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Site Scene

Arizona
  • In August the Embassy Suites Tucson–Paloma Village will debut with 120 guest suites and 3,256 square feet of indoor meeting space. Each of the suites will feature two separate living areas, two 32-inch flat-screen televisions, a work desk, a sofa bed, and kitchen appliances, and many will have private balconies or patios. The interior will be designed with the help of Tucson painter Diana Madaras, who will create original artworks for the property. For more information, call 480.893.0464 or visit www.embassysuites.com.

California
  • Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa in March completed a $17 million renovation, including redesigned guest rooms, meeting and public spaces, a re-worked restaurant and bar with views of the lake, and the new 11,000-square-foot, full-service Spa of the Pines. The conference rooms have been redesigned to accommodate groups ranging from 10 to 450 guests. Its executive boardroom suite, Pinnacle, includes meeting space for up to 16, in addition to a private wet bar, lounge, separate business center, and restroom facilities. The resort, located in the San Bernardino Mountains, features 173 guest rooms, including 10 luxury suites and a 1,200-square-foot Presidential Suite. Its locale offers guests private beach access to the lake. For more information, call 909.336.1511 or visit www.laresort.com.

  • The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage is set to open in early winter 2007. The new $500 million resort will feature 244 rooms and suites, 154 residences, a 25,000-square-foot spa, nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and top-tier chefs. Guest rooms will include soaking tubs with a private flat-screen TV, a balcony or private veranda, and high-speed wireless and cabled data connections. Many rooms also have outdoor private fire pits. The resort itself, which overlooks Palm Springs, will feature infinity swimming and relaxation pools, premier golf and tennis options at clubs in the Coachella Valley, and over 20 miles of mountain hiking trails. For more information, call 800.241.3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com.

  • The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians broke ground in March on a large-scale development project at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. The project will begin with construction of a 1,245-space parking garage and follow with construction of a hotel and spa featuring 200 rooms, a convention center and four-star amenities. For more information, call 866.377.8629 or visit www.spotlight29.com.

  • The Gansevoort West is set to open by the end of 2007 in a 1914 Beaux Arts building in downtown Los Angeles that once housed the city’s first philharmonic orchestra. The $30 million Gansevoort West will offer 170 rooms, a spa, a fitness center, and expansive meeting venues that will include the original building’s 1,800-seat performance space. For more information, call 877.426.7386 or visit www.hotelgansevoort.com.

British Columbia
  • Los Angeles-based Kor Hotel Group is slated to debut in summer the Loden Vancouver, its first Canadian venture. The 14-story, 130-room hotel tower will include 10 suites, a 1,600-square-foot Penthouse Suite, a restaurant and bar, as well as four banquet rooms totaling 3,500 square feet. It will also offer a boardroom in an adjoining mixed-use structure. Other amenities include a fitness center, rooftop deck with city views, lap pool, private cabanas, outdoor fireplace, and lounge area. Loden Vancouver will be close to Stanley Park and the Vancouver Convention Centre. For more information, call 604.408.4080 or visit www.lodenvancouver.com.

Colorado
  • The Courtyard by Marriott Denver Cherry Creek, previously known as the Cherry Creek Hotel, opened in March. The 12-story hotel offers 240 rooms and five meeting rooms with 6,000 square feet of meeting space, accommodating up to 250. The meeting space features the Skyline ballroom, with views of the Denver skyline. Other facilities include the Courtyard Cafe restaurant, an indoor swimming pool with a whirlpool spa, an exercise room, and a business library. The hotel also redesigned its public space to include a business library featuring individual workstations with high-speed dataports and a lounge area where guests can work, meet and dine. For more information, call 303.757.8797 or visit www.marriottcherrycreek.com.

  • The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) is undergoing a $28.4 million expansion adding 48,000 square feet to bring the total space to 132,286 square feet. The extra space will allow for larger international traveling exhibitions, as well as more options for groups. Flexible indoor and outdoor event space will accommodate 10 to 500 people. Options include a 640-square-foot conference room, 400-square-foot screening room, 786-square-foot lounge, 5,760-square-foot courtyard, and the 1,790-square-foot South Events Gallery. In addition, Cafe 36 offers 1,500 square feet, including a terrace with views of Pikes Peak. For more information, call 719.634.5581 or visit www.csfineartscenter.org.

Mexico
  • The Villa Group plans to open a themed spa this summer simply titled The Spa, with easy access to its Villa La Estancia, Villa del Arco and Villa del Palmar resorts. Located in El Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas, the hacienda-style spa facility will span three levels and 31,000 square feet, with an equally expansive array of treatments, including hydrotherapy centers for men and women, each with a Jacuzzi, cold plunge pool, cold pressure showers, body temperature pool, steam room, sauna, and Swiss showers. There will be 17 treatment rooms, two exclusive VIP suites with a private Jacuzzi and shower, and an extensive menu of desert-inspired treatments using natural ingredients such as agave, lime, cactus, melon, and vanilla. Within The Spa, there will be a 4,500-square-foot fitness center and a yoga/Pilates studio with classes. For more information, call 877.845.5247 or visit www.villagroupresorts.com.

Nevada
  • Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is about to get a $750 million makeover. The all-out expansion follows the $770 million purchase of the 16.7-acre property and adjacent 23-acre Paradise Bay Club apartment complex by a joint-venture partnership between Morgans Hotel Group and DLJ Merchant Bank. Included in the expansion will be the addition of a new 15-story, 550-room hotel tower with a separate 400-suite VIP tower in the space where the apartment complex now stands. Construction is scheduled to begin in October and finish by mid-2009. The front of the property, currently used for parking, will be converted to 60,000 square feet of convention and meeting space as well as an expansion of the existing The Joint concert venue, which will host up to 2,000. The Hard Rock will also renovate its 640 rooms and add 35,000-square-feet of casino space, 30,000 square feet of new retail space, a larger pool area, new bars and restaurants, and a new spa and health club. For more information, call 702.693.5544 or visit www.hardrockhotel.com.