I’m highlighting this message in our May/June 2012 newsletter because it seems that now may be a time when the economic issues that faced travel these past few years may have actually turned a corner in 2011: the global travel industry’s contribution to GDP actually grew by 3 percent over 2010, according to data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Travel is also expected to growth again in 2012.

Imagine the travel industry’s economic impact: tourism contributed 9 percent of global GDP in 2011 — a value of more than USD $6 trillion in directly and indirectly, according to WTTC research.

And this is why we focus our role on profiling destinations for the meeting planners who organize events, the business travelers who attend meetings and the hospitality professionals who help execute those programs. Check out some of our latest headlines:

• WTTC Establishes Americas Summit in Riviera Maya
• Girona, Spain for Business Travel, Meetings and Events
• Wine Tasting at Vinopolis in London
• Airport Lounges by Airline
• HSMAI Holds Hospitality Education in Chicago

If you haven’t already, please feel free to follow our headlines and contribute your comments to our latest posts at twitter.com/businesstravel. We’re also working on refreshing our Facebook page, so watch for more information in future issues of our newsletter.

Last, please feel free to share our newsletter and resources with others – and encourage them to sign up! Thank you for your support and business!

Cheers,

Rob Hard
Publisher & Editor
BusinessTravelDestinations.com
+00 1 312 663 4800
editor [at] rhcommunications [dot] com

PS: Contact us if you would like to learn more about how to become a site sponsor!

Therefore, holding meetings and conferences in London are vital ways to maintain creativity in your business. They can also be used for education and to thank your workforce for all of the hard work that they have already contributed. Being such a global player London has a massive collection of conference venues, from grand estates to intimate office spaces that cater to every budget and style.

Millennium Hotels has a great range of conference venues and the main advantage with organizing a conference in a hotel is your employees and conference attendees have a place to stay on site — there can be no excuse for late appearances or missed appointments. Additionally, conference venues from Millennium Hotels are located in some of the most prestigious parts of London with excellent transport links and London’s leading sites right on the doorstep.

With Millennium Hotels as an example, here are some top tips for picking a conference venue.

Location

The venue needs to have easy access to both national and international transport connections. Don’t just base this on tube stops; no business person has time to sit on the tube for 45 minutes and make numerous connections during peak times with a suitcase in tow. Look for locations near mainline stations and main arterial roads with access to airports and intercity motorways.

Entertainment

The conference is only part of the package. Going to a conference shouldn’t be all work, no play. Engaging, listening and brain storming requires lots of brainpower and at the end of a hard day employees and conference attendees will need to switch off a little. Conference venues in the vicinity of lively bars, restaurants, cinemas, museums and galleries offer plenty of light relief, plus many business deals actually go down outside of the office these days. Check out the Visit London website for inspiration. Golf courses and tennis and squash courts are just as important business locations as the top-floor office.

Food

You may be catering to people from all over the world, so make sure there is food from all corners of the globe. A well-fed conference group will be far more productive and much happier, so you’ll get much better feedback and re-bookings for next quarter’s event.

Located on the third floor of The Palazzo and The Venetian hotels, Canyon Ranch has 134,000 square feet of space, including more than 100 treatment and service spaces. The Palazzo opened in December 2007, and Canyon Ranch SpaClub expanded in 2008 to provide access for both hotels, making it one of the largest spas in North America.

I had a chance to see the expansion at Canyon Ranch during the construction at that time, and knew this would be a special place.

Canyon Ranch Las Vegas added the Aquavana, Canyon Ranch Grill and expanded other services. Today, Canyon Ranch offers a full range of spa options to help you relax, rejuvenate and restore whenever you visit Vegas or extend your business stay. Of course, given that Vegas is one of the busiest meetings cities, I have returned to test out the spa.

