Site Scene

Arkansas

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in June debuted the aloft Rogers-Bentonville. The 130-room hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi in guest rooms and each room features a 42-inch LCD television. The hotel also features 550 square feet of meeting space, set up as a boardroom with a table for 12. For more information, call 479.268.6799 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

• InterContinental Hotels Group in July took the wraps off its Crowne Plaza Orlando-Downtown, which was converted from the Lexington Orlando CityPlace. The hotel has 227 rooms, with 50 king suites and one presidential suite, and also features a fitness center. Complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access is available throughout the guest rooms, meeting rooms and public spaces. The hotel offers 6,500 square feet of meeting space. For more information, call 407.843.8700 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
  
  
• Benchmark Hospitality International and singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan Jr., in June opened Costa d’Este Beach Resort in Vero Beach. The $50 million resort features 94 guest rooms including four one-bedroom suites, a signature restaurant and bar, infinity-edge swimming pool and cabana bar, and a full-service spa and fitness center. The hotel also features a 1,170-square-foot function room with space for up to 70 guests. For more information, call 772.410.0104 or visit www.costadeste.com.
  
  
• Hyatt Regency Sarasota unveiled the first phase of its $22 million renovation, including upgrades to its 294 guest rooms and common areas. Added amenities include 32-inch flat-screen televisions and wireless Internet access. As part of the hotel’s 20,000 square feet of function space, a new 2,000-square-foot room was added offering views of the pool and private marina. The second phase of the hotel’s renovations is scheduled to be completed later this year and includes transformation of the former Boathouse restaurant to over-the-water event space and a complete renovation of the Sarasota Ballroom. For more information, call 941.953.1234 or visit http://sarasota.hyatt.com.

• The W Atlanta–Midtown opened in June, featuring 466 guest rooms and suites and more than 30,000 square feet of function space. There are 14 event and meeting spaces, including the Great Room, with nearly 10,000 square feet of space. For more information, call 404.892.6000 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
  
  
• The Westin Atlanta Airport is near completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation to the hotel’s 500 guest rooms. The upgrade is part of an $18 million renovation, which will also include improvements to meeting space, the lobby and the hotel’s exterior. In the works is flight check-in, where guests can print their boarding passes at the front desk. For more information, call 404.762.7676 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
  
  
• The 147-room Holiday Inn Arlington–Northeast opened in June. The 102,000-square-foot hotel features complimentary high-speed Internet access, and AT&T VoIP phone systems, which will allow guests to conduct conference calls for up to six participants. The hotel also offers a variety of other amenities, including outside patios for dining, socializing or special events; a media room with 62-inch LCD television, and a Sporting News Grill restaurant. With 2,400 square feet of function space, the hotel will also be available for business meetings and banquets. For more information, call 817.460.2500 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
  
  
• Dawgwood Hotels recently opened the 69-room Woodstock Microtel Inn & Suites, featuring single, double and suite accommodations. All guest rooms offer a flat-panel television and complementary Wi-Fi access. Other hotel amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and meeting room. For more information, call 678.738.0001 or visit www.microtelinn.com.

• The Embassy Suites Murfreesboro–Hotel & Conference Center will debut in September. The hotel will feature 283 suites with high-speed Internet access, as well as 43,325 square feet of meeting and event space. Its 28,800-square-foot Grand Ballroom is the third-largest in the Greater Nashville market. The Embassy Lounge is located in an open garden atrium, and other features include a fitness center, indoor pool and sundeck. For more information, call 615.890.4464 or visit www.murfreesboro.embassysuites.com.

• The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center, north of downtown Houston, will undergo a $50 million transformation and expansion project to include the build out of 158 new guest rooms, the addition of a winding river as well as a new entrance. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with an estimated completion date in late 2009. Plans also call for the renovation of the property’s 60,000 square feet of meeting space. For more information, call 281.367.1100 or visit www.woodlandsresort.com.
  
  
• Crowne Plaza Houston North–Greenspoint recently unveiled its multimillion-dollar renovation to the 334-room property. The renovation encompassed the entire lobby space, executive boardrooms and meeting space, and all of the guest rooms and suites. The hotel features 15,000 square feet of meeting space and also offers a VIP boardroom for 12 as well as hotel-wide wireless Internet access. For more information, call 281.445.9000, or visit www.houstonhotels.crowneplaza.com.