CELEBRATE SANDRA HAWKE
Please join us! We’d like to wish Sandra the best, and thank her for her support and contributions to the association over the years.
- Open House celebrating Sandra Hawke,
her retirement and her commitment
to the community.
- Thursday, January 16th
- 1:00-5:00 p.m.
- The Montana Pavilion.
HOTEL WATCH IN BILLINGS!
We will strive to keep you up to date via our research into the status of new hotels, being built or rumored, in the Billings/Yellowstone County area. Resources are Billings Gazette, Big Sky EDA, YCLA member properties, and Cynroc photography. There continue to be 8-11 new hotels rumored, planned, or in construction. Please check the YCLA website for updates between newsletters. http://www.yellowstonecountylodgingassociation.com/hotelwatch.html
- Homewood Suites – photo Jan. 8, 2014
- Status: Framing, windows, and pillars moving rapidly – looking good to meet schedule.
- General: a Hilton extended-stay hotel, 4-story, rooms with full kitchens, breakfast and light dinners served with beer or wine Monday through Thursday. Erck Hotel group of Missoula.
- Location: Between the Hampton Inn & Suites and The Big Horn Resort on Ember Lane off Zoo Drive and Interstate 90.
- Completion: Estimated June 2014 at a cost of $13-14 million
- Rates: Winter room rates will be approximately $130 and rise to $150 in summer.
- Holiday Inn Express – photo Jan. 8, 2014
- Status: Concrete elevator shafts, stairwells, walls, and window frames on first floor.
- General: No specific info at this time. Sign shows 5-story hotel.
- Location: Across from the Hampton Inn & Suites in front of the Rib & Chop House on Ember Lane off Zoo Drive and Interstate 90.
- Completion: sign states 2014
- Rates: $131 per night (per website, other HIExpress in Billings)
- LaQuinta – photo Jan. 8, 2014
- Status: Tremendous progress, concrete, wood framing, first and second floors.
- General: Four story, 85 rooms. Their “new urban design – stucco and stone. A Midwest Ventures Kelly Inn property
- Location: Frontage Road next to Cracker Barrel Restaurant
- Completion: No date known at this time, but progress is rapid.
- Rates: No info at this time.
- Ledgestone – photo Jan. 8, 2014
- Status: Exterior finishing well along
- General: Three-story, 80-room. George Swift, owns Aspen Hotels and Western Steel based in suburban Seattle, invested $8 million for hotel, land, and furnishings. He has built more than 50 hotels in 8 states. Rumored possible extended-stay.
- Location: Just off South Billings Blvd, next to Holiday Gas Station
- Completion: No date known at this time, but from the looks of the progress, it could be early spring.
- Rates: No info at this time.
YCLA JANUARY MEMBERS' MEETING
YCLA Meeting – January 15, 2014, 12:30pm at The Depot. Kreative Kapers will be providing a buffet lunch for $12 per.
EVENTS TO PLAN ON
MetraPark – Great events likely to bring out-of-town guests to Billings!
• Great Rockies Sport Show – Jan 10-12
• Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival – Jan 25
• Billings Market Association (Private Show) – Jan 30 – Feb 2
• Family Life Expo – Feb 1
• All Class State High School Wrestling – Feb 14 – 15
• The Band Perry in Concert – Feb 16
• Eastern A Divisional Boys & Girls Basketball – Feb 27 – Mar 1
• Harlem Globetrotters 2014 “Fans Rule” World Tour – Mar 2
• Southern B Divisional Boys & Girls Basketball – Mar 6 – 8
• State AA Boys & Girls Basketball – Mar 13-15
• Spotlight Dance Cup – Mar 14-16
• 50th Salespersons’ Breakfast – Mar 20
• Montana Open Wrestling – Mar 29-30
• Montana Energy 2014 Tradeshow & Convention – Apr 2 – 3
• PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational – Apr 11-13
• Billings Market Association (Private Show) – Apr 25 – 27
• Energy Exposition – June 25 – 26
• Montana Fair – Aug 8-16
• Billings Market Association (Private Show) – Sept 19 – 21
Events coming to Billings from your CVB/TBID!
Alex Tyson has provided a full detail of the outstanding work her staff has done in booking events for Billings. Please click here to view 3 pages that describe upcoming events – dates, room nights, and more.
According to Alex, “Room nights in parenthesis denote that we serviced the group with registration bags, welcome assistance, or the like, but did not book the specific convention/meeting. Those not in parentheses are bookings that originated out of our office or, that we partnered with an entity to bring to Billings.
“The big win this quarter was the 2014 and 2016 NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships and learning that Billings will be the permanent host city for AAU Grand Nationals Wrestling every June!”
Watch for an exciting special announcement on January 20th – a major convention to the community!
Also, the full report can always be found on this page of the VisitBillings website http://www.visitbillings.com/tbid.php
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