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Flint's
Bishop International Airport Sets Monthly Passenger
Record
FLINT,
Mich: Even after Bishop International Airport came
in with a record setting enplanement year for 2003
with 952,309 passengers -- up 31.42 percent year
over year -- 2004 is already looking even more
promising than that. The final numbers are in for
February, and FNT was up 41.10% over February 2003
figures. The facility hosted a total of 105,082
passengers. This tops the previous record of 92,726
monthly passengers, which was set in December of
2003.MORE->->
National
Trust Promotes Heritage Tourism
From
the oldest city under the U.S. flag established on
a tropical Caribbean island as a Spanish settlement
to chart the New World, to a historic resort
community nestled in a beautiful Rocky Mountain
valley with links to a rich frontier past, America
offers alternative vacation destinations that
symbolize an increasing dedication to historic
preservation and celebrate the unique heritage of
the people and places that established our diverse
nation. More->->
Michigan's
Winning Radio Campaign on Tourism
State
Tourism Directors Agree Michigan Commercials Best
in Country
LANSING,
Mich: The National Council of State Tourism
Directors (NCSTD) honored Michigan with a Mercury
Award, Winner of Broadcast - Radio Commercial
category, at the Educational Seminar for Tourism
Organizers (ESTO) in Asheville, North
Carolina.
"Having
Michigan's radio campaign recognized as the best in
the country is quite gratifying and goes a long way
in validating the hard work that went into these
promotions," said George Zimmermann, vice president
of Travel Michigan. "These award winning radio
spots have contributed to the dramatic increase the
michigan.org web site is experiencing. The call to
action on these radio spots is michigan.org, and so
far this summer we have experienced a 91% increase
in web sessions on michigan.org," Zimmermann added.
MORE->->
Crestline
Hotels & Resorts Appoints Paul L. Gjerpen
General Manager for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown
Detroit
Crestline
Hotels & Resorts, Inc. today announced the
appointment of Paul L. Gjerpen as General Manager
for the 198 guestroom Hilton Garden Inn in downtown
Detroit's historic Harmonie Park. The hotel
opened only two years ago and is located just one
block from Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers'
Stadium; Ford Field, the Detroit Lions' Stadium;
and one block from Compuware's corporate
headquarters. It is also within walking
distance to the Detroit Opera House, Greektown
Casino and in close proximity to many
restaurants. The hotel was the first new
hotel to be built in downtown Detroit in 12 years.
MORE->->
http://www.hiltongardeninn.com
/
MICHIGAN
RADIO (CONTINUED)
The
Mercury Awards is an awards program created by the
National Council of State Tourism Directors to
recognize its members for excellence and creative
accomplishment in state tourism marketing and
promotion, and to inspire the continued development
of truly imaginative and exciting destination
marketing and promotion programs.
"The
better the client, the easier it is to do
award-winning advertising. We're lucky to be a part
of Travel Michigan's great team!" says Marcie
Brogan, managing partner of the agency that created
the spot. Tourism is a $12.5 billion industry in
Michigan, supporting 173,000 jobs, and generating
more than $812 million in State and local taxes.
Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation, is the State of
Michigan's official agency for the promotion of
tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state's
tourism industry and provides valuable visitor
information services.
CONTACT:
Kirsten Tava of Travel Michigan,
+1-517-335-1871/
CRESTLLINE
(CONTINUED)
Mr. Gjerpen joins Crestline Hotels & Resorts as
general manager for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown
Detroit from Kalahari Waterpark Resort in Sandusky,
OH, which included a 600 guestroom hotel and 80,000
square foot indoor water park resort. He
brings more than 25 years of hospitality industry
management experience to his new role. Mr.
Gjerpen began his career with Hyatt Hotels
Corporation in Dearborn, MI, and during his sixteen
year tenure with Hyatt held various management
positions. He has also been the general
manager for the Harrison Conference Center in Glen
Cove, NY, and the general manager for the
Doubletree Hotel, Novi, MI.
"Paul brings an extensive background and proven
track record in hospitality management to the
Hilton Garden Inn Detroit," said Dave Durbin,
President & CEO, Crestline Hotels &
Resorts. "We welcome his enthusiasm, knowledge of
Detroit and the surrounding markets, as well as his
expertise in financial management and strategic
planning. This new downtown hotel has been
embraced by business and leisure clients alike, and
we know Paul will continue to provide excellence in
service," added Durbin.
Mr.
Gjerpen attended Henry Ford College in Dearborn, MI
with a major in Hospitality Management. Since
1989, he has been a Certified Hotel Administrator
from the American Hotel & Lodging
Association. He has been a board member of
the Greater Louisville Hotel/Motel Association, the
Kentucky Hotel/Motel Association, the Louisville
Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well as a
board member for the Boy Scouts of America, the
March of Dimes, and the Breeders Cup Task
Force. Mr. Gjerpen can be reached at
paul.gjerpen@crestlinehotels.com.
