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Site Scene

British Columbia
  • The city of Victoria in June took over possession of the former Crystal Garden building to be used as expanded space for the Victoria Conference Centre. The building, located across the street from conference center, will open as conference space in 2008 and bring in an additional 25,000 square feet of meeting space, including a banquet/exhibit level and a mezzanine. This will create a total of 65,000 square feet of meeting space. The Crystal Garden building is an historic landmark originally designed over 80 years ago by Francis Rattenbury as a saltwater swimming pool. For more information, call 250.361.1000 or visit www.victoriaconference.com.

California
  • San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which opened in 1928, in July completed a $20 million transformation that included a major renovation of its 417 guest rooms and the addition of a lobby bar. The hotel’s 15,000 square feet of meeting space was also completely updated with state-of-the art audiovisual capabilities. Plans for a 2,000-square-foot spa and fitness center are also under way on the third floor and will be unveiled later this year. For more information, call 415.392.7755 or visit www.sirfrancisdrake.com.

  • Hyatt Regency Santa Clara began a $12 million guest room renovation in May, with a slated date for completion in late August. The renovation includes all 501 guest rooms, including suites and corridors on all 14 floors of the hotel’s tower. Guest rooms will include 32-inch LCD flat-panel televisions, expanded work stations with oversized desks, enhanced connectivity, and wireless Internet access. For more information, call 408.200.1234 or visit www.santaclara.hyatt.com.

  • The 160-room Holiday Inn Santa Barbara–Goleta is in the middle of a $2 million renovation to its guest rooms and meeting facilities. The 3,220-square-foot Fiesta Ballroom will be complemented with a connecting outdoor patio. The enhanced banquet space will allow for open-air prefunction events and receptions, while the lobby area will receive a makeover as well. For more information, call 805.964.6241 or visit www.holiday-inn.com/santabarbara.

Colorado
  • Aspen Mountain Resort debuted its 22,000-square-foot Doerr-Hosier Center in June, featuring 15 meeting rooms. Facilities at Doerr-Hosier include the McNulty Gathering Room, which seats 200 in a classroom setting; the Kaufman Room, with its own patio overlooking Red Mountain, which seats 90 for a special event or 48 in a roundtable setting; and the Catto Terrace Room, which also offers views of Red Mountain and seats 18 in a boardroom setting or 40 for private dining. For more information, call 970.925.4240 or visit http://aspenmeadowsresort.dolce.com.

Hawaii
  • Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea invested over $50 million to update its facilities and services. In June the property completed renovations to its 380 rooms and suites, adding 42-inch plasma televisions. High-speed wireless Internet access is now available throughout the resort. For more information, call 808.874.8000, or visit www.fourseasons.com/maui.

  • The 75-room Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach officially transformed into Oahu’s first Westin resort. The 1901-built Victorian property, renamed Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort, underwent a complete guest room and public space renovation. Enhancements will be fully complete when its beachfront spa opens in 2008. The new spa will feature 14 treatment rooms, including two couple’s massage rooms and a 1,400- square-foot fitness facility. For more information, call 808.922.3111 or visit www.moana-surfrider.com.

Nevada
  • The Flamingo Las Vegas recently began the second phase of its extensive room renovation, including the transformation of more than 500 hotel rooms and suites into technologically advanced Flamingo Go Rooms. Phase II debuts three new stylized suite types: 1,500-square-foot Go Metropolitan suites, 650-square-foot Go Neapolitan suites and one-bedroom Go Cosmopolitan suites. The second phase of room renovations is slated for completion by the end of the year, though transformations of rooms and suites will be ongoing through 2009. For more information, call 702.733.3111 or visit www.harrahs.com.

Washington
  • Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue completed a nearly $2 million renovation of its 36,000-square-foot Center Hall to create a more contiguous and inviting function and exhibit space. Construction and renovation for the center hall project began late last year and was finished this May. For more information, call 425-637-1020 or visit www.meydenbauer.com.