Saturday, December 31, 2011

10% off at Cafe Tu-o-tu in Washington, DC


Café Tu-o-tu, named for the 202 area code of Washington, DC, is offering 10% off all orders to Planit Meetins friends. When you place your order, at the restaurant, or if you call, for delivery service, mention Planit Meetings, to receive your discount.

Café Tu-o-tu, a longtime friend and client of Planit Meetings, offers delicious and affordable breakfast choices, as well as sandwiches, paninis and salads, with a Mediterranean twist. The restaurant, located in an historic row house, has a European vibe, offers free WiFi, and the two cozy dining rooms make you want to linger, and, in fact, you can stay all day, sipping expresso, if you like

Tu-o-tu is located in a charming, historic row house on M Street, by the Four Seasons Hotel (whose guests swarm there for breakfast); they will be opening a second restaurant, at the other end of M Street, by Key Bridge, at the end of January. Planit Meetings’ exclusive 10% discount will be honored at both locations.

www.cafetuotu.com      202-298-7777 
2816 M Street, NW, by the Four Seasons Hotel

Thursday, December 29, 2011

...and George Washington U Graduation is same time as Georgetown's: May 17 - May 20, 2012!

A George Washington University parent, who saw our blog about Georgetown University's 4-day graduation weekend and hotels, reminded us that GW's graduation is the same time as Georgetown's, making hotel rooms in the Washington, and nearby Virginia, even scarcer. The same offer -- complimentary child care, and pet-walking, for families traveling to DC with children or pets -- holds for all GW graduates, if you make your hotel reservations with us!  Please do email us your hotel needs for graduation, and we'll get you the lowest, best, NOT prepaid rates.  .... If you're not sure, you can always make your hotel reservations, and then cancel...Cancel policy is 4 p.m. eastern time, the day before arrival.

All the best, and good luck to your Colonial graduates!  

Please email special requirements and questions.

susan@planitmeetings.com, and on behalf of kevin at kelder@planitmeetings.com

Commencement Weekend 2012


Thursday, May 17

5 p.m. Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

Friday, May 18

11:30 a.m.Elliott School of International Affairs Celebration

3 p.m. Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony

3:30 p.m. School of Business Celebration

7:30 p.m. School of Engineering and Applied Science Celebration

Saturday, May 19
8 a.m. Graduate School of Education and Human Development

9:30 a.m. University Interfaith Baccalaureate Service
Western Presbyterian Church, 2401 Virginia Avenue, N.W.
10:30 a.m. School of Nursing Celebration

Noon Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Celebration #1* 

Noon School of Public Health and Health Services Celebration

3:30 p.m. Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Celebration #2*

4 p.m. School of Medicine and Health Sciences - Health Sciences Celebration

7:30 p.m. College of Professional Studies Celebration


Sunday, May 20
9:30 a.m. University Commencement on the National Mall

2:30 p.m. Law School Celebration
2:30 p.m. School of Medicine and Health Sciences - M.D. Celebration

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Georgetown University Graduation 2012, Thursday, May 17 - Sunday, May 20

Hoya Saxa to Georgetown families from a Georgetown parent! Having been through undergrad graduation recently, and expect to be rejoicing during a grad school graduation, in about two years, Planit Meetings and I can personally help you through the four days of graduation events, that commence with the Senior Convo on Thursday, and end with Baccalaureate Mass, followed by a good brunch, and finally, the law school's graduation, on Sunday.

The George Washington University's graduation weekend is the same dates as Georgetown -- May 17 - May 20, so be prepared for partying, parents, families, cars, crowds all over Georgetown and the West End of town (and gridlock on the bridges), re: graduation weekend...

The four days of graduation events are poignant, with emotions hitting you everywhere...as in rejoicing, with the parent goal of launching being fulfilled, but a bit of sadness, as in time marches on and our kids march away, worry about our kids and the economy. Further, it can get exhausting.

