Renaissance Convention Center features urban options for meetings
An interview with Dan Egan, director of sales and marketing at The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.
Q: Tell us a little bit about the venue/business.
A: Urban unexpected is the feel you have when you arrive at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center hotel. We are located just 12 miles from O'Hare International Airport and 26 miles from downtown Chicago, with easy access to I-355 and I-90 expressways.
Our four-star hotel boasts 500 intuitively designed rooms and suites with deluxe amenities. Guests and locals can enjoy a fine dining experience at Sam & Harry's Steakhouse, a relaxing meal at Gather Bar or Starbucks coffee in our Rendezvous cafe.
The hotel offers guests a workout in our complimentary fitness center and an indoor pool. The hotel offers the Midwest access to a premier convention center with more than 160,000 square feet of event space and 21 venues, featuring 30-foot ceilings, award-winning catering and a 28,000-square-foot ballroom.
Q: Explain the history. How did it get started?
A: The convention center was a vision of the city of Schaumburg to provide a venue that would give back to the community and its residents.
As the convention center was designed the hotel was added on to complete the project.
Q: What do you offer when it comes to corporate meetings?
A: A top culinary experience customized to your attendees and meeting needs. Meetings Imagined is offered to help set the room with the feel of what a meeting planner wants to accomplish. Comfortable furniture is available to encourage a more open dialogue setting or a standard board room style is also available. Our meeting space has the flexibility to accommodate a car or semi-truck depending on the meeting.
Q: Describe the atmosphere.
A: Urban unexpected, indigenous plant life, comfortable feel and open space with natural light.
Q: What are people in your industry talking about?
A: Two items: First, the new loyalty program that combines the program of Marriott/ SPG / Ritz Carlton. This joining of programs makes this the largest loyalty program with more than 100 million members. The second, gaining experiences when guests stay at hotels. People want an experience when they travel and are looking for more than just a hotel. They want to go where the locals go and try the local beverages and food. Our industry works to help create that experience for our guests.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I have been in the hotel industry for 25-plus years and have spent most of my career with Starwood and Marriott. I have had the opportunity to work in Chicago and San Francisco, which are both great cities. The best part of this business is meeting different types of people and people from different cultures.
Q: Tell us one interesting fact about the business that most people may not know.
A: Many sales and revenue positions work from home and are no longer on property.
Q: List two Twitter accounts that you would suggest following and why?
A: Follow @andrewzimmern for unusual food. Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods" host Andrew Zimmern is our Guest Navigator for the Renaissance brand of hotels.
Each of our 160 Renaissance hotels has a navigator, which is our local spin on a concierge. He travels around the world to spotlight city's hidden gems that give neighborhoods their soul. He even has a series "The Navigator's Table" where he hosts dinners in our hotels. And follow @MTraveler for travel tips.
Marriott Traveler is the hotel industry's most popular online travel magazine. They bring the world's greatest destinations to life through compelling storytelling, enlisting locals to share what makes their cities special, from culinary to culture, while introducing unique personalities and experiences that give a place its voice and reasons worth a visit.
Business: The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel
Address: 1551 N. Thoreau Drive Schaumburg, Illinois 60173
Owner: The Village of Schaumburg
Number of employees: 330
When business opened: July 2007
Web address: Marriott.com/hotels/travel/CHIRS