Seattle and Puget Sound Area
- Benchmark Hospitality will manage the Bellevue Park Hotel (www.bellevueparkhotel.com), a new downtown property in Bellevue, Wash., being developed by Hydra Developments. The 108-room, four-star hotel is expected to open in 2013 and will feature a spa and 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
- The Chihuly Garden & Glass Exhibition (206.753.4940; www.chihulygardenandglass.com) opened in May on the Seattle Center campus. The exhibition showcases the most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s artwork ever assembled. Private events for up to 200 people can be accommodated.
- The Washington State Convention Center (206.694.5000; www.wscc.com) began a $20 million refurbishment of its downtown Seattle facility that will be completed in multiple phases throughout 2012 and 2013. The upgrade will incorporate sustainable and recycled materials.
- The Seattle Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue (206.971.8000; www.seattleredlionfifthavenue.com) plans to finish a $25 million renovation by 2014. The project will increase meeting space by 50 percent, add 22 additional guest rooms and remodel the dinning and outdoor entertainment venues.
Seattle Southside
- The Hampton Inn & Suites Sea-Tac Airport (800.HAMPTON; www.hamptoninn.com) recently opened with 218 rooms and meeting space for up to 100 guests.
- The Artemis Hotel (206.467.1708; www.yareton.com) in Des Moines, Wash., will open in 2013 with 250 guest rooms and suites, and 6,000 square feet of convention and banquet space.
Tacoma
- A 160-room Holiday Inn Express (www.holidayinn.com) is scheduled to open in December on the site of Tacoma’s former Heidelberg Columbia Brewery. About 40 percent of the units will be suites.
- LeMay—America’s Car Museum (253.779.8490; www.lemaymuseum.org) opened in Tacoma in June. The four-story, nine-acre auto museum is one of the world’s largest of its kind. Accommodating groups of up to 2,500, the museum provides indoor and outdoor meeting and event areas.
Olympic Peninsula
- The newly restored Iron Springs Resort (360.276.4230; www.ironspringsresort.com) reopened last year with 24 private cabins on more than 20 acres of coastal woodlands.
Spokane
- The Northern Quest Resort & Casino (509.242.7000; www.northernquest.com) added 250 guest rooms to the popular casino. The AAA Four Diamond property now showcases 14 dining spots and more than 22,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.