Guide Line Review
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Dave Dixon, Marketing and Sponsorship Director, stated that Cherry Creek Shopping Center is proud of the line-up 160 merchants in the Mall, anchored by Neiman-Marcus, Nordstrom’s, and Macy’s. Many of the stores are unique to the Cherry Creek Mall. Customer visits are 48% above projections for this time of year, thanks to the Denver and Colorado tourism increase. Saks-5th Avenue is being replaced by Restoration Hardware Gallery. This location will have a four-story, full line design gallery. All the products available in the Restoration Hardware online catalog will be on display. Projected opening: 2016.
Content for Tour Groups:
• 40,000 square feet of specialty shops
• Premier shopping destination for Denver and the Region
• 2 new stores – Timepiece and Robert Coin Jewelry
• 2 Tenants renovating – California Pizza Kitchen and Kona Grill
• Renovation of Valet plaza, a 3-year project, will be completed by October/November 2015
• Number 1 rated farmer’s market: Saturdays at 1st & University, May – October; Add Wednesdays June 3 – September 2; 8 am – 12 noon
• Tip of the hat to the Winter Holidays. This year will include an Ice Palace. CCSC wants to do holiday like no other.
• Children’s play area still in place
• Colorado T-shirts
• Interpreters and personal shoppers are available for international travelers.
• Passport to Shopping is the Mall’s voucher program, has discounts and vouchers
Pat Lee’s office has already hosted 27 FAM trips for tour providers from out-of-town.
Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA)
Suzanne Yoe, Director of Creative Services & Cultural Affairs
1101 13th St
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 446-4886
syoe@dcpa.org
www.denvercenter.org
The DCPA produces shows locally and brings in Broadway Touring Shows. Now Playing – One Night in Miami; The 12; Motown the Musical; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat
Check the website for the offerings for the 2015-2016 Season. Last-minute tickets are available for many shows. The DCPA can accommodate motor coach and school tours – contact Group Sales. Renovation of the Bonfils building (home of the Denver Center Theater Company), an 18-month-long process, will continue during the 2015-2016 season. The construction is scheduled so as not to short-change the number and quality of productions.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Erin Bird, Communications Manager
909 York St
Denver, CO 80206
720-865-3552
erin.bird@botanicgardens.org
www.botanicgardens.org
The Summer Concert Series runs June 16 – August 30 at both the York Street and Chatfield locations. Tickets will be available for the general public after April 21. Acts include: Wynton Marsalis, The Gypsy Kings, and Culture Club. Check the website for the full schedule. The Chihuly exhibit during the 2014 season was the most attended exhibit in any Botanic Garden in North America, with 1.5 million visitors.
The artist on exhibit for 2015: Deborah Butterfield, a sculptor who makes horses from bronze castings of found objects. fourteen will be on display (three of which are on loan from the Denver Art Museum). “This is a fitting display for the plains setting of Denver, Erin says. Special docent-lead tours of the Butterfield exhibit are scheduled. The exhibit is on display Saturday, May 23, 2015 to Sunday, October 18, 2015. A new outdoor café will open this summer. It will feature a made-to-order menu. Admission returns to $12.50 for adults, after having been raised in 2014 for the Chihuly exhibit. Summer hours (9 am – 9 pm) begin May 10 and end Sept 27.
Gray Line Colorado
Ilene Kamsler, Community Relations
5855 E. 56th Avenue
Commerce City, CO 80022
303-668-4317
Ilene@coloradograyline.com
www.coloradograyline.com
Gray Line continues to offer its tours of Denver, Denver’s Mountain Parks, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Pikes Peak, Air Force Academy, and Garden of the Gods. Gray Line is now the exclusive transport for the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The company expects to offer more tours in Colorado Springs for guests. Gray Line also offers tours to the Denver Botanic Gardens at both the York Street and Chatfield locations. Gray Line is happy to call on its friends at RMGA for Step-on Guides. Tariffs for 2015 are not available, pending approval from the Public Utilities Commission.
Denver B-Cycle
Alex Roth, Manager, Sales & Marketing
2737 Larimer Street, Suite A
Denver, CO 80205
720-259-0149
alex.roth@denverbcycle.com
www.denverbcycle.com
The Denver bike sharing network owns 700 bikes across 85 stations. The station at 32nd Pecos is the newest and largest station. 2014 accounted for 377,000 trips making Denver a medium-sized market. They are on course to break last year’s record. For 2015 newer maps showing the newest stations will be available and may be picked up at the Denver Visitor Center and at the stations. There is a free App available, as well. A map is available on the website. Annual membership is $90, but are currently on sale at $79. $24 hour memberships are $9. The Designated Bike Lanes in Denver (over 100 miles) have helped drive the B-Cycle business. The benefits are cleaner air and healthier people. The map shows routes to the Botanic Gardens, although there are no designated bike lanes. The station at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, near Sports Authority, is the second most active station in the system.
