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Travel & Tourism Business Briefs - Nov. 2007
Briefs
HOTELS/RESORTS
»Sandpearl Resort & Spa, with 253 rooms and a lagoon-style beachfront pool, has become the first new luxury resort to open in Clearwater in 25 years.
» The Regent Bal Harbour in south Florida is accepting reservations as it prepares for an opening date of Jan. 2. The resort is Bal Harbour Village’s first new hotel in about 50 years.
» The JW Marriott Hotel Miami has spent almost $5 million upgrading its 300 rooms.
» The Sarasota Ritz-Carlton has started offering guided and self-guided tours of the resort’s art collection and its ties to the city’s cultural heritage.
ATTRACTIONS
» About 28% of grandparents rank Orlando as their favorite destination to travel with the grandkids, over Washington, D.C., (20%), and New York City (19%), according to national survey results released by the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Taking the grandkids on the road has increased 12% since 2000. Today, 49% of grandparents have done it, including 31% without the parents.
» Cypress Gardens has a new owner. Land South Holdings, based in Mulberry, paid $16.8 million for the theme park at a bankruptcy auction. Previous owner Kent Buescher will be CEO. Brian Philpot, a Lakeland lawyer, and Robert Harper are partners in Land South Holdings.
