Happenings

Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur

• InterContinental the Clement Monterey (831.375.4500; www.ichotelsgroup.com) debuted last spring on Cannery Row. The $80 million beachfront property features 208 guest rooms, 10,200 square feet of meeting space, 18,500 square feet of high-end retail, an on-site spa and a 95-seat restaurant.
• The Fairmont Resort Seaside (www.fairmont.com) is scheduled to break ground in mid-2009 and open in 2011. The hotel will feature 275 guest rooms, a 14,000-square-foot spa and 24,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort and two 18-hole courses are situated on a 440-acre site overlooking Monterey Bay.
• The Monterey Hotel (831.375.3184; www.montereyhotel.com) plans to finish an expansion by the end of this summer. The renovation will add 24 new guest rooms to the current 45 rooms, as well as an additional 454 square feet of meeting space. Other additions include a new 1,500-square-foot fitness facility featuring a spa, treatment rooms and an exercise room.
• The Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course (831.657.6560; www.hyattregencymonterey.com) recently completed a $40 million, three-phase renovation that included enhancements to all of the property’s 550 guest rooms, president’s house, lobby and front desk area, restaurant and exterior landscaping. At press time, the property was slated to open an 8,000-square-foot spa in May.
• The 171-room Casa Munras (831.375.2411; www.hotelcasamunras.com) in Monterey recently opened its Sano Spa and completed the soft goods portion of its guest room renovation.
• Carmel Valley Ranch (831.625.9500; www.carmelvalleyranch.com) recently completed a renovation of its meeting space, lobby and restaurant.
• Carmel Mission Inn (800.348.9090; www.carmelmissioninn.com) recently finished a comprehensive renovation of its guest rooms, meeting space, lobby, restaurant, lounge and hotel exterior.
• Ventana Inn & Spa (831.667.2331; www.ventanainn.com) in Big Sur completed a property-wide, $18 million renovation last year that included the addition of new meeting space. The resort features 60 guest rooms and suites, each with a private balcony or patio and either valley, mountain or distant ocean views, and most rooms and suites have fireplaces.

San Mateo County

• This year, Hotel Sofitel San Francisco Bay (650.598.9000; www.sofitel.com) in Redwood City is upgrading its second-floor meeting room space and adding a new guest room Internet system as well as LCD televisions in all of its 421 guest rooms. The hotel offers 17,000 square feet of function space.
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport (650.347.1234; www.hyatt.com) in Burlingame recently completed $21 million in upgrades to its 789 guest rooms and also finished a $6 million renovation of its meeting rooms and public areas.

Marin County

• Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa (707.284.1234; www.hyatt.com) in Santa Rosa recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of its guest rooms, meeting space, lobby and restaurants. All rooms feature a large high-definition, flat-screen television. The hotel’s 15,000 square feet of meeting space is now equipped with Wi-Fi access. The Vineyard Creek Spa has also received a full renovation.

Sonoma County

• Gaige House (800.935.0237; www.jdvhotels.com) in Glen Ellen recently became part of Joie de Vivre Hospitality. The hotel features 23 rooms and suites, including eight new Zen suites with granite soaking tubs and private Japanese gardens.
• The Timber Cove Inn (707.847.3231; www.timbercoveinn.com) in Jenner recently completed a renovation. The 50-room hotel features hot tubs or fireplaces in most rooms. The project also included a renovation of the lobby, bar and restaurant.

• Cottages at Little River Cove (707.937.5339; www.cottagesatlittlerivercove.com) opened last year, comprising nine stand-alone cottages on two acres overlooking the Pacific. The property is located close to the village of Mendocino and offers in-cottage massage and spa services.
• Best Western Bayshore Inn (707.268.8005; www.bwbayshoreinn.com) in Eureka recently completed a multimillion-dollar upgrade and expansion that included 48 additional rooms, mostly king-size Jacuzzi suites. The hotel can handle conference groups of up to 80 people.
• Blue Lake Casino (707.668.9770; www.bluelakecasino.com) in Blue Lake is opening a 102-room hotel by the end of the summer with three 600-square-foot conference rooms.