GLOBAL: A new global partnership between PPDS and IHG Hotels & Resorts will bring Philips MediaSuite TVs, designed especially for the hospitality industry with Chromecast built-in, into IHG hotels for the first time, delivering more entertainment choice, personalization, and control for fully tailored guest experiences. IHG will begin introducing Philips MediaSuite TVs into selected hotels across all of its brands, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the Holiday Inn brand family, Crowne Plaza, voco, and Hotel Indigo in the coming months.

MIAMI: The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the launch of its reimagined website at MiamiandMiamiBeach.com. The new and enhanced site will feature the latest in personalization and artificial intelligence in addition to innovative immersive experiences for deeper storytelling. Visitors actively planning a trip to Miami and Miami Beach will now have lightning-fast site searches aided by artificial intelligence designed to learn from user behavior to deliver the most relevant content. The website will allow for dynamic content personalization based on user’s behavior. Newly implemented keyword tags allow users to explore the site based on their topics of interest, helping travelers achieve a more personalized experience.

NEW YORK: Bizzabo, the Event Experience Operating System (OS), has achieved Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 compliance. This accomplishment demonstrates Bizzabo’s ongoing commitment to information security. SOC 2 Type 2 compliance is an industry standard among third-party service organizations that deal with client data. Set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, successful fulfillment of these standards asserts that an organization’s internal systems and controls effectively meet audit standards continuously while ensuring the protection of existing and potential customers’ assets. 

VISALIA, CALIF.: Visalia has been designated the first-ever Certified Autism Destination in the country, awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. This follows a year-long effort by local tourism partners to better address the travel needs of autistic adventurers and their families in the destination. Recent studies conducted by Autism Travel show that 87% of parents with an autistic child do not travel, but 93% would be more likely to if autism certified options were available. Now, travelers can enjoy inclusive and accessible travel to Visalia and the nearby Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)—the trade association representing restaurants and the foodservice industry in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area—has announced the appointment of its new president and CEO, Shawn Townsend, effective mid-January 2023. Townsend has spent more than a decade in the District of Columbia government, eventually appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser as the inaugural director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture. Under Townsend’s leadership, RAMW will continue its legacy of legislative and regulatory representation, education and workforce development, marketing, small business support, and more.