Partner Connection

September 2025

Events
Partner Kudos
Social Media Spotlight
Partner Opportunities
Partner Benefit Highlight
New & Renewing Partners

Expedia to Collect Fees for Albuquerque Lodging Properties

Expedia Group will collect, report and remit the lodgers’ tax, hospitality fee and Albuquerque Tourism Marketing District fee in the city of Albuquerque. When the traveler pays Expedia directly through an Expedia Collect booking, Expedia will remit these taxes and fees directly to the City of Albuquerque’s Treasury Department. The change is effective for all Expedia Collect bookings made on or after Sept. 1, viewable in Expedia Group’s Partner Central. This includes transactions involving third parties. Hotel Collect bookings, when the traveler pays the hotel upon arrival, are not affected. Lodging properties that have specific tax-related questions should contact Expedia Partner Support at 888-397-1786.

Events

Improve Your Team’s Customer Service Skills and Knowledge of Albuquerque

Visit Albuquerque’s Albuquerque Community Experience (ACE) training program is designed to brush up your employees’ customer service skills and strengthen their knowledge of the city. Graduates of the program can answer guests’ questions about things to do and places to visit. The program also provides training on topics such as first impressions, effective communication and handling conflict. Graduates will receive a commemorative lapel pin and a certificate recognizing their completion of the program.

Don’t miss your chance to attend an upcoming class:

Sept. 17, 2025
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Sheehan Winery
303 Romero St. NW, Ste. 110, 87104

Nov. 13, 2025
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St. NW, 87104

The cost is $25 per person for Partner businesses and $40 per person for non-Partners. Snacks will be provided along with water and coffee. To register, call Trish Hathoot at 505-908-8178 or send an email to TKHTrainingABQ@gmail.com.

Congrats to the ACE graduates from the August 2025 class at Holiday Inn & Suites I-25 North.

Graduates: Sahill Bhakta and Khushi Bhakta from Profusion Hospitality; Jackie Sandoval and Karissa Wisneki from ABQ Breaking Bad RV Tours; Stephan Eichermueller from Visit Albuquerque; Dora Vela from Gertrude Zachary; Michael Deloach II and Deja Jenkins from Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn; Stephanie Hand, Olga Hernandez, Zye Patterson and Elizabeth Quinn from Comfort Inn & Suites Albuquerque North; Floreno Armijo from the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway; Rhiane Amaya from Holiday Inn & Suites I-25 North.

Graduates will be recognized as Albuquerque Community Experience professionals and will receive a complimentary Community Experience pass that allows each of them and one guest to visit attractions throughout the Albuquerque area. The value of each ACE experience pass is more than $500!

Seating is limited, so register your employees now!

Network at a Partner Pop-In Experience

Connect with fellow Visit Albuquerque Partners at a Partner Pop-In experience. This event series offers a more personalized networking opportunity, paired with an activity at a local Partner organization. The next Partner Pop-In will take place:

Sept. 23 at 4 p.m.
Sherwood Coffee ‘n’ Bread
Address provided upon registration

Tickets cost $25, and include a hands-on cooking demonstration where you’ll learn to make an artisan wood-fired pizza using fresh, hand-stretched dough. Register in advance to attend.

Refresh Your Knowledge of Partner Benefits at Partner Orientation

Refresh your knowledge about all the opportunities you have as a Visit Albuquerque Partner at Partner Orientation. Long-standing and new Partners are welcome to learn how to make the most of your benefits.

When: Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Visit Albuquerque offices, 20 First Plaza, Suite 601, 87102

For more Partner Orientation dates, click here.

To reserve your spot, email Alanna Allen at allen@visitabq.org.

Save the Date for the Visit Albuquerque Annual Meeting

Visit Albuquerque’s Annual Meeting is just around the corner! Save the date for Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Convention Center. All Partners are welcome to attend this free event that recognizes the impact of the travel and tourism industry in Albuquerque. We’ll reflect on the progress made over the past year and preview the road ahead, focusing on the opportunities that shape our path forward. Network with Board members, fellow Partners and Visit Albuquerque staff. Stay tuned for the registration link.

Partner Kudos

Rio Bravo Celebrates a Decade in Business

Rio Bravo Brewing Company celebrates 10 years in business this month. Congratulations on the milestone!

Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex Receives Lowe’s Hometowns Grant

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center’s Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex was selected as a recipient for the Lowe’s Hometowns Grant. The $200,000 grant will go toward landscaping and other improvements to the campus. Way to go!

Keshet Dance Company Celebrates 30 Years, Governor’s Award

Keshet Dance Company & Center for the Arts is celebrating 30 years. Its 30th anniversary season will feature a locally-produced company production and a multi-phase renovation project.

