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• Technology: Nation’s First “Twisitor Center” Launches in Portland
• Voluntourism: Heathman Hotel Package Benefits Forest Park
• Hotel Openings: Courtyard by Marriott — Portland City Center to Open in April
• Cool Stuff: TeleTales Put a Mobile Spin on History

Portland, Ore., has become the first U.S. city to launch an official “Twisitor Center.” This cyber-style cousin to the more traditional walk-in visitor information center relies on Twitter technology to connect travelers with those who can answer their questions and help plan their trips. (Twitter is a social-networking service that allows subscribers to send and receive short, real-time updates, messages and questions.)

Although many cities are connecting with visitors through Twitter, Portland is the first to set up a virtual visitor center to which people can direct travel questions just by adding a simple tag to their tweets [messages]. Twitter-users seeking information on Portland can add #inpdx to their questions; tweets tagged with this code are sought out by Twisitor Center staff members who then send back suggestions. But the beauty of Twitter is that other users who aren’t affiliated with Travel Portland or the Twisitor Center can also chime in with additional tips.

Because Twitter is relatively new to many travelers, Travel Portland’s website features a Twitter page that explains the service and connects to Twitter in Plain English, a fun, two-minute video that covers the basics. The page also links to Travel Portland’s Twitter stream, so visitors can see what others are tweeting about and sign up to “follow” Travel Portland. For more information on Travel Portland’s Twisitor Center, go to www.travelportland.com. To follow Travel Portland on Twitter, visit twitter.com/travelportland.

Media Contact
Deborah Wakefield, Travel Portland
503.275.9795, deborah@travelportland.com

Plain old vacationing is so 2008. If you're looking for a more meaningful experience — or a hands-on approach to teaching the kids about conservation and earth stewardship — check out The Heathman Hotel's newly unveiled Volunteer Vacation Package. When booking a stay at The Heathman Hotel, you can opt to add a voluntourism component to your visit that helps to preserve Forest Park, the 5,150-acre urban wilderness located just 15 minutes from The Heathman's front door.

Volunteer vacationers can join the Forest Park Conservancy for one of its weekly work parties (typically two to three hours in length), spending time maintaining trails, removing invasive species and/or planting trees. Depending on guide availability, the Forest Park Conservancy also can take Heathman guests on hikes that explore various areas within the park.

The Volunteer Vacation package can be added to any Heathman Hotel stay and includes the work party/educational walking tour experience, a photographic memento, a light snack and transportation to and from the park. The cost to add the package is $100 per reservation, 100 percent of which is donated to the Forest Park Conservancy. This amount is also tax deductible. For more information on The Heathman Hotel and the Volunteer Vacation Package, visit portland.heathmanhotel.com.

Media Contact
Angie Galimanis, P.R. Account Representative for The Heathman Hotel
503.546.7871, angie@lanepr.com

Portland's newest hotel, the 256-room Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center, is slated to open in April 2009. The project, a renovation of an older downtown office structure, is designed to achieve Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The building's exterior received a complete facelift, and its window proportions were optimized to allow maximum daylighting and energy conservation, both important LEED considerations.

The hotel, which is entirely non-smoking, offers wireless Internet access, business services, complimentary lobby coffee, valet parking and The Original, an independent on-site restaurant dishing up diner-style comfort food in a chic but comfortable environment. The Original's main entrance faces Southwest Sixth Avenue and Portland's new MAX Green light rail train line (opening fall 2009).

The Courtyard's meeting space includes the Sequoia Ballroom (2,048 square feet), the Alder Room (896 square feet), five smaller meeting rooms ranging in size from 546-644 square feet, and generous prefunction space (925 square feet). The new Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center is located at 550 S.W. Oak St., Portland, Ore. 97204; 503.505.5000; www.marriott.com/pdxpc.

Media Contact
Cheri Hanson, Director of Sales, Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center
503.505.5000, cheri.hanson@cymportland.com

Ditch the DeLorean, kids. Thanks to TeleTales, all you need to do a little time traveling these days is your trusty mobile phone. Sprinkled throughout Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory are 26 TeleTales locations, each prominently signed. Upon arriving at a participating historic site, visitors simply dial the phone number displayed on the TeleTales sign (503.342.3597), punch in the code for the respective attraction and listen as actors dramatically enact stories related to the location. Because the TeleTales system is automated, callers can access the stories 24/7. And for those who want to preview the program from home, the same MP-3 story files are available on the Mt. Hood Territory website, as are an interactive map and a brochure highlighting all TeleTales locations.

Among the TeleTales attractions are Oregon City's McLoughlin House, a National Historic Landmark that was once the residence of Dr. John McLoughlin, the "Father of Oregon"; the historic Canby Ferry, one of only three remaining vehicle ferries in Oregon; the Carver, Ore., area's Baker Cabin, a 150-year-old log home built by early Oregon Trail pioneers; and the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, a 1955 lift with a futuristic mid-century design and one of only four outdoor municipal elevators in the world.

For more information on the Mt. Hood Territory's TeleTales program, visit www.mthoodterritory.com/teletales.jsp.

Media Contact
Jae Heidenreich, Public Relations Manager
Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs Office
503.742.5910, jh@mthoodterritory.com