VISIT DENVER
Janna VanOort, Tourism Manager
1555 California Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202
303-571-9446
jvanoort@visitdenver.com
www.visitdenver.com
Visit Denver has been busy selling Denver. Make sure to visit the new Tourist Information Center at 1575 California Street. The Center reflects Denver’s Brand in its design. The Denver Culture Pass is available at the Tourist Information Center or online. 3-Days $25; 5-Days $52.80. Denver is rated in the top 5 of Convention Cities in the U.S. by readers of USA Today and 10Best.
Regional Transportation District (RTD)
Bruce Abel, Assistant General Manager, Bus Operations Department
1600 Blake Street, BLK-41
Denver, CO 80202
303-299-2839
bruce.abel@rtd-denver.com
www.rtd-denver.com
Renovation of Union Station is complete. It is a multi-modal Hub and the Crown Jewel. Commuter rail will begin service in 2016. The Free Metro Ride circulator along 18th and 19th Streets is in service. The current Capital Expenditure project is the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along the US Highway 36 corridor from Union Station to Boulder. Rail to DIA (East Line): Track is in place and being tested. Portions of the line are electrified. Expected opening sometime in the second quarter of 2016. There is still lots of testing to be done. Trains will run every 15 minutes for a 35-minute ride. Gold Line to Arvada: Expected opening in 2016. Northwest Line to Westminster: Expected opening in 2016. Line connecting 9-Mile Station to East Line at Fitzsimmons Station: Expected opening 2016. The station will include a cross platform transfer. Ticketing and fare structures are being studied. Everything is on the table, including stored-value cards and day passes. SkyRide buses from areas not served by the East Line will continue. Overnight parking at Park ‘n’ Ride Stations is available for local travelers at $2.00 per day.
Denver International Airport
Stacey Stegman, Global Communications Director Airport Office Building
8500 Peña Boulevard, Room 9840
Denver, CO 80249-6340
303-342-2276
Stacey.Stegman@flydenver.com
www.flydenver.com
2015 marks the 20th year of operation for the airport. 2014 saw a record year for passenger arrivals and departures at 53.4 million. No record is expected for 2015 since Frontier is scaling back and other airlines such as Spirit and Delta are growing their presence. Denver continues to offer competitive fares.
The Westin Hotel is taking shape. Its silhouette is designed to be reminiscent of an airline pilot’s wing lapel pin. The saddle portion houses the fitness center and was included in the design to allow the TSA to see over the building. The 519-room hotel will open later in 2015. For a VIP tour talk to Pat Lee. The hotel has two restaurants, both with outdoor seating on plazas, and a brew pub. The hotel is not over budget, except for the expected 5%-10% increases expected for inflation. The East Line will have 3 stops on its way from Fitzsimmons to DIA: 40th & Airport Boulevard, 61st and Peña Boulevard (the Panasonic development), and Gaylord Place.
DIA is in its 33rd month of International growth, with United adding flights to Panama City and Volaris adding flights to Guadalajara and Chihuahua. Expect flights to Dubai, Auckland, and Munich in the near future. DIA is ranked the 3rd busiest airport in the U.S., behind Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta. New businesses at DIA include a pet hotel for passengers to board their pets, Modmarket, and Tattered Cover. DIA also has initiated a pet therapy program to ease the stress of traveling for passengers.
Next up: redevelopment of the Great Hall, which includes relocating the TSA to other parts of the main terminal. And updating the DIA branding to incorporate the tent silhouette. Services Uber and Lyft are now being charged for pick-up and drop-off. The transit center for buses will be relocated. The Ambassador Program continues. DIA is working with Spyder to update the uniforms.
---Mike Pearl
Content copyright 2016. Rocky Mountain Guides Association. All rights reserved.
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Cherry Creek Shopping Center
WHAT: RMGA MEMBERSHIP MEETING
WHEN: April 13, 2015, 6:00 pm. – networking, 6:45-7:45 – program, Pat Lee and Dave Dixon of Cherry Creek Shopping Center will introduce representatives of various tourism venues to update us on what is happening in Denver for the 2015 tourism season.
WHERE: Cherry Creek Shopping Center – Elway’s – on the patio
PROGRAM: Presentation of various tourism venues in Denver with their 2015 programs. Including DIA, DCPA, Botanic Gardens and others.
PARKING: lots of free parking.