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Site Scene

Illinois
  • This June, Gemstone Hotels & Resorts International finished a $17 million renovation of the House of Blues Hotel and reopened the property as the Hotel Sax Chicago. The overhaul includes a complete renovation of all 353 guest rooms, hotel lobby area and bar, as well as the introduction of the Crimson lounge. Later this year, the hotel will unveil a 10,000 square-foot meeting, ballroom and function space. Hotel Sax features complimentary wired and Wi-Fi high-speed Internet access and is home to six upscale restaurants, a bowling lounge and fitness center. It also continues to partner with Chicago’s House of Blues live music venue. For more information, call 312.245.0333 or visit www.hotelsaxchicago.com.

  • Chicago’s historic Blackstone Hotel, closed since 1999, will be restored to its former grandeur when it reopens this fall as part of the Marriott Renaissance chain. A registered landmark, The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel as it is now known, was completed in 1910 and has hosted 12 U.S. presidents. Spaces targeted for restoration include the lobby, Crystal Ballroom, Art Hall, English Room, and barber shop. When the $112 million renovation is complete, the 22-story Blackstone will feature 330 guest rooms, along with meeting and board rooms. Unfinished space on the hotel’s top floor will be converted into luxury suites. For more information, call 888.236.2427 or visit www.marriott.com.

  • Hyatt Regency Chicago completed a meeting space renovation in its West Tower and added two new food and beverage outlets. Part of the renovation included a $6.5 million upgrade of its Regency Ballroom. The remainder of the meeting space makeover included a $2.1 million renovation of the Stetson Conference Center, 15 meeting rooms and West Tower Bronze Level public space. The Hyatt also added a venue for special events named The Club at 151, located in the center of the hotel’s atrium lobby. The space can accommodate groups of 100 to 1,000. The hotel offers 2,019 guest rooms and 228,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including four ballrooms and a 70,000-square-foot exhibition hall. For more information, call 312.565.1234 or visit www.chicagohyatt.com.

Minnesota
  • The Hilton Minneapolis recently completed a multiyear, $22.8 million hotel-wide renovation, with an emphasis on boosting its appeal to groups. The Hilton updated its banquet and meeting facilities, which comprise over 74,000 square feet of function space, including a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, the newly added 7,400-square-foot Symphony Ballroom and 21 additional function rooms. A full-service business center is also open after-hours. All 821 guest rooms have been upgraded with contemporary design as well. The hotel also provides two Executive Level floors and an Executive Lounge overlooking the city skyline. For more information, call 612.376.1000 or visit www.minneapolis.hilton.com.

  • Trinity Hotel Investors of New York purchased both the Radisson Riverfront Hotel and Radisson City Center Hotel in St. Paul, which are now managed by Crestline Hotels & Resorts. The 479-room Radisson Riverfront Hotel is now the Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Paul-Riverfront and has undergone a $4.5 million renovation of its lobby, restaurant, and meeting and social spaces. The property’s new street-level dining space opened in June. The 251-room Radisson City Center completed a $10 million renovation in May and was renamed the Hilton Garden Inn St. Paul City Center. Additions include a lobby fireplace, restaurant, and complete soft and hard goods renovation of the guest rooms, including the addition of flat-screen televisions and wireless Internet. For more information about Crowne Plaza, call 651.292.1900 or visit www.ichotels group.com. For more information about the Hilton Garden Inn, call 651.291.8800 or visit http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com.

Missouri
  • The renovated 193-room the Holiday Inn Downtown Kansas City–The Aladdin opened in May. Built in 1925 and listed on the National Historic Register, the 100,000-square-foot hotel features marble lobbies and Art Deco furnishings. Aladdin offers free Wi-Fi in guest rooms and throughout the hotel. For groups, Aladdin features a business center, two meeting rooms and one ballroom comprising almost 4,000 square feet of meeting space. For more information, call 816.421.8888 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.

  • Construction is nearing completion on the 220,000-square-foot Branson Convention Center, located on the shores of Lake Taneycomo. The center will feature 220,000 square feet of flexible space, including on the first level a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall that can be divided into two sections, as well as a 23,000-square-foot ballroom. The second level will host five meeting rooms, ranging in size from 1,200 to 5,500 square feet. The convention center debuts in August, as does the new 12-story, 293-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, which is attached to the convention center. The hotel offers scenic views of a fountain designed by the creators of the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas. Guest rooms include high-speed internet access, a 32-inch LCD television and a clock radio to which guests can connect their personal MP3 player, portable CD player, laptop, and other electronic devices. For more information, call 417.336.5401 or visit www.bransonconvention.com.

  • The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza is undergoing a $15 million makeover, with renovations planned from July to November. All 366 rooms in the hotel tower will receive new decor and furnishings including flat-screen televisions. The hotel’s lobby and popular Oak Bar are also on the schedule for upgrades. Originally opened in 1972 as the Alameda Plaza, the hotel became a Ritz-Carlton when it was sold in 1990, with several ownership changes to follow. In 2000, the last of the Ritz-Carlton owners, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, sold the property to Maritz Wolff, which changed the hotel’s name to the Fairmont–Kansas City at the Plaza. The hotel offers 29,000 square feet of meeting space. For more information, call 816.756.1500 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.