Spa Services at Canyon Ranch

Canyon Ranch is one of the most extensive and fully equipped spas in Vegas, including the following services:

• Spa treatments and packages
• Fitness classes and activities
• Health and wellness consultations
• Canyon Ranch salon
• Canyon Ranch healthy feet services (new)
• Canon Ranch SpaClub dining
• Canyon Ranch retail

A Canyon Ranch SpaClub Passport provides you with standard all-day access to the fitness center, fitness and mind-body classes — as well as the Aquavana (more on that below). The services are also available to you with the purchase of spa services. And, if you’re staying at The Venetian or The Palazzo, fitness access may already be included in the cost of reservation (so check with reservations to confirm).

The Aquavana at Canyon Ranch

The Aquavana experience is a complete European-inspired suite of thermal spa cabins, experiential showers (I enjoyed the tropical rain), cold rooms and aqua thermal bathing experiences. And I have to say Canyon Ranch’s Aquavana stands out as one of the best thermal treatment experiences designed to provide relief for muscles and joints and promoting deep relaxation.

The Aquavana includes a circuit of seven different options, and the following are accessed in the privacy of the men’s and women’s locker areas: The Crystal Steam Room (provides a cleansing aromatic steam environment with a large central crystal to inspire and focus meditation), Experiential Rains (invigorating, multi-sensory cooling showers), Finnish Sauna (classic dry-heat sauna environment lit by colored light), Herbal Laconium (gentle warming of the body through warm, herbal infused steam), HydroSpa (a whirlpool that is surrounded by thermal heated loungers).

Canyon Ranch also provides you with multiple tracks to use the Aquavana based on your goals. I particularly enjoyed the tropic experiential rain and whirlpool.

After this experience and/or after a specific spa treatment or service, there’s a co-ed space that’s part of the Aquavana, including the Conservatory (a relaxation space), The Wave Room (a multi-sensory experience simulating the look and feel of breaking waves under a domed canopy) and the Salt Grotto (sea air washes over heated benches set in intimate niches next to a bubbling fountain).

Have More Time? Add a Treatment or Service

On my most recent visit, I received a gentleman’s facial which includes a neck massage. My esthetician Martina greeted and guided me to the treatment room. After rounds of cleansing, exfoliating, extracting (ouch) and masking later, she gave me a recommended treatment plan. Martina suggested that I wash daily with a Clarisonic in the shower and use the June Jacobs pumpkin peel enzyme twice a week (both great products she used as part of my service). The spa isn’t just for women — a men’s facial is extremely relaxing and leaves you with incredibly clean skin. Consider the alternative: rough and damaged looking skin that ages you… No thanks.

On a previous visit to Canyon Ranch I experienced a Reiki treatment (rooted in Asian spiritual traditions, a Reiki master provides a session that harmonizes your body with nature’s energy flow). Reiki helps reduce stress and promotes relaxation by tapping into your life force. There are certainly many skeptics to Reiki, but I was able to briefly fall asleep during my session and felt it was very beneficial.

Whatever spa experience you want, it’s available at Canyon Ranch.

Canyon Ranch for Meetings and Events

It’s important to note that Canyon Ranch Grill is available for private events. But it’s also important to highlight that the nutritionists and technicians from Canyon Ranch have also served as experts and guest speakers at meetings and conventions held at The Palazzo, The Venetian and Sands. There are tremendous health and wellness benefits of spa services and treatments — Canyon Ranch is a leading pioneer that speaks to these issues in this industry.

The Verdict?
My recommendation is to plan for a half day: arrive an hour early, enjoy the Aquavana, move to the treatment waiting room, schedule a 50 or 80 minute session of your choice (or, better yet, schedule two services), relax in the Conservatory, check out the Canyon Ranch store and finish with a healthy meal at Canyon Ranch Grill. If you’re into fitness, start your program in the fitness center and climb the rock wall.

I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Interested in learning more what you can at the mega hotel of the Venetian and Palazzo? Check out our feature that highlights what you can do at the Palazzo Las Vegas.

Have you visited Canyon Ranch in Las Vegas? Share your opinions and reviews here.

Vinopolis is centrally located on the South Bank near the Tate Modern, London Eye and next to Borough Market.

Visit for an introductory tasting tour and spend an afternoon or evening sampling and learning about wines from around the world, including France, Italy, Australia, California, South Africa and some lesser known regions such as Georgia.

