Media Update: October 2007

OCTOBER TOPICS

Sports Events – 2007 Davis Cup Finals Coming to Portland

Spa News – Ruby’s Spa Opens at McMenamins Edgefield

Holiday Events – Holiday Ale Festival Soothes Winter’s Chill

Packages – Hotel Vintage Plaza Launches “Pinot in Portland” Package

2007 Davis Cup Finals Coming to Portland – Nov. 30-Dec. 2 The Oregon Sports Authority announced today [Sept. 26, 2007] that the United States Tennis Association has chosen Portland, Ore., to host the 2007 Davis Cup final between the United States and defending champion Russia. This international men’s competition, featuring some of the best players from the Unites States and Russia, will be played at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2007. This is the first time since 1992 that the U.S. team has hosted this prestigious sporting event.

The U.S. Davis Cup team, which defeated Sweden to reach the finals, features Andy Roddick, James Blake and top-ranked doubles players Bob and Mike Bryan. Although the United States has won the Davis Cup a record 31 times, it has been 12 years since the country’s last win in 1995.

Tickets for this event will go on sale on Oct. 18. For other Davis Cup information visit www.daviscup.com.

Media Contact:

Blair Thompson, USTA Pacific Northwest, 503.520.1877, ext. 19, or 503.880.8365 (mobile)

Ruby’s Spa Opens at McMenamins Edgefield McMenamins Edgefield, a former county poor house turned full-service inn, will unveil Ruby’s Spa on October 22. The new spa, open to both hotel guests and day visitors, will offer manicures, pedicures, massage, scrubs, makeup application, hair styling and other services. The spa’s key feature is an outdoor, heated soaking pool filled with buoyant saltwater. Echoing the décor of the main lodge building, the spa features hardwood floors, a natural color palette and original artwork by the McMenamins artists – a group of painters, tile designers, glass artists and others who have painstakingly decorated the McMenamins projects floor-to-ceiling with distinctive style.

Edgefield is one of the 50+ properties owned by the Portland-based McMenamin brothers (Mike and Brian McMenamin). Like several of their other projects, Edgefield is a historic site (ca. 1911) rescued from demolition. It is located 30 minutes from downtown Portland in Troutdale, Ore., near the entrance to the Columbia River Gorge. The 38-acre complex encompasses 100 European-style guestrooms, winery, microbrewery, distillery, several pubs and bars, par-3 golf course, organic gardens, movie theater, fine-dining restaurant – and now a spa.

Ruby’s Spa takes its name from the red-haired siren who adorns McMenamins Ruby Ale bottled beer and who appears in various forms and fashions at several McMenamins properties. Starting Oct. 8, spa patrons can schedule appointments by calling 503.665.1357 or book a Spa Getaway package online. The package includes lodging for two, choice of an hour-long massage or facial (or a 30-minute treatment of each), and breakfast at the Black Rabbit Restaurant the following morning. For information and reservations, visit www.mcmenamins.com.

Media Contact:

Renee Rank, McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries, 503.492.5457, reneer@ed.mcmenamins.com

Holiday Ale Festival Soothes Winter’s Chill – Nov. 29-Dec. 2 Shake off winter’s chill at Portland’s 12th annual Holiday Ale Festival (Nov. 29-Dec. 2), a happy tradition for beer lovers who treasure the season’s robust, darker-hued beers. This year’s festival will feature three dozen distinctive craft beers – some created specially for the event; others being vintage or reserve brews not available on the general market. The rarity of these beers is what makes the Holiday Ale Festival the most prestigious winter beer-sampling opportunity on the West Coast.

The festival will be held inside a cozy, heated tent on downtown Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. (Pioneer Courthouse Square – located conveniently on Portland’s MAX light rail line – is within easy walking distance of Portland’s downtown hotels.) In addition to beer tasting, the festival will feature on-site food, beer merchandise, complimentary sodas for designated drivers, mead sampling, and seasonal background music. Also on tap: the fourth annual Brewers Brunch, scheduled to take place on Sunday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-noon.

Admission to the 21-and-older festival is free. The purchase of a 2007 souvenir mug ($5) is required for tasting beer. Patrons can purchase script in $1 increments ($4 in script for a full mug of beer; $1 for a taste). Tickets for the Brewers Brunch are $30 and are available at www.holidayale.com. These tickets cover breakfast, as well as an assortment of local and imported winter beers not available at the festival itself.

For more information on the Holiday Ale Festival, visitors may call 503.252.9899 or visit www.holidayale.com.

Media Contact:

Chris Crab, Festival P.R., 503.314.7583, crabbsoup@comcast.net

Hotel Vintage Plaza Launches “Pinot in Portland” Package

The Hotel Vintage Plaza’s new “Pinot in Portland” package lets visiting oenophiles enjoy an Oregon wine experience in downtown Portland. The hotel’s wine-immersion package is an urban alternative for those travelers whose schedules don’t allow enough time for a wine country excursion.

The “Pinot in Portland” experience begins at check-in. Greeted with a bottle of the hotel’s private-label Oregon Pinot noir and two Riedel Crystal Oregon Pinot noir glasses, guests can taste in the comfort of their suite, recording tasting notes in a wine journal provided by the hotel. To experience the aromas and subtleties that distinguish Oregon Pinot noirs from other regional wines, guests receive an Italian/Oregon Pinot noir comparison flight at Pazzo Ristorante, adjacent to the Hotel Vintage Plaza. And, available upon request, guests can schedule a private session with Pazzo Wine Director Lemmy Cooper. The package culminates with a hands-on wine-blending class for two at Urban Wineworks; each class participant takes home a carafe of her/his own special wine blend.

The “Pinot in Portland” package includes:

- Overnight accommodations for two in a suite dedicated to a local winery

- An Urban Wineworks’ certificate for a blending class for two

- A bottle of 2005 Chateau Bianca Pinot Noir, the hotel’s private label

- Two Riedel Oregon Pinot noir glasses

- A wine journal for tasting notes

- A comparison flight of Italian/Oregon pinots from Pazzo Ristorante

- Complimentary valet parking

- A private session with Pazzo’s wine director (upon request and based on availability)

Package rates start at $289 and are subject to availability. The wine-themed Hotel Vintage Plaza is located in downtown Portland at 422 S.W. Broadway. In addition to the package detailed above, the hotel offers a nightly, complimentary wine-tasting event for all guests. For more information, call 503.228.1212 or visit www.vintageplaza.com.

Media Contact:

Lota LaMontagne, LAD Communications, 503.827.6564, lota@ladcommunications.com