Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area’s newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, please click here.

MAY TOPICS

Green Tourism – Kimpton Hotels Offer Discount to Guests Driving Hybrid Cars

More Green Tourism – Hotel Vintage Plaza Goes “ORganic”

Airline News – U.S. Airways Launches Nonstop Philadelphia-to-Portland Service

Cultural Travel – Laurie Anderson to Headline 2006 Time-Based Art Festival (TBA:06)

Kimpton Hotels Offer 50 Percent Discount to Guests Driving Hybrid Cars

Portland’s two Kimpton hotel properties, the Hotel Vintage Plaza and the 5th Avenue Suites Hotel, are rewarding guests who drive hybrid vehicles by cutting their parking fees in half. Guests who qualify are informed upon check-in that their parking rate has been discounted from $25 to $12.50 per night. In addition to this recognition of eco-conscious travelers, the Hotel Vintage Plaza and the 5th Avenue Suites Hotel are the only downtown Portland hotels currently certified under the City of Portland’s BlueWorks business recycling program. To receive this certification, businesses are required to recycle 50 percent of their waste. Both Kimpton properties have committed to recycling all paper, newspaper, glass and cardboard, as well as to composting their kitchen waste. The hotels have also converted to paperless check-in. For more information on the hotels, click here.

Media Contacts:

Bette Sinclair, B. Sinclair Public Relations, 503.226.0129, bette@bsinclairpr.com

Jenny Storer, B. Sinclair Public Relations, 503.226.0278, jenny@bsinclairpr.com

Properties:

Hotel Vintage Plaza, 422 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR; 503.228.1212; www.vintageplaza.com

5th Avenue Suites Hotel, 506 S.W. Washington, Portland, OR; 503.222.0001; www.5thavenuesuites.com

Hotel Vintage Plaza Goes “ORganic”

Downtown Portland’s Hotel Vintage Plaza has launched its new “ORganic” Night Package. The name of the package playfully incorporates the postal abbreviation for Oregon (OR) into the state’s well-known passion for anything organic, green or environmentally friendly. Guests who book the ORganic Night Package will receive overnight accommodations in a deluxe guest room or specialty suite, complimentary valet parking, two bottles of organic wine from Cooper Mountain Vineyards (an organic and biodynamic winery), two bars of Dagoba Organic Chocolate, one packet of organic herb seeds, and one can of ZooDoo with which to fertilize the seeds. ZooDoo is… er, “manufactured” by the herbivores – including the world’s most prolific herd of captive Asian elephants – that reside at the Oregon Zoo. Package rates range from $209-$359 per night, depending on availability and room type. To reserve an ORganic Night, guests may call 503.228.1212 or visit www.vintageplaza.com.

Media Contacts:

Bette Sinclair, B. Sinclair Public Relations, 503.226.0129, bette@bsinclairpr.com

Jenny Storer, B. Sinclair Public Relations, 503.226.0278, jenny@bsinclairpr.com

Property:

Hotel Vintage Plaza, 422 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR; 503.228.1212; www.vintageplaza.com

U.S. Airways Launches Nonstop Philadelphia-to-Portland Service

Beginning June 1, 2006, U.S. Airways will begin nonstop flights from its Philadelphia hub to Portland, Ore. U.S. Airways will provide the service (operated by America West) via the Airbus A320 aircraft, which can accommodate 150 passengers. The new flight will depart Philadelphia at 8:30 p.m., arriving at Portland International Airport at 11:25 p.m. Return passengers will depart the City of Roses at 10:45 p.m., arriving in Philadelphia at 6:50 a.m.

Media Contact: Steve Johnson, Aviation Public Affairs Manager, Portland International Airport, 503.460.4591, steve.johnson@portofportland.com

Laurie Anderson to Headline 2006 Time-Based Art Festival (TBA:06)

Well-known avant-garde musical performer Laurie Anderson is one of the 200+ artists who will converge on Portland, Sept. 7-17, 2006, for the fourth annual Time-Based Art Festival (TBA:06). This contemporary art festival – the only one of its kind in North America – draws a curious and wonderful mix of regional, national and international artists from the disciplines of dance, theater, music, film and visual exhibition and installation. TBA is organized by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). The 2006 and 2007 festivals will be curated by Guest Artistic Director Mark Russell. The former executive and artistic director of Performance Space 122 – the New York City arts center known for its incubation and support of risk-taking emerging artists – Russell spent 21 years nurturing performers like Eric Bogosian, the Blue Man Group and the late Spalding Gray. Under Russell’s guidance, TBA:06 promises to once again expose audiences to the most thought-provoking elements of contemporary art. In addition to Laurie Anderson, this year’s multinational lineup includes France’s theatrical Vivarium Studios, Great Britain’s performance installation group Stan’s Café, Japan’s all-girl performance group Yubiwa Hotel, American musical composer John King, and many more. For ticket, schedule and venue information, or to order the official TBA:06 guide, click here.

Media Contact: Brian Costello, Public Relations and Development Manager, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, 503.242.1419, ext. 224, brian@pica.org, www.pica.org