Wine Tasting in the Heart of London

For my visit, I chose the Grapevine Tour, a self-guided experience that includes the basic “How to Taste Wine” session as well as 6 wine tastings and a Bomay Sapphire cocktail at the end. I wanted to learn about wine, whiskies and other drinks at my own pace. And a couple of hours here was the perfect amount of time to achieve this. Tasting your way through multiple rooms in an old wine warehouse is a great way to learn about the history of winemaking.

By the way, you can always add more tastings if you want to increase the number of wine, champagne, whiskey, rum, beer and absinthe tastings here. (I want to try the absinthe the next time I visit). I ended my tasting with an extra whiskey tasting (when in the UK…).

Upgrade Your Wine Tasting to the Spirit of Vinopolis Tour

Vinopolis offers several different tour and group options, and if you have the time, upgrading your tasting experience at Vinopolis will be a smart choice. If you’re more adventurous, then the Spirit of Vinopolis tour may be for you (I’m going to try this next time).

This tour includes the wine tastings, but it also offers the chance to learn about and taste a range of rums, Scotch whiskies, Bohemian and Parisienne absinthe, and Bombay Sapphire gin. The program includes:

• Admission to the Vinopolis Wine Tour
• A ‘How to Taste Wine’ session
• 6 regular wine tastings
• 2 whisky tastings
• 2 absinthe tastings
• 2 beer tastings
• 2 rum tastings
• A Bombay Sapphire cocktail
• A Vinopolis tasting notebook

After having visited there, I’d recommend several hours at Vinopolis. Commit to one of the tasting experiences, visit the wine shop, and relax for a meal afterward. Vinopolis offers four options for drinks and dining: Blue Bar, Cantina, Wine Wharf and Brew Wharf — by the way, Brew Wharf has a great deck for riverside dining next to the Thames (and I’ll have to add this to my plans on that next visit as well).

Special Events at Vinopolis

Speaking of events here, group tours are obviously popular at Vinopolis, and they offer several different guided tasting experiences.

And with a choice of seven distinct yet equally stunning spaces, Vinopolis merges Victorian splendor with 21st century facilities. They can cater for 10 – 1250 guests, and their experienced event management team can help with every element of your London event, including catering, lighting, corporate entertainment and more.

Vinopolis has been selected for corporate team building days, company dinners and conferences, Christmas parties and even hosting television events and award shows.

The Verdict and Other Insight about Vinopolis?

On my visit, the tastings were quite generous. So, after about four tastings, a friend of mine and I decided that we needed to eat something if we were going to be able to complete the program. Knowing that Borough Market was essentially next door, we opted to slip out a back door, found some food for lunch at the market, and returned to complete our wine tour.

By the way, for meeting planners wanting to create a unique event experience, it’s my understanding that Vinopolis offers wine tasting classes and events where groups will buy fresh items at Borough Market and bring them back as part of a pairing program — great idea.

Vinopolis is busiest on Thursday and Friday nights – and all day on Saturday, so it’s best to book your tickets and secure a reservation in advance for those days.

Vinopolis is also highlighted in our feature, A day in London / 24 hours in London.

Have you visited Vinopolis? Share your opinions and reviews here.

It really is an open-air art gallery, and in a matter of a couple of hours you can see its famous murals — some of them have been restored while others have become deteriorated since they were created in 1990 as a result of weather and wall graffiti. In the middle of your walk there’s an outdoor cafe where you can enjoy food, drinks and relax beach-side along the river.

Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961, and served as a barrier between East Germany and West Germany until November 9, 1989, the date for the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

East Germany began construction of a wire fence in the middle of the night, and the people of East and West Germany were surprised by how much was completed the next morning. They created it to serve as a barrier to stop East Berliners from emigrating to West Berlin. Construction on the Wall continued and eventually included the reinforced concrete slabs that most people recall today. Only a limited number of crossings were allowed, including individuals needing to be in East Berlin for official work or government business, as well as limited Visa approvals for day trips to visit family.

