Reed Travel Features
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Agents can book groups on tours
across the U.S. that combine cultural attractions and shopping at
no added cost to the commissionable hotel rates, according to a
shopping center company that created the packages.
"It's exciting for agents because for the price of a hotel room,
their clients are receiving a plethora of services," said Tanya
Douglas, tourism marketing specialist for the Beverly Center. The
center is Los Angeles' largest retail complex and is owned by The
Taubman Co., based here.
The World Class Shopping program includes joint ventures between
travel and tourism partners and local attractions, such as the Four
Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills, which has a nightly rate of $260. This
package provides discounts and special services with CBS Television
City; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of
Miniatures; Times TIX, Los Angeles' only same day, half-price
ticket service, and the Beverly Center. World Class Shopping
participants receive free limousine service to and from Beverly
Center and breakfast and room upgrades upon availability.
"We've sold the beaches and we've sold Hollywood. This is a new
side of Los Angeles that we can sell, and it's a rediscovery of
L.A. as a cultural tourism destination," Douglas said.
The Taubman Co., which owns 27 shopping centers across the U.S.,
created the packages after joining with the U.S. Department of
Commerce to examine the correlation between the two activities.
"We found that shopping is the No. 1 activity of international
travelers and No. 2 for domestic travelers, ranked just behind
eating," said a spokeswoman for The Taubman Co.
"If we know that they are going to shop, whether or not it's on
an itinerary, why not include it with discounts, amenities and
cultural tourism," she said.
In addition to hotel accommodations and special amenities at
their respective shopping centers, many Taubman centers have
partnered with museums, theaters and tourist destinations in their
communities to offer discounts on the packages.
At Taubman's newest shopping center, the Falls in Miami, World
Class Shopping customers can visit MetroZoo, Fairchild Tropical
Garden, Monkey Jungle and Parrot Jungle. These attractions
complement the outdoor nature theme of the Falls, a shopping center
that features manmade waterfalls in a lush tropical outdoor
setting.
In Short Hills, N.J., The Mall at Short Hills shopping program
includes accommodations at the Hilton at Short Hills, the Parrot
Mill Inn or the Grand Summit Hotel.
The Hilton at Short Hills rate is $165 per room, per weekend
night, single or double occupancy.
The Parrot Mill Inn is $105 single occupancy and $185 double
occupancy.
The Grand Summit Hotel is $135 single occupancy and $145 double
occupancy.
The package includes discounts on shopping at The Mall at Short
Hills and admission to the yoga or aerobics class at the Hilton at
Short Hills. The package also includes discounts on limousine
service and theater tickets and free shuttle service between the
Mall at Short Hills and some of the hotels.
At the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, the shopping package
includes accommodations at the Embassy Suites Biltmore, priced at
$189 in winter and fall and $99 in summer and spring.
Commissionable rates vary with the season. The package includes a
free general admission pass with one paid adult admission to the
Heard Museum, which focuses on Native American culture, and
discounts on shopping at the Biltmore Fashion Park. A shuttle
service from the hotel to the Biltmore Fashion Park is
included.
Another Taubman center, Columbus City Center in Columbus, Ohio,
offers a tour of several local attractions such as the recently
renovated Ohio Statehouse, a behind-the-scenes tour of the majestic
Ohio Theater and a lunch at a restaurant in Columbus' historic
German Village. The tour begins and ends at Columbus City Center,
which is home to more than 150 stores, such as Williams-Sonoma,
Tommy Hilfiger and The Sharper Image. This tour is $37 per person
but is not packaged with a hotel.
Next March, visitors to MacArthur Center, Taubman's newest
shopping center, in Norfolk, Va., will have the opportunity to book
walking tours of four prominent churches in the neighborhood and
which have historical significance within the community. At the end
of the tour, visitors will receive a coupon for a discounted meal
at Freemason Abbey, a local restaurant that was once the Second
Presbyterian Church.
According to the Travel Industry Association of America,
cultural tourism programs like these make good business sense. When
compared to U.S. travelers in general, clients who express an
interest in visiting historical and cultural destinations spend
more money on their trip and list shopping as one of their planned
activities.
Programs that merge these interests and activities also enhance
the attractiveness of the U.S. for international visitors,
according to Leslie Doggett, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce
for Tourism Industries.
Taubman Centers was founded in 1950 and is a member of the TIA
and the National Tour Association.
Taubman Centers Inc., Phone: (248)-258-SHOP (7467), Web:
www.taubman.com