Florida
- The boutique-style Epic Hotel is slated to debut in January on the waterfront in downtown Miami. The Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants property will offer 411 guest rooms and suites, all featuring private balconies that provide views of the city and bay. Rooms will offer a wide range of amenities, including LCD flat-screen televisions and iPod docking stations. The hotel also will feature a waterfront lounge, spa and fitness center, complimentary Wi-Fi and more than 11,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, along with a wraparound pool deck and private marina for functions and events. The hotel also will provide planners with a private marina with charter departures directly from the hotel for yacht parties, receptions and events. For more information, call 305.424.5226 or visit www.epichotel.com.
- After a multimillion-dollar revitalization, The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale is set to open in early 2009. The hotel will offer more than 32,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space equipped with high-speed Internet access. The Las Olas Ballroom will have more than 10,000 square feet of space, accommodating groups of more than 900 people. The Atlantic Ballroom will feature close to 8,000 square feet of space. Additionally, the resort will include the Sunrise Terrace with views of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Other amenities include the 8,100-square-foot Heavenly Spa. For more information, call 954.467.1111 or visit www.westin.com/fortlauderdalebeach.
- Beachside Resort & Conference Center, in Key West, as of December began operating as a Marriott hotel and changed its name to the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel. Beachside offers 9,653 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space as well as 222 guest rooms, including 93 king bedroom accommodations and 129 one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. All suites feature private balconies. For more information, call 305.296.8100 or visit www.beachsidekeywest.com.
- The Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort conference center in Panama City Beach is undergoing a $250,000 facelift, the first of several phases of renovations slated for the beginning of 2009. The conference center has more than 32,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. For more information, call 305.424.5226 or visit www.edgewaterbeachresort.com.
Virginia
- Shamin Hotels opened two new hotels at Richmond International Airport, a Hilton Garden Inn and a Holiday Inn. The Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Airport features 130 rooms as well as a 2,365-square-foot ballroom. Guest rooms feature a 32-inch LCD television, as well as complimentary wireless and wired high-speed Internet access throughout, an indoor heated pool with a hot tub, a fitness center and a 24-hour business center. The new full-service Holiday Inn Richmond Airport offers 143 rooms and 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The Holiday Inn also offers a business center, fitness center and heated indoor pool, plus complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access. For more information, call the Hilton Garden Inn at 804.222.3338 or visit http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com, and the Holiday Inn at 804.236.1111 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.