Additionally, Keshet received the 2025 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. The awards celebrate the diversity of the state’s art and cultural traditions, and innovative forms of artistic expression. Kudos on both of these accomplishments!

Eldora Chocolate Wins Gold

For the first time, Eldora Chocolate won gold at the 2025 Americas Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier Competitions. Congratulations on the lofty accomplishment!

Los Poblanos Receives AAA Four Diamond Status

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm is now a AAA Four Diamond hotel. These hotels are judged on cleanliness, comfort, cuisine and consistency. Approximately 1,750 hotels are recognized in the prestigious Four Diamond program. Congratulations!

516 Arts Receives Grant

516 Arts and curator Olivia Amaya Ortiz received a Teiger Foundation grant to support the upcoming exhibition “Kincentric Ecologies.” Way to go!

Social Media Spotlight

Stay Old Town Road

Although the prospect of working with influencers might seem daunting, take a note from Stay Old Town Road. They worked with New Mexico influencer @average.jo.adventures, hosting her for a stay in their lodging property and worked with Visit Albuquerque to craft some itinerary suggestions while she was here. There are plenty of local content creators in our community who want to help bolster all of the hidden gems in our city. Try working with one today!

A screenshot from a post that Stay Old Town Road and average.jo.adventures collaborated on.

Partner Opportunities

Highlight Your Business in the 2026 Visitors Guide

Production of the 2026 Official Albuquerque Visitors Guide is already underway! The guide is a vital resource for travelers looking for ideas for where to stay, eat, shop and play in our city. We will distribute 150,000 copies of the publication beginning in January 2026. To advertise your business in the guide, contact Alisha Zierden at 505-222-4310 or Zierden@VisitABQ.org.

Tell Us Your Route 66 Centennial Specials

Is your business already planning something special for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026? We want to know about it! You could be creating a new Route 66 activity like TourABQ’s Route 66 Speakeasy Tour, offering a special food item like Duran Central Pharmacy’s milkshakes in commemorative pint glasses, or selling special items like Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway’s centennial stickers.. Send your Centennial celebrations and promotions to Marketing@VisitABQ.org.

An image of the Route 66 Centennial shakes offered at Duran Central Pharmacy. The Route 66 Centennial sticker from the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway.

Volunteer with Visit Albuquerque

Do you love Albuquerque and sharing the good news of the community with others? Visit Albuquerque is seeking individuals to volunteer at its two Visitor Information Centers located in historic Old Town and the Albuquerque Sunport. Volunteers will work 3.5-hour shifts once a week or on weekends. This commitment requires customer service training and knowledge of Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico. Visit Albuquerque provides customer service training and training on Albuquerque through our Albuquerque Community Experience (ACE) classes. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to volunteer at sporting events and conferences. Being an ambassador for your city and state is a fun and exciting experience that will allow you to meet people visiting from around the world! To find out more, please contact Stephanie Montoya at Montoya@VisitABQ.org or 505-222-4304.

Feature Your Business on Visit Albuquerque’s Website

It’s easy to get more exposure for your business on Visit Albuquerque’s website. In partnership with DTN, Visit Albuquerque offers seamless ads that integrate with our VisitABQ.org website’s content to make your ad feel natural. With a variety of paid advertising opportunities throughout our website, we have options fit for businesses of every size, scope and scale to capitalize on the fantastic visitor traffic that Visit Albuquerque is bringing to our market.

If you’re interested, contact DTN at Advertising@DTNads.com or 855-801-5905. For more information, click here.

Add Your Events to the ABQ365 Calendar

Visit Albuquerque’s ABQ365 Events Calendar offers a great opportunity to promote your events! The one-stop, all-ABQ encompassing calendar features primarily arts, entertainment and culture-focused events, appealing to both locals and visitors.

Event listings offer a great opportunity for additional exposure and promotion, and can help keep your business top-of-mind – for free!

Click here to get started.

Partner Benefit Highlight

Make Changes to Your Visit Albuquerque Listing

Make sure your listing on Visit Albuquerque’s website is up to date. Partners can add new photos, update the business description and add amenities. See this flyer for more information on the features of your listing, and log in to the extranet to make any changes. For questions, email Partner@VisitABQ.org.

New & Renewing Partners

Thanks To Our New & Renewing Partners

Visit Albuquerque’s Partners help support our mission to market the city as a top-choice destination for leisure travel, meetings and sporting events. Our thanks to the following Partners that recently joined or renewed their partnership with Visit Albuquerque. We appreciate your commitment to making Albuquerque a great place to visit and to live!

New Partners

Renewing Partners