But, about graduation, Washington is humid in May, more humid than you remember, and it will be hot by then. Consider all the outdoor activities, and receptions on the lawn, and some in tents, that all the bottles of water being handed out everywhere on campus, will not mitigate.

Whether you're coming to DC for all four days of events, or just the commencement ceremony, Planit Meetings is here for you...re: getting you the lowest hotel rates, at the best hotels, for graduation, and helping you take care of your family's needs, when you're in Washington. We live and work here, a few blocks from the GU campus, in fact, and know the city, and the hotels, and parking and all that.

For Georgetown University families, who use Planit Meetings' for graduation hotel reservations, we offer complimentary child care (or grandparent watching) and or pet-sitting. We will make your dinner reservations, and guide you through any pratfall or issue during the four days of graduation.

Don't hesitate to email us about our services for Georgetown's graduation or questions: susan@planitmeetings.com (Please mention GU's graduation, when you email us.)

Reservations are not prepaid, and can be canceled without penalty, until the day prior to arrival.

And yes, the senior ball is very fun, and very worth attending, even for parents.

Georgetown University Graduation 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
2:00 p.m. Senior Convocation, McDonough Arena, with reception at O’Donovan Hall
5:00 p.m. MAGIS Ceremony for School of Medicine, Gorman Building
5:00 p.m. Phi Beta Kappa Initiation, Gaston Hall; reception
Friday, May 18, 2012
9:00 a.m. Graduate School Commencement and Doctoral Diploma Awarding Ceremony
10:00 a.m. McDonough School of Business Tropaia, Gaston Hall
10:45 a.m. Graduate School-SFS Master’s Diploma Awarding Ceremony
11:00 a.m. Graduate School – Arts and Sciences Master's Programs Diploma Awarding Ceremony
11:00 a.m. Graduate School-Biomedical and NHS Programs Diploma Awarding Ceremony
11:00 a.m. Graduate School-Georgetown Public Policy Institute Diploma Awarding Ceremony
11:00 a.m. McDonough School of Business Tropaia Reception
12:30 p.m. McDonough School of Business MBA Commencement
12:30 p.m. Georgetown Public Policy Institute Reception
12:30 p.m. Georgetown College Tropaia, Gaston Hall
1:45 p.m. McDonough School of Business MBA Commencement Reception
1:45 p.m. Georgetown College Dean’s Reception
2:00 p.m. School of Nursing & Health Studies Tropaia Ceremony,
3:00 p.m. Georgetown College Faculty of Languages & Linguistics Awards Ceremony
3:00 p.m. Walsh School of Foreign Service Tropaia, Gaston Hall
3:30 p.m. School of Nursing & Health Studies Pinning Ceremony
3:30 p.m. School for Continuing Studies Commencement
4:00 p.m. Walsh School of Foreign Service Dean’s Reception
5:00 p.m. School for Continuing Studies Dean’s Reception
5:15 p.m. Medical School Warwick Evans Awards Ceremony, Gaston Hall
6:45 p.m. Medical School Dean’s Reception, 2nd Floor Healy
7:45 p.m. MSFS Awards Ceremony, Gaston Hall
8:45 p.m. MSFS Reception, Dahlgren Quadrangle
9:00 p.m. Senior Ball, Union Station
Saturday, May 19, 2012
9:00 a.m. Georgetown College Commencement Ceremony, Healy Lawn
9:30 a.m. Medical School Graduation Mass, Holy Trinity Church
12:00 p.m. School of Nursing & Health StudiesCommencement, Healy Lawn
3:00 p.m. Walsh School of Foreign Service Commencement, Healy Lawn
6:00 p.m. McDonough School of Business Commencement Ceremony, Healy Lawn 
7:30 p.m. McDonough School of Business Dean’s Reception,
PWC Plaza, Hariri Building
8:30 p.m. Georgetown University Law Center Graduation Gala, National Portrait Gallery
Sunday, May 20, 2012
9:00 a.m. Baccalaureate Mass, Healy Lawn
10:45 a.m. Commencement Brunch, Leavey Center Ballroom
11:00 a.m. Medical School Commencement Ceremony, Constitution Hall
1:00 p.m. Medical School Reception, The Med-Dent Podium
2:00 p.m. Law Center Commencement, Healy Lawn
3:00 p.m. Law Center Commencement Diploma Distributions

