business administration from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. 

"He's been in hospitality management for 25 years," Allmand said. "He's been right in the Fort Lauderdale area, always called it home. He knows the market, he knows the board." 

Pollack begins his new position on Wednesday. Concord Hotels, which operates the 233-room Renaissance, is searching for a new general manager. 

HOLLYWOOD'S OFFICE of tourism kicked off a Visit Hollywood campaign last week with a news conference at The Diplomat Resort. The city's tourism director, Rozeta Rad, formally unveiled a new Web site and a guidebook. 

They cost about $20,000 to develop, Rad said. 

Previously, tourism had been relegated to a page on the site of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the office of tourism along with the city. Now tourism has its own site, www.visithollywood.org. "The travel and tourism committee [of the chamber] has been working very diligently on this," said Donna Boucher, vice president for tourism at the chamber. 

Rad said about 25,000 copies of the Visit Hollywood guidebook have been produced. The 29-page, 5-inch x 8-inch guidebooks are available free from the office of tourism, the Diplomat and various chamber members. 

At the news conference, Diplomat General Manager Gary Sims said the hotel has had $24 million in revenue and 290,000 visitors in its first 90 days. 

SPA ATLANTIS has opened its new, expanded resort at 1350 N. Ocean Drive in Pompano Beach. The 118,000-square-foot resort includes 10 treatment rooms, two pools, an oceanfront Jacuzzi, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and 89 condo-hotel units. The new resort is three miles north of the old location at 1460 S. Ocean Blvd., which has closed. 

B&G Acceptance Corp., one developer of the resort, sold its interest in Spa Atlantis and Port of the Islands, near Naples, in November 2001 to Cahm Resources LLC and Halco Investments LLC. Rates, which include meals, classes, lectures and accommodations, start at $199 a night. 

THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY Association's latest survey reveals a mixed view of vacation travel sentiment. Although consumers felt more positive about their interest in taking trips, the quarterly Traveler Sentiment Index was little changed in the second quarter from the first because of a 17 percent drop in the affordability component. 

THE GREATER FORT Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau won a Pinnacle Award from the readers of Successful Meetings magazine, which recognizes outstanding meeting destinations. 

THE BOCA RATON Resort & Club has named Dr. Richard A. Conlen, Christine E. Lynn and Dr. Donald E. Ross to the advisory board of its Premier Club. 

FORMER ALAMO Rent A Car president Karen Beard has been named executive director of Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale. 

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