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Site Scene

Florida
  • The Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa completed a three-year, $187 million renovation and expansion project. Much of the focus of the project was to expand its offerings for the meetings industry, which comprises approximately 60 percent of the resort’s revenue. Highlights of the renovation include the addition of the 10,000-square-foot Palms Ballroom; a refurbishment of the resort’s 55,000 square feet of pre-existing meeting space, including the 19,200-square-foot Islands Ballroom and 8,200-square-foot Capri Ballroom; the opening of the 24,000-square-foot Spa at Marco Island; and a complete redesign of The Rookery at Marco Island golf course, including the development of a new golf clubhouse, home to the Rookery Steakhouse. Other renovations included guest room and guest suite updates; an overhaul of the resort’s two swimming pools; the addition of two private dining rooms in the resort’s Kurrents restaurant; the addition of 400 Pazzi’s, an indoor/outdoor brick-oven pizzeria; the addition of the Cafe San Marco in the lobby; a redesign of the resort’s entrance and lobby; and the introduction of several upscale retail shops. Located near Fort Myers in southwest Florida, the beachfront Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa features more than 700 guest accommodations and 225,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space. For more information, call 239.394.2511 or visit www.marcoislandmarriott.com.

  • The Holiday Inn Fort Myers Downtown Historic District is now open. The full-service, 123-room hotel, which formerly operated as an independent property, received a $3.5 million renovation prior to raising the Holiday Inn flag. Located four blocks from the Fort Myers Historic District, the hotel is situated within walking distance of the Boston Red Sox spring training facility and minutes by car from the Fort Myers Marina and the Harborside Event Center. The Holiday Inn Fort Myers Downtown Historic District offers three meeting rooms with a combined 1,200 square feet of space, as well as a selection of amenities that includes high-speed Internet access, an outdoor swimming pool, a business center, a fitness center, and complimentary parking. For more information, call 239.332.3232 or visit www.holidayinn.com.

North Carolina
  • The Embassy Suites Hotel Resort and Conference Center Charlotte–Concord opened in January. The $60 million property, which is owned and operated by John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, features 308 guest suites and a conference and convention facility with 42,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 28,800-square-foot ballroom and 26 breakout meeting rooms. The property also offers a full-service Spa Botanica; access to the adjacent Rocky River Golf Club; which is operated by the hotel and is listed among the top 100 golf courses in North Carolina; and numerous amenities, including high-speed Internet access, a staffed business center, an indoor swimming pool with a whirlpool, a fitness center, a sundeck, a game room, complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast, coffee in Caffeina’s Marketplace, and on-site dining at the Rocky River Grille. For more information, call 704.455.8200 or visit www.embassysuitesconcord.com.

Oklahoma
  • At press time, the Residence Inn by Marriott Oklahoma City Downtown/Bricktown was scheduled to open in late January. The hotel, located within walking distance of the Cox Convention Center and across the street from the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in the heart of the Bricktown business and entertainment district, features 151 guest rooms and three meeting rooms totaling 1,500 square feet. Situated along the Bricktown Canal, the hotel offers complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access, complimentary hot breakfast buffet, free on-site parking, a heated outdoor swimming pool, a whirlpool spa, and a fitness center. For more information, call 405.601.1700 or visit www.residenceinn.com.

Tennessee
  • In December, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts broke ground on the 10-story, 283-suite Embassy Suites Hotel Murfreesboro and an adjoining 80,000-square-foot conference center in the city of Murfreesboro. Situated in the center of the state near Middle Tennessee State University, the full-service, all-suite hotel is scheduled to open in spring 2008. For more information, visit www.jqhhotels.com.