FLORIDA
The 389-room Sheraton Orlando North completed a renovation totaling $4.5 million. The work included guest rooms and bathrooms, corridors, club lounge, public spaces, lobby, meeting rooms and conference facilities. The property also upgraded its exterior and landscaping. In addition, the hotel relaunched its traditional Irish pub, An Tobar, which closed in 2005. The hotel features 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space that can accommodate up to 900 attendees.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Airport opened its doors, just 200 yards from the main terminal of Jacksonville International Airport. Formerly an independent hotel, the property reopened following a multimillion-dollar renovation that included design updates throughout the lobby, guest rooms, meeting spaces and on-site restaurant. The 201-room hotel features complimentary Wi-Fi, on-site parking and 24-hour airport shuttle service. The hotel also includes 11,000 square feet of function space covering three levels of the hotel.
The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando unveiled a redesign of its guest rooms, combining its signature rock décor with a more clean and contemporary look incorporating a palette of gray and cream, with some added color, that aligns with the hot raspberry accents in the corridors. The 650-room hotel offers 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting and function space.
GEORGIA
Coral Hospitality wrapped multimillion-dollar renovations at two of its Georgia properties, in Dawsonville and Helen; Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge and Unicoi State Park & Lodge, which feature meetings facilities for up to 500 and 250 guests, respectively. The Amicalola Falls property received upgrades primarily to its lodging facilities, while the Unicoi State Park property revamped its meeting space and added a pre-function space with mountain views.
Marriott’s AC Hotel Buckhead broke ground in Atlanta, slated to debut in early 2016. The hotel will offer 166 guest rooms and 2,500 square feet of meeting space, alongside a number of amenities, including the AC Lounge, AC Library and an indoor pool. Buckhead is an affluent community, with an emphasis in luxury retail, with shoppers spending more than $1 billion per year at Phipps Plaza.
TEXAS
DoubleTree by Hilton announced the openings of two new properties in Texas: DoubleTree by Hilton Dallas–Love Field and DoubleTree by Hilton Galveston Beach. The 244-room Love Field hotel underwent a $2 million renovation before opening and includes 14,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The airport hotel provides 24-hour shuttle service to Love Field Airport. The 97-room Galveston Beach hotel overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and also received a multimillion-dollar renovation that included its 2,600 square feet of meeting space.
CARIBBEAN & ISLANDS
Baha Mar, a new $3.5 billion resort in Nassau, Bahamas, will begin hosting paid guests on March 27, 2015, at Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, Rosewood at Baha Mar and SLS Lux at Baha Mar. The Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar will open shortly after. Baha Mar will feature 2,200 luxury guest rooms in total across the four hotels, along with the Caribbean’s largest casino, a 100,000-square-foot venue. The resort will also include a TPC at Baha Mar Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, ESPA spa, pools, beach experiences, restaurants and luxury shops. The combined properties will feature 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.