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Teddy Roosevelt Bedroom
Jim reading Grisham
Sometimes, at Planit Meetings, we send friends to check out hotels that we can't visit. A long-time client of Planit Meetings' is interested in hosting a small spring meeting at at Hotel Colorado, a historic resort about 140 miles from Denver, not far from Aspen. Been reading about its luxurious spa treatments, for years, but have heard mixed reviews. Friends Julie and Jim spent a November weekend there, looking around for Planit Meetings, while having fun. 

Julie's and Jim's report:
We love the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  We just spent a three-day weekend there in the Teddy Roosevelt suite overlooking the garden, which was covered in golden elm leaves.  TR’s last visit was in 1903, and his room has been preserved to honor him.  the hotel itself was built in 1893 and retains a quality of service predating World War I in its luxurious furniture, carpeting,  and fixtures, but also in the personal attention guests receive from the well-trained and conscientious staff.  There is a comfortable bar and beautiful restaurant both filled with beautiful things from La Belle Epoque (1890-1914), like Art Nouveau statue lamps by Moreau and comfortable, period dining furniture. 

The front lobby is enormous and filled with large, over-stuffed chairs and sofas placed upon oriental carpets, and where one is warmed by two huge fireplaces which in cold weather are always aglow with crackling cedar logs burning in the high-ceiling rooms, where Victorian draperies swirl over very tall windows in an atmosphere of great comfort, where anyone would feel at home.  There is also a beautiful grand piano in the lobby, where one can often hear soft music being played during the evening.  

A few steps from the hotel is the largest natural hot spring spa in the world, where there are two very large pools fed by the hot spring and by another natural spring to cool the water in one pool down to 104 degrees and the other down to 90 degrees.  The spa water is filled with healthy minerals and is wonderfully invigorating almost any time, except for the four days a year the spa is not open.  We spent hours lounging in the 90-degree pool and only a few minutes in the 104-degree pool.  Muscular aches disappear in the waters, and during WWII, the hotel was filled with wounded soldiers who were sent there to enjoy the spa during rehabilitation. This made the best off-season getaway.

Prices were low, the entire hotel looked very clean, service was unobtrusive, but helpful. The surroundings were beautiful. Rates are high during ski season, and summer season, but everything --restaurant included,  was reasonable, affordable (in this economy!!). 

We'd return in a flash.  http://hotelcolorado.com/

--So there you have it. If you have questions, email Susan at susan@planitmeetings.com





Monday, December 26, 2011

Minimizing Allergies and Asthma During Hotel Stays


If you have asthma and allergies, you how tough hotel stays can be. 

Hotels are not required to toss their mattresses, pillows, curtains and other furnishings after a certain amount of time; these items can become allergy triggers if they're not cleaned and replaced regularly. 

Some hotels are certified allergy and asthma friendly, with special filters, cleaning products, and bedding fabrics that are less allergy-producing. However, if you’re attending a conference, you will not have hotel choices, that might be better for people who have asthma and allergies. 

In general, if you have allergies, avoid staying in pet-friendly hotels, or hotels that have smoking floors, choose hotels that have blinds, instead of drapes, minimal upholstery (no fabric-covered headboards) and floors that are not carpeted. Ask about thread count linen used at the hotel you’re considering. High thread count linen means allergens are less able to penetrate linen, ensuring better air quality.