Berlin is now a very popular city for business meetings and events, so that provides many business travelers with an opportunity explore areas of the city that were considered off-limits to many people.

The East Side Gallery is constantly a work in progress, and the amount of wall graffiti has been a source of contention with some of the artists over the years.

The Berlin Wall ran 103 miles in length and 12 feet high.

Learn more about business meetings in Berlin.

Have you been to the East Side Gallery? Share your review and opinions here!

Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) as of last fall changed its regional and national meeting formats for its focus on hospitality education. Previously known as Affordable Meetings, HSMAI is now positioning the programs as MEET.

I attended the keynote speaker and lunch at HSMAI 2012 MEET in Chicago, and was incredibly impressed with the selection of Janine Driver as HSMAI’s keynote speaker (Janine will be the keynote at the other regional and national MEET events).

Janine (that’s what she asks the audience to call her) is a nationally recognized, body language expert who shared her years of insights with the meeting and event professionals who attended. Janine was inspirational and insightful, and she was extremely well-received by the attendees. From my perspective and the planners who shared lunch at my table, Janine was certainly a nice addition to the HSMAI annual program.

The planners also indicated they were impressed with the educational content at HSMAI’s MEET in Chicago.

Of course, every conference has its trade show floor exhibitors, and HSMAI had a mix of regional and national convention and visitors bureaus and some hotels.

Overall, it was a nice show. The emphasis on planning and focus on face-to-face meetings is certainly a format that meeting professionals will always embrace.

Have you attended an HSMAI meeting lately? Feel free to share your thoughts and feedback here!

When considering the best cities in the world, London is one that consistently gets listed among the top of my personal favorite cities list: London is a city that is easy to navigate, it’s filled with history, and your options are numerous. Spending 24 hours or a day in London is easy to do.

Of course, interest and travel related to the London 2012 Games is increasing the world’s attention here. Games are scheduled in Hyde Park, Lord’s Cricket Ground and Wimbledon, among others. There’s also the new facilities that will become legacy Olympics venues in East London, including the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre. And business travelers are likely to know ExCeL and Earl’s Court (two of London’s large exhibition centers) where some of the Games will also take place.

It’s obvious that a day in London is too short, but you can still create a plan to get to know the British capital. If your concerned that it’s not possible to cover enough ground in just a day in London, you’re right. But realize that the upside is that if you’ve visited London once, you’ll probably find yourself returning to London again. There’s a lot to see and do in London, and it’s easy to get around using the Tube (get an Oyster Card at any station), taxis or trekking the the streets. Tristar Chauffeur and Green Tomato Cars provide excellent private transfer services.

So, if you’re here for a meeting and have some time to explore on your own or wish to extend your business travel for day, consider the following travel tips for 24 hours in London:

1. Walk the City.
   London is just one of those cities where you can find yourself walking from one neighborhood in central London to the next and not be bored. Wear a good pair of walking shoes because can cover ground from Victoria/Westminster to Bloomsbury to Mayfair to Knightsbridge. And you can check off a good number of activities along the way. My typical routine is to walk any city upon arrival and just before I depart. When in London, I often begin my visit by walking from one end of Green Park (Wellington Arch) to the other end of St. James’s Park (Horse Guards Road) and back. I also try to find time to relax in Hyde Park. But thee following highlights how you can also incorporate this into your day in London.

2. Go to the Theatre.
   Since you’re in London, chances are you’ll want to buy discount theatre tickets to a great show in London’s West End or Theatreland. The spot to do this is in Leicester Square, and people line up in the morning at Tkts, the official ticket by the Society of London Theatre. There are more than two dozen long running shows here, and a quick search on the Tkts site provides more than 250 show result for London. If you arrive to the Tkts booth in the afternoon or early evening, you’ll still be able to get tickets, but the options tend to be limited. So, if there’s a specific performance you absolutely don’t want to miss, purchase them in advance. Otherwise, you can save a reasonable amount of money here.

