Florida
- The Peabody Orlando Hotel unveiled The Loft at the Peabody Orlando, a new accommodation option on the top three floors of the property’s Mallard Tower. Offering 52 guest rooms, private lounges and a daily wine reception, The Loft offers privacy and a quiet networking space. The Peabody Orlando offers 1,641 guest rooms and 300,000 square feet of flexible function space, including the 55,000-square-foot Peabody Grand Ballroom, the 75,000-square-foot Rotunda and three outdoor venues. For more information, call 407.352.4000 or visit www.peabodyorlando.com/theloft.
- The Courtyard by Marriott Sarasota University Park opened in September, showcasing the brand’s new open lobby design. The former Comfort Suites property now offers 134 guest rooms and meeting space for up to 80 people. For more information, call 941.360.2626 or visit www.marriott.com.
Georgia
- Melia Atlanta unveiled Sky Twenty Five, a new event space on the top floor of the 25-story hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering 360-degree views of Stone Mountain, Centennial Park, the Atlanta skyline and other sites. The hotel has 502 guest rooms and suites and 31,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 6,120-square-foot Georgia Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 700 guests. For more information, call 404.877.9000 or visit www.meliaatlanta.com.
North Carolina
- New venues in North Carolina include the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, which opened off Blue Ridge Parkway and houses works by Elliott Daingerfield. The Carolinas Aviation Museum welcomed back the Hudson River ‘Miracle Plane’, that emergency-landed on the New York river in 2009. Group tours can be scheduled and the facility can be booked for private events. The Asheville Art Museum is planning a major expansion that will double its size and add galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden. The project is projected to begin this year and take 18 months to complete. For more information, visit www.ashevilleart.org, www.carolinasaviation.org, www.blowingrockmuseum.org or www.visitnc.org.
South Carolina
- Wyndham Hotel Group opened the 117-room Inn at USC Wyndham Garden Columbia on the University of South Carolina Campus, seven miles from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. More than 3,000 square feet of flexible event space includes a boardroom, the 120-person Carolina Room and four additional meeting rooms. For more information, call 803.779.7779 or visit www.wyndham.com.
Tennessee
- The Omni Hotel Nashville will open in late 2013, across from the new Music City Center, which is scheduled to open earlier the same year. The 800-room hotel will offer 80,000 square feet of meeting space and be integrated with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which can be utilized for event functions. For more information, call 615.782.5300 or visit www.omnihotels.com.
Texas
- Texas-based Valencia Group’s Lone Star Court luxury hotel is scheduled to open in Austin in early 2013 with 123 guest rooms. Meeting space totaling 5,400 square feet includes an outdoor pavilion and a large lawn area for events. For more information, call 866.842.0100 or visit www.lonestarcourt.com.
Virginia
- Salamander Resort & Spa is scheduled to open in August 2013, 30 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. Set on 340 acres, the resort will offer 12,000 square feet of conference facilities and a 23,000-square-foot spa. For more information, call 540.687.3600 or visit www.salamanderresort.com.
- Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of its guest rooms, adding new oceanview suites and updating its indoor pool, outdoor pool plaza and fitness center. There are 16 meeting areas and over 13,000 square feet of event space. For more information, call 757.425.9000 or visit www.sheratonvirginiabeach.com.