SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2008 | NEW MEXICO BUSINESS WEEKLY HOSPITALITY newmexico.bizjournals.com 13
[email protected] The Buffalo Thunder Resort in Pojoaque provides more convention space than had previously been available in the Santa Fe area. Below, the new resort’s exterior. Room for all Study says Native resorts only add to NM’s convention allure BY MEGAN KAMERICK | NMBW STAFF like Toyota and Sony, he says. And those niche “We’ve had excellent success with that,” says business away from Albuquerque’s facilities, the corporate meetings can be particularly lucrative. Dale Lockett, president of the ACVB. rise of Native-owned hotels and resorts means an The Hyatt Tamaya Resort and Spa is the glit- “They tend to have much bigger budgets on Such a model holds great potential for boosting increase in city business, Ganderton found. ter for Albuquerque. At least that’s the way Jerry a national basis,” Westenhaver says. “They can Albuquerque as a regional destination, according Developing these niche convention and meet- Westenhaver sees it. drop $1 million in four days.” to a study by an economics professor at the Uni- ing markets targets travelers with higher expec- Westenhaver is the general manager of the re- The Albuquerque Convention and Visitors versity of New Mexico that was commissioned by tations and more money to spend, according to sort — the city’s fi rst high-end, destination resort Bureau has worked with the Hyatt Tamaya to the ACVB. Philip Ganderton found that the Na- the report. And while pueblos do not pay lodgers’ when it opened in 2001 on the Pueblo of Santa attract such meetings and in turn, expose those tive-owned resorts around Albuquerque have had taxes, there is spillover from this increased busi- Ana near Bernalillo.