3. Visit One of London’s Attractions and Museums.
   If you’re interested in London culture, you have thousands of options. For example, if museums are your interest, there are more than 300 museums in the city. There are historic houses, iconic buildings, landmarks and more. Top London attractions where we’ve been and suggest you work on checking off your list include the following:
   • Big Ben and Parliament
   • British Museum
   • Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
   • Kensington Palace
   • London Eye
   • Shakespeare’s Globe
   • Southbank Centre
   • Tower of London
   • Vinopolis
   • Westminster Abbey
   • Wimbledon Museum
4. Shop in London.
   London offers some of the best shopping in the world, and there’s a full range of options that is certain to please anyone. It’s best to combine the idea of walking London, shopping in the city, and stopping for lunch in a pub or experiencing high tea at one of the city’s finer hotels or stores at the same time. You have several options as to which direction you want to go, depending on the kind of experience you want. If you’re looking for a small, hidden spot in London where you can feel like you have the shops all to yourself, go to Shepherds Market in Mayfair (ask you concierge for directions). If you’re a power shopper, you can manage to check off — and bring home gifts. Top shopping choices for London include:
   • Covent Garden
   • Harrods
   • Fortnum & Mason
   • Bond Street and Oxford Street.
   • Borough Market
5. Sports in London.
   If shopping and theatre aren’t for you, London is really a sports city — something that the 2012 Games will remind us about. You’ll have plenty of choices if you’re interested in playing — you can rent bikes or play golf. If you’re more of a spectator, you have many choices. Places where I’ve been (and they’re also great meeting and special event venues) include:
   • All England Lawn and Croquet Club (Wimbledon)
   • Chelsea Football Club
   • Lords Cricket Ground
6. London at Night.
   London is a lively city, so feel free to head out to the pubs, restaurants and nightlife of the city. Depending on your interests, go ahead and ask for suggestions that will specifically interest you from your concierge. One spot I find myself heading to along the way is The Casino at the Empire when I’m in London. Here, you’ll have two floors of gaming, but there are also nightclubs upstairs that are open on the weekend. And I usually end my evenings at the lobby bar of my hotel; it’s a great way to relax or simply strike up a brief conversation with other hotel guests who may also be there.

7. Find a Hotel in London.
   London has more than 1,000 hotels to consider, but the key to maximizing your time is to find a great hotel in London that is centrally located so that it is easier to get around the city. The most convenient neighborhoods are those circled within the boundaries of central London, including Victoria, Westminster, the West End, Bloomsbury, Covent Garden & Strand, Mayfair and Knightsbridge. London hotels (reflecting a variety of hotel categories) where I have stayed include:
   • InterContinental Park Lane
   • The Waldorf Hilton
   • The Royal Horseguards
   • Chesterfield Mayfair
   • Hilton Green Park

   Other hotels that I have toured worthy of your consideration include:

   • The Athenaeum
   • The Cumberland
   • Sheraton Park Tower
   • Hotel Sofitel London Hethrow (Terminal 5)

If you’re looking for help with planning your visit, Visit London is the official London guide, and London and Partners is available to help meeting professionals.

Have you visited London for work or play? What advice would you share with others? Feel free to post your comments here!

Hotel Nord 1901 is a boutique hotel that will appeal to both business and leisure travelers who are searching for an upscale hotel. Located in the historic area of Girona, it is in the commercial area where you will find plenty of shops and restaurants.

Hotel Nord is in a historic building that was completely renovated in 2009. My double room on the third floor was extremely comfortable in size (high ceiling which was very nice) and two sets of tall french doors are framed within archways give you a full view of the hotel’s garden and pool area (I opened them daily). The lobby Nord 1901 offers a small Catalan breakfast and wi-fi is included. The hotel can host small meetings and receptions.

Hotel Nord is steps away from the historic quarter, so you can walk everywhere and relax as you are in the heart of Girona. Of course, you will want to spend the day or evenings taking in the historic quarter.

Learn more about how to spend a day in Girona.

Have you stayed a Hotel Nord 1901? Share your comments and review here!

