The 294-room Westin Birmingham (205.307.3047; www.starwoodhotels.com) is scheduled to open in January 2013. The hotel will anchor the city’s new entertainment district and connect to the 770-room Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, just steps from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The two properties will offer planners one-stop shopping, sharing one sales contact between them. The Westin will offer more than 7,000 square feet of meeting space; the recently renovated Sheraton has 757 guest rooms and 123,000 square feet of event space.
Wynfrey Hotel is undergoing a major renovation and rebranding as Hyatt Regency Birmingham (800.233.1234; www.hyatt.com). The multimillion-dollar upgrade will begin this fall, and the project is scheduled for completion in spring 2013. The 329-room property connects to Riverchase Galleria and offers 32,000 square feet of meeting space.
Alabama School of Fine Arts (205.252.9241; www.asfa.k12.al.us) celebrated the opening of a new $8.5 million, 500-seat theater this spring. The 19,000-square-foot Dorothy Jemison Day Theater offers cutting-edge technical and sound technology. Other rental spaces include a recital hall, lecture halls, theaters and classrooms.