About
the Hotel
The
Hilton Garden Inn Detroit welcomes guests with its
handsome 10-story red brick exterior that
architecturally blends into this charming and
historic neighborhood. Inside, guests will
find superior service and hospitality as well as
198 spacious guestrooms complete with complimentary
high-speed Internet access and printer
capabilities. The hotel also offers an indoor
heated swimming pool and whirlpool spa; a
complimentary 24-hour Business Center; 3,400 square
feet of meeting and banquet space; The Hunter House
restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and
dinner; a Fitness Center; and a Pavilion Pantry(TM)
convenience mart. The Hilton Garden Inn
Detroit is located at 351 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit,
MI 48226. For more information and
reservations guests can call 1.313.967.0900 or
visit the hotel online at
http://www.hiltongardeninn.com.
About
the Company:
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is one of the
nation's largest independent hospitality management
companies. Founded in 2000, the Company
presently manages 41 hotels, resorts and conference
and convention centers with over 9,900 rooms in 12
states and the District of Columbia.
Crestline Hotels & Resorts manages properties
independently and under such well regarded brands
as Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Renaissance, Sheraton,
Crowne Plaza, Wyndham and Radisson.
Additional information about the hotel management
company is available at the company's web site:
http://www.crestlinehotels.com.
Note: Certain matters discussed herein are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Certain, but not necessarily all, of such
statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology, such as "believes,"
"expects," "may," "will," "should," "estimates" or
"anticipates" or the negative thereof or comparable
terminology.
CONTACT:
Gayle MacIntyre of Global Ink Communications,
+1-404-643-8222, gaylemacintyre@aol.com
/
Web
site: http://www.crestlinehotels.com
FLINT
BISOP INTERNATIONAL (CONTINUED)
All
of Bishop Airport's airlines showed growth
year-over year. Delta Connection rose by 122.89%;
Northwest Airlines grew 38.94%; ATA
Connection
increased
by 36.59%; AirTran Airways was up 14.29%, Midwest
Connect saw a
10.31%
increase, and Funjet Vacations rose by 1.32%.
Continental Connection
has
been in service since July of 2003; so
year-over-year figures are not yet
available.
Airport
Director, Jim Rice stated, "This is the sort of
month airport
directors
dream of ... all of our airlines have seen success,
and our
passengers
have enjoyed a broader scope of top-notch service
than we've ever
been
able to provide for them before. With this kind of
continued loyalty
from
our passengers, I expect 2004 to bring even more
increases in service."
Bishop
International Airport is currently showing a 35.55%
increase year-
to-date
over 2003 figures. This remarkable growth has been
spurred on by our
low
airfare structure, introduced by AirTran Airways.
By way of comparison,
the
current national enplanement average, year-to-date,
is negative 1.1
percent.
As
the airport develops, it continues to draw more and
more passengers
from
all of Southeastern Michigan, including the state's
economic engine:
Oakland
County -- just 10 miles south of the airport --
where 62,000
businesses
reside. Bishop's convenient location to many
Fortune 500
businesses,
easy-in, easy-out access from I-75 and I-69, low
fares, beautiful
facility,
short security check-in lines and world-class
airlines have enticed
more
of their travelers to choose Flint as their gateway
in and out of the
region.
Bishop
International Airport (FNT) is predicted to be the
third fastest
growing
airport in the nation from 2003 to 2008, according
to a recent study
by
Michael J. Boyd of The Boyd Group. As the easy-in,
easy-out airport of
Southeastern
Michigan, Flint also offers the lowest average
airfares in the
state.
Currently, the facility is served by AirTran
Airways, with nonstop jet
service
to Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Atlanta; ATA
Connection, with service
to
Chicago-Midway; Continental Connection, with
Cleveland service; Delta
Connection,
with jet flights to Cincinnati and Atlanta; Midwest
Connect,
featuring
nonstop service to Milwaukee; Northwest Airlines,
with nonstop
flights
to Minneapolis, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and
Detroit; and
seasonally
by Funjet Vacations, with service to Punta Cana,
Cancun and Las
Vegas.
For reservations and flight information from Flint,
visit our web site
at
http://www.bishopairport.org
For
more information on Bishop International Airport's
record breaking
month,
please contact the Director of Marketing and Public
Relations at
(810)
235-6560.
You
CAN Get There From Here!
SOURCE
Bishop International Airport Authority
CONTACT:
Pat Corfman, Director of Marketing and Public
Relations of
Bishop
International Airport Authority, +1-810-235-6560
ext. 120,
Pager:
+1-810-389-0040/
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