Pacific Marina Hotel

Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma's Tolay Restaurant Receives Prestigious Wine ...

Issue. Each year, Wine Spectator Magazine confers this coveted international award on a select number of restaurants whose wine programs exhibit a well chosen selection of quality producers as well as a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Tolay Restaurant is one of only eight restaurants in Sonoma County to receive the 2011 Award of Excellence.

In making the announcement, Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma co-owner Tom Birdsall said, “We are extremely honored to be recognized by the Wine Spectator for our commitment to showcasing the best of our local wineries, growers and artisan producers.”

Under the direction of Executive Chef Danny Mai and Food and Beverage Manager Kirk Sjolund , Tolay Restaurant has become an important part of Petaluma’s growing culinary scene, showcasing the unparalleled farm-to-table bounty of Sonoma County. Chef Mai pairs an inspired menu of French, Italian and Asian fusion dishes made from locally-farmed and produced ingredients with an extensive wine list, hand-selected by Sjolund to complement the flavors and textures of Tolay’s eclectic wine country cuisine. The restaurant’s 20 wine-by-the-glass offerings are exclusively from Sonoma County, while the extensive wine list boasts more than 130 selections from California’s most coveted appellations and producers, with a focus on top Sonoma County labels, including the critically acclaimed Black Kite Cellars Pinot Noir.

“We love the process of selecting wines that complement our cuisine as well as the varied palates of our guests,” said Sjolund, “and are thrilled to be recognized by the Wine Spectator for our efforts.”

The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is the latest in a growing list of accolades for Sheraton Sonoma County–Petaluma. In the last year alone, they’ve been named Best Hotel for Business by North Bay Biz Magazine, the People’s Choice Winner at the Kendall Jackson Tomato Festival and were ranked among the Top 10 of Sheraton’s 200 North American properties for food and beverage offerings by hotel guests.

An active member of Sonoma County’s artisan food and wine community, Sheraton Sonoma County–Petaluma is host of the annual non-profit California’s Artisan Cheese Festival held each March. This four-day celebration of artisan cheesemaking brings cheese lovers together with and an all-star line up of artisan cheese experts, authors, chefs and winemakers for an action-packed weekend of seminars, pairings, tastings, dinners and cheese-filled demonstrations. Proceeds from the festival benefit The Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sonoma Land Trust, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, California Artisan Cheese Guild, and the Future Farmers of America.

Association of Corporate Travel Executives Unites Top Travel Minds ...

ACTE Asia-Pacific Business Travel Conference Celebrates

10 Years in Singapore, August 3-4, 2011

Association of Corporate Travel Executives Unites Top Travel Minds

Singapore, 1 August 2011 – The Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) 2011 Asia-Pacific Education Conference will convene over 500 global business travel buyers and sellers for the Conference’s 10th Anniversary, August 3-4 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.

“As the global business travel community faces a rapidly changing economic, political and technological landscape, the need for education and peer to peer discussion is greater than ever,” said Ron DiLeo, Executive Director of ACTE. “The ACTE Asia-Pacific Conference is an opportunity to gather the greatest minds in business travel, finance, meetings, and procurement, to learn real strategies to effectively manage travel programs.”

ACTE has united travel professionals around the world for more than 20 years as a member-driven “global village,” providing research and education to the travel industry’s leading buyers and sellers. ACTE is recognized globally as an agent of positive change, development, and a driver of education across all segments of business travel.

The 2011 ACTE Asia-Pacific Conference specifically creates connections through interactive programming and networking opportunities designed to foster partnership discussions and share in-depth ideas. Additionally, ACTE’s commitment to “seek and find” opportunities, not just “show and tell,” will engage attendees with industry thought leaders and subject matter experts to resolve challenges and discuss advanced developments within the global business travel industry.

Keynote speakers helping to stimulate new ideas and practices, as well as foster the discussion of the Conference’s collaborative break-out sessions, include:

Charles Donkor , Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers – Conversations that Matter: What Are Your NextGen Travelers Thinking?

ACTE will also announce the winners of the “3 Under 33”Awards, identifying the newest and brightest thinkers in the region .

To register for the ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference or for more information on the event, please visit: ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference Registration .