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, you may unsubscribe here.

• Green Meetings: Travel Portland Launches Green Meetings Toolkit
• What's New: Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route Debuts
• Hotel News: Historic Governor Hotel Celebrates 100th Birthday

Travel Portland, with assistance from Meeting Strategies Worldwide, an award-winning environmental firm specializing in the meetings industry, recently launched an online Green Meetings Toolkit. Designed to assist meeting planners interested in creating more sustainable events, the website contains tips, resources, interactive maps and links to experts. Best of all, even though the website highlights Portland as a meeting locale, much of the information it contains can be applied easily to other destinations.

The toolkit opens with an overview of information on Portland, including venues, transportation, attractions, dining and pre-/post-tour ideas. All of the suggested businesses and tours are highlighted on interactive maps that link to GoSeePortland.com, a social-networking website on which planners will find ratings and reviews posted by various travelers to Portland. The toolkit's homepage also gives planners the option of submitting green-meetings questions to experts, filling out an RFP, and "running the numbers" on Meeting Strategies Worldwide's MeetGreen calculator.

Because Travel Portland wants everyone to meet green (even if they aren't meeting in Portland), the website links to such green-meeting resources as the Green Meetings Industry Council and the Convention Industry Council's Green Meetings Report, as well as to blogs hosted by The Green Meeting, Green Events Source and others. For more information on the Green Meetings Toolkit or meeting green in Portland, visit greenmeetings.travelportland.com.

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

Oregon's newest driving tour — the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Route — follows a 50-mile course through the lush Tualatin Valley in Washington County, which is located just west of the city of Portland. The route, which debuted on April 15, showcases much of the county's agricultural bounty, including 17 wineries, several farms, pioneer and historic sites, wildlife refuges and scenic viewpoints of the Cascade mountains.

Best enjoyed during a full day of touring, the route encourages visitors to stop, stretch and explore. A small sampling of attractions on and/or close to the designated route are Montinore Estate, a certified biodynamic winery; the Old Scotch Church, a National Historic Register site (and working church) that dates back to 1873; Shafer Vineyard Cellars, a winery with a beautiful oak-shaded picnic area; the Helvetia Lavender Farm, a U-cut lavender farm; and the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.

The route is part of the Discover Oregon Scenic Byways program. Because portions of the tour route include narrow county roads, low bridge overpasses and winding terrain, the route is not recommended for large tour buses or cyclists. For more information on the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route or Washington County, visit www.VisitWashingtonCountyOregon.com.

Media Contact
Sylke Neal-Finnegan, Washington County Visitors Association
503.644.5555, ext. 104, sylke@wcva.org

When The Governor Hotel (originally named the Seward) opened in 1909, a sleeping room with a private bath and breakfast could be had for just $2 a night. Although room rates have changed over the past century, guests continue to enjoy the same luxurious experience, albeit with a few modern additions, such as complimentary Wi-Fi and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America, The Governor is celebrating its centennial birthday.

Built in the boom years immediately following Portland's 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition, The Governor's architectural style reflects a Viennese-influenced Arts & Crafts-style design. The hotel's architect, William Christmas Knighton, adorned the property with gilded archways, ornate sconces, rustic chandeliers and many Native American thematic elements. Two of the hotel's most striking features are its marble-lined lobby, originally the grand entrance to Portland's Fraternal Order of Elks temple, and a sprawling mural on the wall of the hotel's restaurant (Jake's Grill) depicting the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The Governor Hotel is located at 614 S.W. 11th Ave., Portland, Ore. 97205. For more information on The Governor Hotel, visit www.governorhotel.com.

Media Contact
Ashley Bernard, Koopman Ostbo
503.223.2168, ashley@koopmanostbo.com