Dive Brief:
- Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has debuted Sonesta F1RST Meetings Collection, a portfolio of 25 meetings- and events-focused hotels across The Royal Sonesta and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts brands in the U.S. and Canada, according to a Monday news release.
- The collection, encompassing 500,000 square feet of combined event space, aims to offer meeting planners “elevated service and a seamless meetings experience” across key city center locations, resort destinations and convention markets such as Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Toronto and others, per the release.
- Sonesta will “act as one coordinated partner” across the portfolio, offering “high-touch support” and “specially designed packages for all types of meetings and events” to help simplify the planning process, Jim Mooney, vice president of sales for Sonesta, said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
The collection aims to deliver “flexible, innovative, reliable, swift and transparent” (FIRST) service and experiences for meeting planners across a range of locations.
Hotels in the collection will offer from four to 26 meeting rooms, totaling from 10,000 to 65,000 total square feet, per the release. They will also have from 200 to 500 guest rooms to accommodate event attendees.
The collection is designed to cater to “the underserved middle market,” providing purpose-built spaces to accommodate mid-size, multi-city meetings and events, per the release.
The hotels will offer concession packages aligned with planner priorities. Sonesta’s team of meetings and events professionals will also be available to assist the planning and booking process. Meanwhile, planners will be able to earn two Sonesta Travel Pass Planner Perks points for every dollar spent, per the release.
The collection comes as meeting planners emphasize the need for hotels to improve services and amenities tailored to diverse group sizes, according to a 2025 survey from Cendyn and ConferenceDirect.
Planners are prioritizing destinations, venues and suppliers that can deliver “memorable moments and measurable return,” according to Cvent. The hospitality technology provider found that event professionals overwhelmingly believe there will be an increase in in-person meetings and events across North America this year.
Meanwhile, a recent poll from the Global Business Travel Association found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of business travel professionals say they are optimistic about the industry outlook moving into 2027.
