Bethesda
- The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District launched the Bethesda Film Fest (www.bethesda.org). The inaugural festival will take place in March and screen films created by filmmakers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The selected films will show at the Imagination Stage (www.imaginatoinstage.org), which also offers rentals of its two theaters and breakout rooms.
Gaithersburg
- Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center (www.marriott.com/environment) recently installed charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles, and is offering free breakfast packages to guests who utilize them. The hotel’s charging station is one of approximately 8,000 such stations in the U.S.
Silver Spring
- Sheraton Silver Spring (301.589.0800; www.starwoodhotels.com), opened in September following a significant renovation and conversion from a Crowne Plaza property. The hotel offers 229 guest rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of event space, including the 4,000-square-foot Kennedy Ballroom and the 2,460-square-foot Lincoln Ballroom.
- The former Hilton Silver Spring was converted to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC–Silver Spring (301.589.5200; www.doubletree.com) following a multiphase renovation. Located seven miles from Washington, D.C., two blocks from the Metro and just off the Capital Beltway, the DoubleTree offers 20,000 square feet of event space.
- The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Silver Spring Transit Center (202.962.5900; www.wmata.com) is slated to open by September 2013. The project is estimated to cost approximately $110 million.
Rockville
- Construction began in November on a Cambia Suites (www.cambriasuites.com) in Rockville. The mixed-use project will also house the new corporate headquarters of Choice Hotels International (www.choicehotels.com).