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Site Scene

Illinois
  • At press time, the Skokie Banquet and Conference Center was scheduled to open Jan. 4 adjacent to the Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore. The $10 million facility features 11,000 square feet of meeting space, bringing the hotel’s total square footage of meeting space to more than 14,000. The Skokie Banquet and Conference Center can host banquets for as many as 1,000 people or be divided into as many as eight separate meeting rooms. Situated 12 miles from downtown Chicago and 10 miles from O’Hare International Airport, the Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore features 244 guest rooms, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, a business center, a fitness center, a swimming pool with a whirlpool, a sauna, and the Tavern on Touhy restaurant and bar. For more information, call 847.679.8900 or visit www.hiskokie.com.

Iowa
  • The Des Moines Marriott Downtown, considered the largest hotel in Iowa, recently kicked off the first phase of a $13 million property-wide renovation project. Scheduled for completion by the middle of the year, the renovation’s first phase includes updating the hotel’s lobby, ballroom, restaurant and lounge, suites, guest bathrooms, concierge lounge, swimming pool, and fitness facility. The renovated lobby will include new decor, a Starbucks Coffee kiosk, a revamped business center, and a boarding pass kiosk. Guest suites will be redesigned with new furnishings and a wet bar; the concierge lounge will be relocated to overlook the lobby; the hotel’s existing restaurant areas will be merged to form the Rock River Grill and Tavern; and the fitness center will expand to 1,200 square feet while updating all exercise equipment. Connected via skylink to the Iowa Event Center, the Des Moines Marriott Downtown features 415 guest accommodations, 25,000-square-feet of meeting space, including a 9,400-square-foot ballroom, and wired and wireless high-speed Internet access. For more information, call 515.245.5500 or visit www.marriott.com/dsmia.

Minnesota
  • The Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis Park Place completed a major property-wide renovation. The project, which the hotel reports cost several million dollars, included design, technology, amenity, and service upgrades throughout the hotel, including the main entrance, front desk and public areas, all 298 guest rooms, the hotel’s 26,000 square feet of meeting space, and the opening of Dover, the hotel’s new restaurant and lounge. Located four miles from downtown Minneapolis, the Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis Park Place offers additional amenities such as wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, a fitness room, and a swimming pool with a whirlpool. For more information, call 952.542.8600 or visit www.doubletreeminneapolis.com.

  • The Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Lakeville opened in November. Formerly operating as a Super 8 Motel, the hotel received a year-long, $10 million upgrade prior to raising the Holiday Inn flag. The new and improved product, which is Lakeville’s first full-service hotel, features 132 guest rooms, including 33 suites, and 6,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom that can accommodate 325 guests for a banquet or 500 for a reception. Located less than 20 miles from downtown Minneapolis, the hotel also offers high-speed Internet access, an indoor Holidome water park, a business center, a fitness center, and dining at Rudy’s Redeye Grill. For more information, call 952.469.1134 or visit www.holidayinn.com.

Nebraska
  • The Omaha Magnolia Hotel, which until late November had operated as the Sheraton Omaha Hotel, is scheduled to begin a $14 million, property-wide renovation in February. Scheduled for completion this summer, the renovation includes repainting the entire hotel; remodeling each hotel room, including all new furnishings, bathrooms and bedding; and a full remodel of all meeting space and public areas. The downtown Omaha hotel, which will remain open during the renovation, will feature 145 guest rooms, including 20 suites, 6,000 square feet of meeting space, wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, and a 24-hour fitness center with a steam room and dry sauna facilities, among other amenities. For more information, call 888.915.1110 or visit www.magnoliahotelomaha.com.