Photo by Lisa Malcom at the Hilton Cabana.

Photo by Lisa Malcom at the Hilton Cabana.

MIAMI BEACH – Last night, about 30 loyal readers, Twitter friends, media friends, seasoned hoteliers, social-media savvy PR pros, hotel brand executives, marketers, and real estate and tech execs joined me for drinks and trendy snacks at the brand new, oceanfront Hilton Cabana for a Travel Update Reader Meet-Up.

Gilbert Garcia-Tunon, GM of the @HiltonCabana, with Jacqueline Ploettner, GM of @Kimpton's Angler's Hotel.

Gilbert Garcia-Tunon, GM of the @HiltonCabana, with Jacqueline Ploettner, GM of @Kimpton’s Angler’s Hotel.

Why was this an extra-special meet-up? During the event, I announced some exciting personal news: I’ve teamed up with Randy Petersen and his terrific team at BoardingArea.com, the most-read resource for road warriors and frequent fliers on the Internet. BoardingArea’s readership tops 100,000 readers a day, and the site has more than 1.8 million absolute unique readers monthly, giving TravelUpdate.com a significant platform through which to communicate with frequent and sophisticated travelers as well as industry insiders.

A source of mine about all things frequent-travel-related for years, Petersen founded a variety of frequent-travel-focused sites and services such as Milepoint, FlyerTalk and InsideFlyer.  (Check out travel writer Wendy Perrin’s fun Q&A with Petersen!).

Below are a few photos from the party. I’ll add more as friends send them!

Travel Update Meet-Up

 

Barb with Israel Kreps.

Barb with Israel Kreps.

 

Barb with Lisa Hillier and Ed Miranda.

Barb with Lisa Hillier and Ed Miranda.

 

Ed Miranda of Hospitality Investors Group and Doug Carrillo of Virgin Hotels.

Ed Miranda of Hospitality Investors Group and Doug Carrillo of Virgin Hotels.

 

Lobby art at the Hilton Cabana hotel. Photo by Barb DeLollis.

Lobby art at the Hilton Cabana hotel. Photo by Barb DeLollis.

Jim Craven of Tnooz snapped this pic of me giving my remarks to friends. (Thanks Jim!)

Jim Craven of Tnooz snapped this pic of me giving my remarks to friends. (Thanks Jim!)