Dominican Republic
- Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort in Punta Cana is currently marking its soft opening, with a full-service introduction slated for this summer. The resort will accommodate 1,791 rooms, each with double Jacuzzis and balconies overlooking either the Caribbean Ocean or the resort’s own private lagoon. The resort offers 13 outdoor pools with swim-up bars. It is scheduled to house 11 restaurants, 12 bars, a theater, a spa, an 18-hole championship golf course and a 45,000-square-foot casino as well as an animal park. The resort will also feature a 600,000-square-foot convention center with a capacity for 2,560 and wireless Internet access. For more information, call 809.687.0000 or visit www.palaceresorts.com.
- The new 87-room Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Lakeland debuted in January. All rooms feature complimentary high-speed Internet access and a 37-inch flat-screen television. The hotel features a covered indoor and outdoor pool and a fitness center. Other amenities include a meeting room to accommodate up to 60 people. For more information, call 863.551.3400 or visit www.countryinns.com.
- The 169-room Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport-Town Center opened in February. The hotel offers over 6,800 square feet of meeting and banquet space, and each guest room features complimentary high-speed Internet access, Wi-Fi capabilities and AT&T VoIP phone systems. Other amenities include an outdoor lakefront pool, fitness center and over 6,800 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space. For more information, call 239.561.1550 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
- W Atlanta-Buckhead recently opened with 291 guest rooms, including five suites, a heated outdoor infinity-edge pool surrounded by private cabanas and Whiskey Blue—a rooftop bar and lounge. The hotel offers more than 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. For more information, call 678.500.3100 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
- The Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Kentucky Expo Center recently opened after a renovation and conversion from the Executive West Hotel. The renovation included upgrades to all 588 guest rooms, the addition of presidential and executive suites and a complete redesign of public space to include a new bar and restaurant, a new ballroom, dedicated exhibit space, an executive boardroom and a new business center. Other improvements include a complete lobby renovation. The hotel offers 50,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. For more information, call 502.367.2251 or visit www.ichotelsgroup.com.
- The aloft Charlotte Uptown at the EpiCentre is part of the new $275 million mixed-use EpiCentre complex. The hotel offers 275 guest rooms as well as three function rooms, totaling 2,600 square feet of meeting space. Meeting room enhancements include 50-inch flat-panel plasma televisions in each room as well as complimentary Wi-Fi. The EpiCentre serves as a central link of Overstreet Mall and provides a pedestrian bridge connecting the headquarters buildings for Bank of America and Wachovia. For more information, call 704.333.1999 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.