When Tammy Blount, president and CEO of the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau, has used the words “grit” or “gritty” to describe Tacoma, lately known as “Grit City,” she meant that the town is authentic, honest, real, gutsy and down-to-earth.

“We say what we mean,” she said last week.

But now, someone has suggested she stop using the word. She won’t say who, only that “it’s been suggested by some folks.”

These folks think “grit” implies something, well, unclean, unswept, unfinished, sandy – dirty.

So Blount wants a new word. Something that says authentic, honest, real, gutsy, down-to-earth, brave, clean, loyal and maybe even cheerful. A word that’s true and strong. Maybe it’s a slogan, maybe just a word. She’s leaving it open to the imagination of readers.

And she’s offering a wonderful prize - a handblown glass artifact, “The Mountain in Glass,” produced by Tacoma Glass Blowing Studio.

So get out your thesaurus and gas up the thinking machine. Ruminate, reflect and please ponder this for a moment. Send your entry to c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com.

Thanks.

Hotel occupancy rates were down in all nine regions of the state in January, with downtown Seattle marking the greatest decline and the Tri-Cities the least.

The occupancy rate for Pierce County hotels and morels dropped 6.7 percent for the month, compared to January 2008, according to a report by Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood. The rate for downtown Seattle dipped 23.2 percent; for the Tri-Cities 2.8 percent; and the statewide rate fell 15.5 percent, Rood said.

The rate for Pierce County facilities showed 54.8 percent of rooms occupied, compared to 58.8 percent a year before.

The average daily room rate fell in seven of the state’s nine regions, with Tacoma-area rooms down 0.7 percent to an average rate of $75.94. The statewide rate, $111.26, was down 7.3 percent.

Bellevue hotels saw the greatest decline in rates, down 8.9 percent to $144.05 – currently the state’s highest average room rate. Only in Southwest Washington and the Tri-Cities did the average cost of a room increase.

While Washington’s statewide occupancy rate in January was down to 47.9 percent of rooms occupied, Oregon hotels saw their occupancy rate dip 19 percent, to 46.6 percent of rooms taken for the month, Rood said.

The home of rock legend Jimi Hendrix will soon be home to another American icon—Hard Rock Café. The Seattle café is set to open this July, located within a mile of the Seattle Center Arena where Hendrix first performed at 116 Pike St.

The new restaurant will feature two floors of dining space and rock memorabilia as well as an open-air rooftop deck, totaling 14,000 square feet.

Builders of the café also plan to stay true to Hard Rock’s “Save the Planet” creed by adhering to environmentally sustainable standards for the construction of this energy-efficient building, according to the press release.

The restaurant is known for its American food menu served in a high-energy rock museum atmosphere.

Hard Rock International also has plans to open restaurants in Italy, Spain and Aruba as well as a fourth location in India.

UPDATE: Tacoma is hosting one-on-one meetings only. To register, please contact Mariam Anderson at manderson@wtcta.org.
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Trade representatives from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will be in Tacoma next week to help local businesses explore global trade opportunities.

The one-on-one meetings are part of CTED's annual Washington State Trade Week events. The events feature the state's trade representatives from countries including China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico and Europe, according to a CTED news release.

The trade representatives will be available to provide advice to current exporters and people contemplating a new business. The representatives assist Washington companies with finding overseas buyers and distributors, finding resources to help companies with legal, regulatory and financial issues, and navigating the process of selling overseas.

The Tacoma seminar runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 18 at the Port of Tacoma Fabulich Center.

Contact Mariam Anderson at manderson@wtcta.org to register for the seminar or Julie Bennion at julie.bennion@cted.wa.gov to attend one-on-one meetings with trade representatives. Space is limited.

“We’re ready to help Washington companies develop or expand their export sales and increase their presence in the global marketplace,” said Mark Calhoon, Interim Assistant Director of the CTED International Trade and Economic Development Division. “This event brings our on-the-ground trade experts to communities around the state.”

More than two years after formal negotiations began, Alaska Airlines and its pilots have reached a conceptual agreement on a new four-year contract.

The negotiations have been difficult because of what's at stake for both sides.

The pilots naturally wanted to regain ground lost four years ago when an arbitrator imposed wage cuts on them as large as 35 percent.

The company, although faring better than some of its competitors, has been battered first by high fuel prices and then, most recently, by steeply falling demand and declining fares.

Last month, Alaska saw its traffic drop 10 percent.

Neither side has given any specifics, and some of that language still must be worked out.

Expect to see the details in a week or two. I'm guessing we'll see moderate raises and perhaps a few instances where the airline didn't achieve all of its benefit cost changes.

Pilots will vote whether to accept or reject the pact after the specifics are out.

Neither side can afford a strike in a business environment that's the worst in decades.