CaribBean
The 411-room Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino completed a $1.5 million renovation of its 8,400-square-foot, 800-person Grand Ballroom. The meting space update was part of an ongoing $50 million upgrade project that began in 2009.
Florida
The 23-acre Bonaventure Resort & Spa west of Fort Lauderdale recently renovated its 60,000 square feet of conference space. The 500-room resort also features 20,000 square feet of outdoor gathering space. Guest rooms are scheduled to be updated this year.
Universal Orlando’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is set to open this year, and with 1,800 guest rooms will be the largest of the theme park’s four on-site hotels. With minimal meeting space, it will be best-suited for overflow or rooms-only groups. The resort will offer early theme park admission to guests, and have a 10-lane bowling alley, two pools, a lazy river and a waterslide.
The Seagate Country Club in Delray Beach renovated its 18-hole championship golf course, adding new grasses and technology and redesigning cart paths. The 154-room Seagate Hotel & Spa offers 14,000 square feet of meeting space for up to 300 guests.
Georgia
Westin Jekyll Island is slated to open this year, adjacent to the new 128,000-square-foot Jekyll Island Convention Center that opened in 2012. The 190-room hotel will offer 5,600 square feet of function space.
South Carolina
Montage Hotels & Resorts took over the former Inn at Palmetto Bluff, rebranding it as the Palmetto Bluff, a Montage Resort. The company plans to invest more than $100 million to expand the 50-cottage Bluffton property.