Girona offers a range of hotels that are in or nearby the city. Located just an hour outside of Barcelona and near Costa Brava, hotels in Girona are business-friendly and cost effective on budgets. If you’re searching for hotels in Girona, consider the following that we have seen:

• Hotel Nord 1901 4*
  Hotel Nord is a boutique hotel that is local in historic Girona and the commercial area of local shops and restaurants. It’s also steps away from the historic quarter, so this is one of the best spots for anyone wanting to be in the heart of Girona. Hotel Nord is in a hisotric building that was completely renovated in 2009, and my double room was extremely comfortable in size (high ceiling which was very nice) and two sets of tall french doors that I opened daily to take in the view of the hotel’s garden and pool area. The lobby Nord 1901 offers a small Catalan breakfast and wi-fi is included. The hotel can host small meetings and receptions.

• AC Palau de Bellavista Hotel 5*
  Girona’s Bellavista Hotel is a luxury property with the ability to hold larger meetings and special events. The lobby offers an incredible two-story glass wall with a comfortable lobby that also leads out to a massive terrace (both are fantastic spaces) where you’ll find cocktails and live music. Guest rooms are fully updated and modern. Each room includes artwork that shows local scenes of Girona. Bellavista is located just next to the historic district, but you’ll want to rely on taxis or your own vehicle. The hotel offers a level of privacy that caters to celebrities and politicians when they stay in Girona.

• Carlemany Hotel 4*
  Located in the heart of Girona, Carlemany is a modern hotel that has a nice location where you can easily walk to commercial and historic shopping (not to mention the historic quarter), Carlemany is a modern hotel that has 82 guest rooms, two restaurant lobbies and 10 meeting rooms for conferences and events.

• Melià Gran Hotel 4*
  Located in the city itself, Melia Girona has an inviting lobby and is designed to meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers — as you would expect from Melia Hotels (111 rooms). I particularly enjoyed seeing their breakfast buffet space (see gallery). The meeting space is comfortable and located on the second floor. It’s even flexible to the point where all rooms can be opened into one giant reception space. Sports teams are known to stay here.

• NH Girona Hotel 4*
  The NH Girona is perfectly located next to the Girona Auditorium and Congress Center which is in a residential area (see below). But it’s also near Devesa public park (which is a great spot for a walk if you’re in Girona and want to get away from the city center). NH Hotels certainly cater to the needs of business travelers, so it seems that NH Girona will not disappoint. NH Girona includes four meeting rooms that also lead to an outdoor terrace. I think another highlight is its rooftop pool, which is also a great spot for a poolside reception.

• Ciutat de Girona Hotel 4*
  This is a boutique, art deco hotel with 44 rooms that is located just across from Hotel Nord 1901. Guest rooms are very unique, offering a minimalist yet sophisticated decor. There’s space for smaller meetings, and you should enjoy dinner at Blanc Restaurant (as I did) which also provides catering for its meetings and events.

• Gran Ultonia Hotel *4
  Located in the city of Girona, Gran Ultonia is unique because it offers both three star and four star category accommodations (Gran Ultonia is the updated four star property with modern guest rooms). It is within walking distance to the Cathdral and historic quarter. If you stay here, you’ll want to check out the archeological wall that’s located on the first floor of the parking garage.

• Auditori Palau de Congressos de Girona
  You’re wanting to visit Girona for business, so you need to know about the Girona Auditorium and Conference Centre. This is a modern and flexible space. The architecture includes a striking combination of concrete, glass and steel. The main auditorium — Symphony Hall — holds more than 1200 people and is acoustically designed (as it name implies… check out the panels on the ceilings when you’re here!). You’ll really enjoy giving your general session presentations here. There’s also space to hold lunches or other receptions using outdoor space as well.

Have you visited Girona for work or play? Where did you stay and what advice would you share with others? Feel free to post your comments here.

Traveling to a big city like Barcelona gives you an incredibly memorable metropolitan experience, but travel out to a nearby smaller city like Girona and you’ll experience the local culture: local food, local business and local history.

