Florida
- The Hotel Indigo Miami Dadeland, a former Ramada Limited property, opened in September. The 122-room hotel offers a business center, pool and more than 300 square feet of meeting space for business functions or special events. There is also wireless high-speed Internet access throughout the hotel. For more information, call 305.595.6000 or visit www.hotelindigo.com.
- The 63-room Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Pensacola West debuted in September. The hotel features an indoor pool, whirlpool and fitness room. Other amenities include a 50-person-capacity meeting room. The hotel offers a variety of guest rooms, including standard rooms, studio suites, one-bedroom suites and a Jacuzzi room. All rooms feature complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access and 32-inch flat-panel televisions. For more information, call 850.944.7653 or visit www.countryinns.com/pensacolafl_west.
- The 408-room Mainsail Suites Hotel & Conference Center, located in Tampa’s West Shore district, is adding 17,500 square feet of meeting and conference space. The new $10 million meeting complex will feature 16-foot ceilings, 6,500 square feet of ballroom space, new audiovisual projection equipment and a 4,500-square-foot patio and gazebo. The expansion project is set to be complete by September 2009. For more information, call 813.243.2600 or visit www.mainsailtampa.com.
- The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, located in Hollywood, is undergoing a partial renovation of its 998 guest rooms and undertaking new sustainability and green initiatives. The resort invested $8.5 million in the current guest room renovation, due for completion by the end of the year. During the renovation, 99 percent of the existing guest room items are being recycled and almost 1,000 mattresses, box springs and bed frames and 400 sleeper sofas will be shipped to a senior-living facility and orphanage in Haiti. The mattress program is a joint effort between the Westin and Operation Green Leaves. The resort offers a 200,000-square-foot convention center and four restaurants. In addition to the guest room renovation, public spaces are being upgraded. For more information, call 954.602.6000 or visit www.diplomatresort.com.
Georgia
- Holiday Inn Downtown Atlanta opened in September following the completion of a $4 million upgrade. The renovated 260-room hotel now features a new restaurant, an updated lounge with plasma televisions, a redesigned lobby, glass-walled meeting rooms, an updated fitness center and a renovated exterior courtyard. Guest rooms now feature 32-inch flat-panel televisions and complimentary Wi-Fi access. For more information, call 404.524.5555 or visit www.hidowntownatlanta.com.
Louisiana
- New Orleans’ Astor Crowne Plaza is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation, due for completion in November. Built in 2002, the hotel features 707 rooms including 28 suites. The hotel offers 30,000 square feet of meeting space and outdoor balconies overlooking the French Quarter. The lobby’s grand corridor is being renovated, as are the guest rooms, and the hotel is doubling the size of both its executive lounge and fitness center. It is also adding three new meeting rooms offering 700 square feet each, which will expand the facilities to 32,000 square feet. For more information, call 504.962.0500 or visit www.astorneworleans.com.
Tennessee
- The Doubletree Hotel Nashville took the wraps off a multimillion-dollar renovation in September. The highlight of the renovation is a new lounge featuring a variety of live jazz music performances several nights a week. The 337 guest rooms were also renovated. Updated amenities include 42-inch flat-screen plasma televisions and both wired and wireless high-speed Internet access. For more information, call 615.244.8200 or visit www.nashville.doubletree.com.
- The aloft Nashville—Cool Springs, south of Nashville, debuted in September as a 143-room hotel. The hotel offers complimentary hotel-wide wireless Internet access; a communal lobby area with a bar, fitness center and indoor pool; and a green program, which offers such eco-friendly amenities as preferred parking for hybrid cars. The hotel also features 524 square feet of meeting space. For more information, call 615.435.8700 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.