If you have no choice in the hotel where you stay, we offer the following tips:

Request a room on highest floor, where mold is less likely to grow.
Avoid rooms near indoor swimming pools.
Travel with your own anti-allergy pillow covers.
Use shower as a makeshift humidifier, letting hot water run long enough to create steam.
Before you arrive, call the hotel front desk, and request that hypoallergenic, scent-free cleaning products are used to clean your room before you arrive, and that your room is aired out the day before.
Some hotel room windows look like they cannot open, but are able to be opened an inch or two. Ask if your room’s windows can open, even an inch.

Good luck!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sightseeing by Bicycle

Today, December 24, I shanghaied friends visiting from St. Louis, to go on sightseeing around Washington, DC by bicycle, instead of taxi-ing around the city. My friends rented bikes from Capital Bikeshare, for about $5 for the day. Weather was a balmy, in the 40s, and sunny, with the city streets empty, and with Congress finally on break, Cap Hill was quiet. We biked up to Cap Hill, stopped at Library of Congress, warmed up with hot mulled ciderat the Sculpture Garden Cafe, trekked over Memorial Bridge to Arlington Cemetery, and finally back to Foggy Bottom, where my friends (finally) dropped their bikes off at the Capital Bikeshare by The George Washington University Hospital, a few blocks from their hotel. We had a wonderful day!

Usually when friends come to town, I take them on a (free) ranger-led National Park Service bike tour...The NPS offers a variety of 'insider' bike tours every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. around the Nation’s Capital.The tour season begins Saturday March 26 and concludes Sunday November 27, 2011. All tours begin at the  Jefferson Memorial. Their one requirement is that all participants wear bike helmets. (Some bike stores in DC rent or loan bike helmets. Email for information.)
http://www.nps.gov/mall/planyourvisit/national-mall-bike-tour-page.htm

In 2008, Washington, DC became the first U.S. city to initiate a bicycle sharing program, modeled on programs like the ones in Paris, where you pick up a bike at a bicycle kiosk, and then ride it to the  stand closest to your destination. The DC area has more than 120 Bike Share kiosks, with about 1,500 well-maintained 3-speed bikes, with lights. Bike rental cost is about $5 per 24-hours. Washington, DC. The bike kiosks are everywhere, near hotels, metro stations, university campuses, embassy consulates, and the Smithsonian Mall, and eliminate need to carry a bike lock, or worry about your own bike being stolen.

Having done extensive biking tours of Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle, I'd be happy to share my bike touring info, if you're considering a bike tour...

Below are websites for Bike Share programs in other cities.
A long-time Planit Meetings client, who travels to Washington and New York on business at least twice a month, picks up a Bike Share bike near his hotel, bikes to corporate offices, where he drops his bike off at a nearby kiosk, and the reverse, at the end of his business day said that we need to tell other corporate travelers to try Bike Share programs in cities where they go for business, the way he does. Some hotels we work with, in cities across the U.S., have bicycles, bike helmets and locks for guests to use.


Nashville: http://nashvillebikeshare.org/

-- susan

Friday, December 23, 2011

Exclusive Discount at Camlai Hair Salon, in Washington, DC







Planit Meetings is excited to partner with another Washington, DC establishment.
Camlai Hair Salon and Spa is offering Planit Meetings friends 10% off all services. To receive the discount, mention Planit Meetings, when you make your appointment. Further, Camlai Salon will do everything they can to accommodate last minute appointments for salon or spa, for any travelers to Washington.

Cam, Camlai owner
Camlai Salon is conveniently located in the heart of Georgetown, just off M Street, next to Citronelle Restaurant, one block west of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Cam, Camlai's owner, has spent more than 22 years establishing a loyal and diverse following in Washington...and is well-known around town for emergency repairs of hair and hair color disasters... Prior to launching her salon, in an historic Georgetown row house, Cam worked in Manhattan, where she was a fashion show stylist, with her work regularly featured in W Magazine. The other stylists at Camlai, David and Isabel, are equally competent at bringing out the best in both male and female clients.

Visit Camlai's website at www.camlai.com to view all their salon, make-up application and spa services.

