Florida
Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay completed a multimillion-dollar meeting space update. The three-month renovation project updated the property’s 20,000 square feet of function space, including the 9,860-square-foot Grand Ballroom and the 2,500-square-foot Bayview Ballroom, which features waterfront views. The update included new floor and wall coverings, improved lighting and advanced audiovisual systems. The Miami Marriott has 600 guest rooms.
Following a $13 million renovation, the Embassy Suites Orlando–Lake Buena Vista reopened near downtown Orlando. The 334-room resort was acquired by a new management company in January 2014, and the project included a redesigned open atrium, updated guest rooms and the addition of a new Starbucks. The hotel’s 10,000 square feet of function space was also updated.
B Hotels announced a renovation at its Fort Lauderdale location that will begin in 2015. The beachfront B Ocean Resort offers 486 guest rooms and access to white-sand beaches. The former Yankee Clipper Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel offers approximately 7,500 square feet of function space.
Hawks Kay Resort in Duck Key is nearing completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation. The final piece of the extensive update is the opening of the new Marina Walk destination with shopping, watersports, local art displays and charter boats, slated to debut in June. The 60-acre resort offers 177 guest rooms and 225 villas, with two or three bedrooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. A private catamaran can also be booked for events.
Louisiana
The 285-room Loews New Orleans completed a $4 million guest room and restaurant renovation. Responding to a recent surge in visitors to New Orleans, the hotel updated carpeting and lighting and refreshed the Cafe Adelaide restaurant. Located near the French Quarter, the property offers more than 17,000 square feet of function space.
North Carolina
The Crowne Plaza Charlotte Executive Park completed a $10 million renovation that updated the 30-year-old, 300-room property. Guest rooms plus all 16,000 square feet of meeting space were modernized, and the lobby was opened up to create a fluid restaurant and bar area. The hotel was reflagged as a Crowne Plaza in 2013.
Texas
The new JW Marriott Houston Downtown is open in a refurbished 104-year old historic building. The hotel is the JW Marriott brand’s first adaptive reuse project in Texas, housed in the 104-year-old Samuel F. Carter Building. It offers 328 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of meeting space, featuring work by local artists. The hotel will also be the first property in the world to feature the new Spa by JW Concept.
The 325-room Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria is under construction and slated to open in fall 2015. The seven-acre mixed use development will include the 14-story hotel with 325 guest rooms, as well as office space, retail and apartments. The Hyatt Regency will feature more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space.