Arkansas
Florida
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
- The Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas Hotel, Spa and Convention Center recently completed a six-story, 152-suite tower expansion, with each room equipped with 32-inch flat-screen televisions. The hotel offers a spa and fitness center as well as wireless Internet access and is connected to the John Q. Hammons Center, which has 125,000 square feet of function space. For more information, call 479.254.8400 or visit http://embassysuites1.hilton.com.
Florida
- The Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Beach recently opened as a 13-story oceanfront property. The 171-room hotel features 90 suites, 1,412 square feet of meeting space and high-speed Internet access throughout the hotel. Other amenities include an outdoor heated swimming pool and poolside bar. For more information, call 954.524.8733 or visit www.marriott.com.
- Late last year the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort showcased the new 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom, increasing the property’s event space to 450,000 square feet. The new ballroom can seat up 13,000 theater style. Together with the Palms Ballroom, it provides 150,000 square feet of contiguous, pillar-free meeting space and more than 50,000 square feet of prefunction space. The property offers 2,000 guest rooms and suites, 10 restaurants and lounges, an 18-hole championship golf club, a full-service spa and fitness center, and a million-gallon pool complex. For more information, call 407.239.4200 or visit www.marriottworldcenter.com.
- The Beachside Resort & Conference Center opened in Key West in October with 222 rooms, including 129 one-, two- and three-bedroom suites and 93 king bedrooms. Each guest room features balconies with waterfront views, open kitchens and high-speed Internet access. The Beachside Ballroom is 6,000 square feet and can seat up to 400. For more information, call 305.296.8100 or visit www.beachsidekeywest.com.
- The Sea Turtle Inn in Atlantic Beach is undergoing a major renovation and is now operating under a new name, One Ocean Resort Hotel & Spa. Slated for completion by January, renovations include a remodel of its guest rooms, restaurant, front desk and pool, as well as the addition of an oceanfront spa. The property offers 8,000 square feet of conference and banquet space and a 3,700-square-foot ballroom, as well as two large oceanfront event rooms and 11 meeting rooms. For more information, call 904.247.0305 or visit www.oneoceanresort.com.
North Carolina
- The Doubletree Guest Suites Raleigh/Durham took the wraps off a multimillion-dollar renovation. Enhancements include the redesign of all 203 guest suites and the lobby, as well as upgrades to its 5,600 square feet of flexible meeting space and the pool area. For more information, call 919.361.4660 or visit http://doubletree1.hilton.com.
South Carolina
- The Hampton Inn Columbia Downtown Historic District is slated to open in January with 80 guest rooms, all featuring high-speed Internet access and 32-inch LCD televisions. Amenities include a fitness center, pool, exterior courtyard areas for private functions, meeting capacity for up to 100 people, and a private boardroom. For more information, call 801.231.2000 or visit www.hamptoninncolumbia.com.
Tennessee
- The 11-story Hotel Indigo Nashville–West End opened in Nashville in November in the place of an office tower known as Midtown Plaza. The 139-room hotel features eight suites, the largest of which is nearly 3,000 square feet. All guest rooms have 32-inch LCD flat-panel televisions, and the hotel features high-speed Internet access in all guest rooms and wireless in all public areas. There are also seven meeting rooms totaling 1,995 square feet of space. For more information, call 615.329.4200 or visit www.hotelindigo.com.
Texas
- The 282-room Wyndham DFW Airport North in Irving opened following a $13 million renovation and rebranding from the former Holiday Inn Select. Each guest room features wireless Internet access. The hotel also offers 12,500 square feet of event space as well as an outdoor pool and a fitness facility with a sauna and business center. For more information, call 972.929.8181 or visit www.wyndham.com.
Virginia
- The Holiday Inn Tysons Corner in McLean completed its transformation to a Crowne Plaza this fall following a multimillion-dollar renovation. The Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner–Mclean features 316 rooms and suites and over 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the adjacent Executive Conference Center. Renovations include upgrades to the exterior, ballroom, restaurants, and all public areas. The hotel offers a 24-hour business center and high-speed wired Internet access in guest rooms. There is complimentary Wi-Fi access in all public areas. For more information, call 703.893.2100 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
- The Westin Alexandria made its debut in November as a component of Alexandria’s newest community, The Carlyle—a mixed-use hotel, luxury condominium and retail project. The hotel has 319 rooms, including 10 executive suites and one presidential suite, and offers 18,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. One highlight is its 7,900-square-foot ballroom. The hotel also offers several meeting and executive boardrooms. For more information, call 703.253.8600 or visit www.westin.com/alexandria.