Girona is located about an hour north of Barcelona and near Costa Brava (the drive is beautiful, and Grup Limousines offers excellent services). Girona has a very well preserved historic quarter which includes Roman walls, stone streets and traces of Girona’s Arabic-style baths. This is where you will find the city’s postcard views with the Cathedral of Saint Mary Girona (commonly referred to as “The Cathedral”) and the Church of Sant Feliu standing above the buildings.

Girona is also modern, and you’ll find local shops and hotels nearby the historic quarter — perfect for business. It’s interesting that Girona is a destination that has been mostly chosen for regional meetings, but the intimacy of this smaller city with nearby transportation can certainly make it a contender for international meetings that are considering smaller destinations that want to create an authentic local experience.

Girona is located in the northeastern region of Catalan, so the weather is mild throughout the year (but this is Spain, so it can certainly get quite hot in the summer). My visit was in early December 2011, the weather was incredible, and I felt like the only American in town.

Girona is also a place where you can immerse yourself in Catalan culture and cuisine. Girona hosted more than 130,000 visitors in 2010, including more than 32,000 for business, according to the Girona Convention Bureau. Obviously the greatest number of visitors to Girona are from within Spain itself, but from an international perspective, it’s worth noting that more than 35,000 international visitors spent time in Girona as well. They were from France (19,199), the UK (10,081), Italy (4,180), Germany (6,086) and 35,344 from the rest of the world (that would include Americans).

If you’re here for a meeting and find some time to explore Girona on your own (or wish to extend your business travel for day), consider the following travel tips for 24 hours in Girona, Spain:

• Take a Guided Tour.
  You can’t visit Girona not not experience its monuments and museums, and a guided tour is the best way to do this (contact the Girona Convention Bureau for official guides). Popular spots to visit in Girona include The Cathdral, Sant Feliu, the Arabic baths and the Jewish Quarter (where the Jewish community lived from 889-1492). Make sure you go all the way to the top of the Roman walls and take in the view of the city and region from all directions. The Cathedral has a fascinating history and has been built above where a mosque once stood that was used by the Moors (services are held here daily). Another important stop is the Girona Jewish History Museum (and a tour group was visiting from Israel on the day of my visit).

• Enjoy Girona Dining

  Girona is actually a gastronomic destination — with a total of 20 Michelin stars. Looking for an activity? Catalan cuisine is Mediterranean cuisine, including vegetables, beef, pork and seafood, as well as sauces and sweet desserts. And, of course, wine (if you’re looking for an activity, try to find or organize a wine tasting here). Who couldn’t find something to enjoy on one of these menus? My picks: Mimolet Restaurant in the historic quarter near The Cathedral, Numun at the AC Bellavista Hotel, Blanc at Ciutat de Girona Hotel, as well as any small tapas restaurant where you can find a coffee, tea and roll for breakfast.

• Stroll Girona at Night and Go Shopping
  Girona’s historic quarter and the nearby medieval village area near the city center offers an amazing number of small, privately owned shops and tapas restaurants, so enjoy an evening stroll and stop into any number of local businesses. I like that Girona is filled with local businesses, although it also includes neighborhoods where you can find malls and chain stores. At night (and during the day) the streets in the historic center are filled with local residents, and you get a strong sense of community. Cross over to the historic quarter on the Eiffel Bridge and you’ll find Girona’s postcard view of the Cathedral and Saint Feliu which is also spectacular at night.

• Find a Hotel in Girona
  There are 12 hotels with three, four or five star ratings in Girona’s city center (674 rooms), and I stayed at Hotel Nord 1901 which is located just next to the historic quarter (I think it was a perfect location). If you’re here on business or planning a meeting, Hotel Nord 1901 and several others are worth considering. The AC Bellavista is Girona’s five star hotel. Check out our review, Hotels in Girona, for more information.

Girona is next to the Pyranees, and just 40 minutes to France.

Girona is a member of the Catalunya Convention Bureau and is part of Caminos de Sefarad, a network of 23 Spanish Jewish Quarters focused on fostering quality cultural tourism based on the Sephardic legacy.

Have you visited Girona for work or play? What advice would you share with others? Feel free to post your comments here!