Happenings

• The Westin Roco Ki Beach & Golf Resort (954.624.1771; www.westin.com) is slated to open next May in the Punta Canta area of the Dominican Republic. The property will feature 327 guest rooms, 130 condo units, a conference center accommodating up to 500 people, seven restaurants, a full-service spa, interpretive museum, and a botanical garden. Amenities will also include an 18-hole, Nick Fazio-designed golf course with ocean views.

1br> Florida

• The Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa (904.285.777; www.sawgrassmarriott.com) in Ponte Vedra Beach recently unveiled the new TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse, which includes an event lawn and 11,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space as well as a restaurant, terrace, golf shop, and exhibit gallery devoted to the history of the PGA Tour. The property has also completed a renovation of all 508 guest rooms and major upgrades to The Players Stadium Course and the adjacent Dye’s Valley Course.
  
  
• The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village (904.940.8000; www.worldgolfrenais sance.com) in St. Augustine is scheduled to complete an $8 million renovation this month of its 301 guest rooms, lobby, restaurant, and 26,450-square-foot St. Augustine Ballroom. The resort has also added flex-back chairs to all meeting rooms.
  
  
• The Blue at Doral (305.403.9731; www.theblueatdoral.com), a luxury 240-unit condo-hotel, opened in November alongside the Blue Monster golf course at Miami’s Doral Golf Resort. The property offers accommodations ranging from junior suites to three-bedroom townhouses as well as a clubhouse, restaurant and 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
  
  
• Salamander Hospitality recently purchased the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (727.942.2000; www.innisbrookgolfresort.com) in Tampa and announced plans to renovate the resort’s Island Golf Course and its three golf clubhouses with over 65,000 square feet of meeting space. The new owners are also planning to add a full-service spa and renovate the tennis and fitness facilities.
  
  
• The Orlando World Center Marriott & Convention Center (407.238.8888; www.marriottworldwide.com) unveiled the 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom, the largest pillar-free ballroom in the nation. The new ballroom, which gives the resort a total of 450,000 square feet of event space, can seat up to 13,000 people theater-style. The 2,000-room resort also offers a full-service spa and 18-hole championship golf course.
  
  
• The Grand Cypress Resort (407.239. 4700; www.grandcypress.com) in Orlando completed a renovation of its clubhouse that included the addition of a new restaurant and an upgraded pro shop. The resort also completed a renovation of its 146 guest rooms at The Villas of Grand Cypress and a restoration of its 9-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed South Course.
  
  
• A conference center with 3,000 square feet of meeting space recently opened at the GreenLinks Golf Resort (239.732.9920; www.greenlinksnaples.com) in Naples. The resort also offers 200 condominium suites and two 18-hole golf courses.

• A 250-room hotel tower is expected to open by the end of the year at L’auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino (337.395.7777; www.ldlcasino.com) in Lake Charles, giving the property a total of 1,000 guest rooms. The resort also includes 26,000 square feet of meeting space and an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

• The Hilton Garden Inn Choctaw (601.663. 0406; www.pearlriverresort.com) is scheduled to open early next year at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw. The hotel will offer 140 guest rooms, 2,000 square feet of meeting space and a full-service restaurant. It will be adjacent to the resort’s Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, which includes two championship golf courses.

• The Pinehurst Resort (910.295.8500; www.pinehurst.com) in the Village of Pinehurst added three new executive meeting rooms this fall, totaling 3,000 square feet. This spring the resort will complete the final phase of an $8.5 million renovation of its Carolina Hotel guest rooms, which will include upgraded bedding and expanded work areas.
  
  
• The 308-room Embassy Suites Resort & Conference Center Charlotte–Concord (704.455.8200; www.embassysuitesconcord.com) opened in Concord on a site adjacent to the Rocky River Golf Club. The hotel is connected to the new 42,000-square-foot Concord Convention Center. Both the hotel and golf club are managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts.

• The Chickasaw Nation is planning a major expansion of its WinStar Casino (580.276.4229; www.winstarcasinos.com) in Thackerville that will include a 400-room hotel and a convention center accomodating up to 2,500 people. The project is set for completion in 2009. The Chicksaw Nation recently opened the 18-hole WinStar golf course and a clubhouse with practice facilities, restaurant, pro shop, and banquet facilities.
  
  
• The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma has broken ground on the Downstream Casino and Hotel (918.542.1853; www.quapawtribe.com) on 140 acres of land in Ottawa County. Expected to be completed in summer 2008, the property will feature a 219-room hotel, restaurant, casino, and 36 holes of golf at the nearby Loma Linda Country Club.

• The Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, A Wyndham Grand Resort (787.888.6000; www.wyndham.com) in Rio Grande has begun a $40 million renovation of its 600 guest rooms, casino, meeting facilities, and public areas. Also included in the project are the resort’s two 18-hole championship golf courses, which will receive over $5 million in upgrades.
  
  
• The Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort (787.259.7676; www.hiltoncaribbean.com) in Ponce is wrapping up an expansion that includes a new 6,000-square-foot exhibition center. The resort features 253 guest rooms, over 17,000 square feet of meeting space and 27 holes of golf.

• The Kiawah Island Golf Resort (843.768.6040; www.kiawahresort.com) on Kiawah Island recently opened a $20 million clubhouse on The Ocean Course. With views of the Atlantic Ocean, the clubhouse offers four meeting rooms with a total of 3,000 square feet of space as well as a fine-dining restaurant, bar and a spacious verandah with outdoor fireplaces.
  
  
• The Sea Pines Resort (843.785.3333; www.seapines.com) on Hilton Head Island reopened Heron Point by Pete Dye, following a major reconstruction of the 18-hole golf course. The 425-room resort offers two other golf courses and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.

• Development plans are under way for the 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa (210.403.3434; www.marriott.com) scheduled to open in 2010. The resort will include a championship golf course and 140,000 square feet of indoor function space.

• The Lansdowne Resort (703.729.8400; www.lansdowneresort.com) in Leesburg unveiled Shark Bite, a new 9-hole golf course adjacent to its 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed championship course. The 305-room resort offers 45,000 square feet of meeting space.

• Following a $50 million renovation, The Greenbrier resort (304.536.1110; www.greenbrier.com) in White Sulphur Springs reopened in April. The 721-room property offers three championship golf courses.