Alabama
Arkansas
The Bahamas
Florida
- The Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport is sporting a new look following a $6 million redesign completed this June. Areas that were renovated include the hotel’s 220 guest rooms and 13 suites as well as the lobby. A new restaurant and fitness center were introduced. The updated guest rooms now feature MP3 player clocks, 32-inch LCD flat-panel televisions, as well as Wi-Fi. For more information, call 205.591.6900 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
Arkansas
- InterContinental Hotels Group is opening the $12 million, 243-room Crowne Plaza Little Rock this August. The five-story property, previously a Holiday Inn Select, will offer 7,500 square feet of meeting and banquet space; a restaurant and lounge; indoor and outdoor swimming pools; 32-inch LCD televisions; and a fitness center. All meeting rooms and all guest rooms will feature complimentary Wi-Fi access. For more information, call 501.223.3000 or visit www.crowneplaza.com.
The Bahamas
- The $80 million Sheraton Cable Beach Resort in Nassau—the former Radisson Cable Beach Resort—opened in June with 694 rooms and 25,000 square feet of function space. The opening marks the first phase in the development of the 1,000-acre Baha Mar site, a $2.3 billion project that will eventually include four Starwood-brand hotels and spas (St. Regis, W, Westin, and the new Sheraton); a 1,000-room Caesars Resort Hotel & Casino; an 18-hole golf course; meeting space; a 20-acre pool and beachfront complex; and a village with retail shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Completion of the Baha Mar project is scheduled by 2011. For more information, call 242.327.6000 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com and www.bahamar.com.
Florida
- The Orlando Sun Resort and Convention Center by Lexington, formerly the Hyatt Orlando, debuted in June with 918 guest rooms and 28 suites on more than 77 acres. The resort features 60,000 square feet of meeting space, with 22 meeting rooms, a 13,550-square-foot ballroom, 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall, four grand pools, two restaurants, and a fitness center. Additional amenities include free Wi-Fi access in all the guest rooms. The first phase of 480 guest rooms are ready for occupancy and the balance of the rooms will be on-line by late summer. For more information, call 877.467.5786 or visit www.osrbylexington.com.
- A 156-room Crowne Plaza hotel in Miami recently opened with 5,000 square feet of meeting space. The Crowne Plaza Miami Kendall also features an outdoor pool with a whirlpool, a fitness center, a tennis court, and complimentary wired Internet access in guest rooms and as well as Wi-Fi available in the hotel’s public spaces. For more information, call 305.279.7700 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
- The Grosvenor Resort is undergoing an extensive $25 million property-wide renovation and enhancement, including remodeling all 626 guest rooms and suites; the lobby, restaurants and lounges; the pool area; as well as the hotel’s 19,000 square feet of meeting space and prefunction space. The project is slated for completion by September. Guest rooms will feature all-new furniture, soft goods and artwork. All rooms and suites are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi. The resort’s 19,000 square feet of flexible meeting space is also being upgraded, with a completion date set for the end of August. For more information, call 407.828.4444, or visit www.grosvenorresort.com.