Industry News for January 10, 2025

Venue News

The Cordish Companies has announced that the highly anticipated grand opening of the new $270+ million Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana will take place on Thursday, February 13, 2025 (pending approval from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board). The Event Center at Live! is a multi-use meeting, concert and event venue that will be Shreveport-Bossier’s newest home for some of the nation’s best touring acts, comedians, and other show-stopping entertainment. Show tickets can be purchased online now at Louisiana.LiveCasinoHotel.com to experience an epic inaugural celebration featuring a lineup fit for an encore. 

You will soon be able to share your love at one of the world’s most iconic locations: One Times Square, home of the New Year’s Eve Ball. As part of a $500 million transformation into a year-round destination, One Times Square will host boutique weddings, vow renewals, and proposals when it opens in Fall 2025. The unique offering is branded EVER and will provide a beautiful and intimate setting for vow ceremonies in the heart of Times Square, where your love story will intertwine with the magic of New York City. Ceremony packages will start at $500 and include an officiant and day-of coordinator, as well as a photo from the balcony overlooking Times Square. In addition to EVER, the reimagined One Times Square will feature Times Travel, an immersive experience chronicling the history of the building and the famous Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Celebration. The interactive history experience will culminate on a new Viewing Deck overlooking Times Square.  

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, a luxurious 605-room resort location on 50 immaculately-landscaped oceanfront acres overlooking Keoneloa Bay, debuts a new menu of immersive wellbeing experiences for groups. The menu includes several fitness classes, wellbeing activities, wellness education, group development workshops, and meeting breaks. Additionally, planners can further promote wellbeing during their event with health-conscious meeting breaks. Between sessions, planners can opt for invigorating guided stretch sessions, uplifting aromatherapy breathwork, assisted table stretches, and sound healing, or take the group outdoors with walking meeting options. Anara Spa also offers group spa services for its signature Anara Massage and Anara Organic Facial. Groups who book a spa block have access to its premier amenities including open-air lava rock showers, serene relaxation areas, eucalyptus steam rooms, dry cedar saunas, and whirlpools. 

The award-winning Stillwater Spa at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino announces the introduction of the “Touchless Trio” service. The “Touchless Trio” is a full body wellness immersion experience that aims to improve overall health while awakening the senses. The new menu of touchless services offers three innovative therapies including the brand-new Cryobuilt Everest Ridge Cryochamber, the “Harmony” bioacoustics mat, and “Pearl” the revolutionary flotation orb. 

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, a waterfront resort located on 342 acres of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has debuted the Somadome, a state-of-the-art meditation pod. Now available at the resort’s Sago Spa & Salon, the Somadome experience is designed to promote mindful relaxation, stress response, increase sensory perception, and more. Somadome is the world’s first technology-enabled meditation pod that utilizes color light therapy, magnets, and sound therapy. Meditations in the Somadome utilize binaural beats to enhance meditation experiences. When listening to binaural beats, brain activity syncs with the frequency of those beats which can help the mind reach a certain meditative state. 

 People on the Move

EastCoast Entertainment (ECE), the nation's leading full-service entertainment agency with over 40 years of excellence, announces the appointment of Brad Strouse as an official managing partner. This milestone coincides with Strouse’s ninth anniversary at ECE, marking nearly a decade of dedication, innovation, and leadership at the agency. Strouse began his career in Nashville, where he honed his skills in artist booking, touring, and live event production. Since joining ECE in 2016 as a general booking agent and rising to a Location Managing Director of their Richmond and DC offices, Strouse has become an integral part of the company’s success.   

Atlantis Paradise Island, an iconic destination resort in the Bahamas, names Eric Segreti as the new General Manager of The Cove. Nestled along a protected cove between two private white-sand beaches, The Cove is an elegant retreat ideal for discerning travelers including couples, families and friends. In his new role, Segreti will oversee The Cove’s luxury accommodations and services, manage operations, and implement strategic initiatives to enhance the resort's reputation as a premier destination in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. 

Awards & Accolades

The Art of Living Retreat Center has been recognized as one of America’s Best Fitness and Wellness Retreats for 2025 by Newsweek. Located in Boone, North Carolina, the Art of Living Retreat Center is a renowned sanctuary of peace that eases the mind and inspires the soul. Situated in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the center offers a variety of mindfulness, wellness, silent, fitness and meditation retreats centered around Ayurveda wellness practices.