Planit Meetings is happy to partner with the best and most talented services providers in Washington. We will soon be partnering with restaurants, salons, and tour services in other cities across the U.S.

Meanwhile...please tell your Washington, DC area friends, and associates visiting the Washington, DC area to try Camlai Salon...and of course, mention Planit Meetings, for the 10% discount!

                    -- Susan for Planit Meetings

Washington, DC: an Ideal Last-Minute Winter Break Destination

The kids are getting cabin fever, school break seems interminable, you need to get away (but money is tight).... All great reasons for a last-minute trip to Washington, DC next week! Hotel rates, at the very best hotels in DC, are low, until New Year's eve, and after that, through the first two weeks in January.

Our winters are mild (it was a balmy 64 degrees yesterday!)...truly salubrious weather, perfect for tromping around to all the museums, exploring Mt. Vernon, ice skating at the Sculpture Garden Ice Rink, bicycling around the city, searching for great sales at the boutiques in Cap Hill, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom.

Georgetown
Unlike other cities, just about all our museums, the National Zoo, everyplace, really, has no admission charge ever. Further, during the winter holidays, and especially since Congress finally went home last night, Washington, DC is quiet, so you'll miss the (horrible) throngs at museum exhibits, the Capitol, Library of Congress, Eastern Market, the Zoo, the National Geographic Museum and the childrens' discovery rooms at the museums are pretty empty. In Washington, all the museums, buildings, parks are open every day of the year, except December 25.

For a look at some events going on in Washington next week, visit the Smithsonian website at:
www.si.edu

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
If you have questions about traveling to Washington next week, or are looking for an affordable, kid-friendly hotel, in a great neighborhood, with an indoor pool perhaps, and a spa (for you), please email Kevin or me, and we'd be happy to help you!

By the way, Washington, DC is one of the top ten most pet-friendly cities. If you have to bring your pup along, we can find you some wonderful hotels that do not charge for pets.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue in Nashville Needs Your Help...

In September, I was in Nashville, visiting friends and inspecting hotels for Planit Meetings.Whenever I travel, I have to bring home treats for my dogs, so stopped in the Bellevue, Tennessee Petco... and met the kind, dedicated volunteers from Proverbs 12:`10 Animal Rescue and their charges... On that particular Saturday, they were having one of their weekly pet adoptions...That day, there were 35 wiggly, eager dogs, and 6 cats, in 4 tents, in the Petco parking lot..My heart went out to the volunteers, who foster the dogs and cats, for the rescue, and I wanted to take home to Washington, DC all the gorgeous dogs and cats, who had been abandoned.... Lavonne Redferrin, her husband and children have dedicated their lives to the Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue that they founded (Lavonne's husband is a UPS driver, Lavonne teaches part time).  Their friend Tori Raefsky and a core group of dedicated volunteers do all they can to foster the animals, run bake sales, write grant proposals and do any fundraising activities they can think of, to keep Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue going...

Zuzu
The volunteers at Proverbs rescue stray dogs and cats, left by their owners, to wander... Often, they rescue dogs, and cats, that are about to be put down at the municipal animal shelter...They frequently pick up injured dogs, hit by cars, left to die, or starve, at the side of the road...Each week, their program is approached to take in an injured or sick animal that other animal rescues won't accept due to the cost of medical treatment. The Saturday I was visiting Petco, a volunteer told me about a skinny beagle she saw limping along a rural road. When she stopped the dog came right to her. It had been hit by a car and had an injured right front leg. She took it to a vet Proverbs often uses and learned that the wound was old, the leg had nerve damage and infection and would require amputation. His x-rays showed that he had been shot with buckshot as well. Proverbs named the little guy Romeo. The vet bill was several thousand dollars...The local vet worked to save the dogs, despite knowing it will be a long time before he is paid...The vet bills, from nursing injured and sick animals back to health, spaying, neutering, deworming, vaccinating, are astronomical.

