Springhill Suites by Marriott (513.381.8300; www.marriott.com) opened in downtown Cincinnati in April. The property has 122 guest rooms and a small meeting room.
Holiday Inn Express Cincinnati West (513.574.6000; www.hiexpress.com) debuted in Green Township in May with 115 guest rooms.
Sharonville Convention Center (513.771.7744; www.sharonvilleconventioncenter.com) will more than double in size upon completion of an expansion in 2011. The facility, currently offering 27,000 square feet of event space, will surpass 60,000 square feet. There are currently eight rooms and 16,500 square feet of column-free exhibit space, divisible by two. The expansion calls for converting the existing exhibition hall into a ballroom and adding 10 breakout rooms and a 20,000-square-foot exhibition hall. By opening walls, there will be 43,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space.
Blue Ocean Facilities (513.842.6305; www.blueoceanfacilities.com) opened in April as a unique ocean-themed meetings venue. Located in the Blue Ash area of northern Cincinnati, the facility has two spaces that can accommodate 60 people and 35 people, respectively.
The Cincinnati Zoo (513.281.4700; www.cincinnatizoo.org) now boasts LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council following a renovation. The project also created a new $19.6 million entrance, Historic Vine Street Village. A new evening buy-out option is available for groups. Meeting venues include the 2,360-square-foot Treetops area; Safari Lodge, with 2,116 square feet of space; and the 200-person Frisch’s Theater, which offers 10 breakout rooms.
Kings Island (513.754.5701; www.visitkingsisland.com) recently unveiled the new Diamondback Roller Coaster, the tallest and fastest coaster in the park, standing 232 feet high and traveling at speeds of up to 80 mph. The park offers discounted tickets for groups of 15 or more and catered events for 35 or more as well as team-building programs.