Please visit their website: http://www.proverbs1210rescue.org/... The dogs in the photos, at right, are among the pets in foster care, looking for homes.

If you're reading this, and are so moved, please mention Proverbs12:10 Animal Rescue, if you email Planit Meetings for a hotel reservation, and we will give a portion of the reservation's commission to Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue.

 --Susan at Planit Meetings  susan@planitmeetings.com, and on behalf of Kevin kelder@planitmeetings.com

...Time to Plan....Catholic University Graduation 2012

CUA
The holidays, when family members are likely to be home, are a good time to discuss plans with your college senior, or finishing-up graduate student...re: college graduation.... like how many graduation tickets will you be receiving, whether or not any grandparents will be coming, where everyone will be staying, and how you will get all that stuff home, or to where ever your student is going next.

This year, and unfortunately for families, Catholic, American, Howard, Trinity, and Marymount Universities all have their graduations scheduled for about the same time...unfortunately because the university graduations coincide with National Police Week, 2012, which means that May 10 - May 16, the DC area will be filled to the gills, hotels will be tight, hotel rates higher than usual, restaurants jammed, more vehicles than usual, because of all the police cars and motor cycles, and National Police Week events around the Mall and Cap Hill...
Planit Meetings welcomes families coming to Washington to celebrate graduations... Because we have room blocks, at every price point, all over the Washington, DC area, for National Police Week, we can offer the lowest hotel room rates that are needed, near the university, whose graduation festivities people will be joining...

Let us help you with your graduation weekend hotels and related logistics, like getting around the city on public transportation, making restaurant reservations, getting special sightseeing in, in between attending graduation events.

As a parent, who recently went through the college graduation weekend, and who looks forward to going through it again right here in Washington, DC, I know what you're going through... easier and not easier than you think.

A couple of days ago, Planit Meetings helped a woman, re: her son's Catholic University graduation, who didn't want to stay at one of the Virginia hotels, where Catholic U has a room block, because her ex husband and his family were staying there, and she just didn't want to deal with running into her ex at her child's graduation. I totally understand that one. Also helped a CUA dad, who has mobility issues, and wanted to stay as close as possible to CUA's campus, so he wouldn't have to deal with the shuttle... We can handle ALL your special needs, and give you CUA room block rates!
 
For further information re: hotel rooms and other information re: graduations 2012 in Washington, DC, don't hesitate to email: susan@planitmeetings.com

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Get 10% off at Cafe la Ruche, in Washington, DC

Planit Meetings is excited to partner with our Washington, DC neighbor, Café La Ruche, a French bistro in Georgetown (called by the locals, a 'little bit of Paris on the Potomac').

Mention Planit Meetings, for an exclusive 10% discount on your bill at Café La Ruche. For meetings or large gatherings at la Ruche, owner Jean Claude Cauderlier will offer bigger discounts to Planit Meetings.

The restaurant offers affordable, authentic French bistro cuisine. Dress is casual, reservations not required. The cozy patio is open year round, weather permitting.

Café La Ruche
1039 31st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
www.cafelaruche.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

National Police Week 2012...Washington, DC, May 10 - May 16.

 You're probably thinking about Christmas, and not what you're doing in May, but I feel compelled to remind you... May 10 - May 16 is one of Washington, DC's busiest weeks, with many conventions, and college graduations going on, in addition to National Police Week, 2012.

Planit Meetings has the honor of being selected by the Fraternal Order of Police to be hotel hosts for National Police Week, 2012. We're excited and proud that we can work with police, their families and canine companions to help them make their National Police Week experiences memorable. Planit Meetings has room blocks at more than 120 hotels in the Washington, DC area, at all price points and features.

For National Police Week attendees who travel to Washington, DC with their children, and/ or their pets, Planit Meetings is offering complimentary child care, and complimentary dog-walking.

Please visit that National Police Week website, or contact Planit Meetings at: susan@planitmeetings.com for further information, about hotel availability, rates, and accommodations.