Florida
The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is undergoing a multimillion-dollar guest room renovation. The property is upgrading all 963 guest rooms and corridors as well as its rooftop fitness center and Regency Club lounge. The redone lounge will offer improved networking areas, work stations overlooking the city skyline, and a meeting room available for small meetings and gatherings. Another addition will be six hard-walled meeting rooms, located on the fourth level of the hotel’s Terrace Building. The hotel currently offers 110,000 square feet of meeting space. Other changes include the addition of a variety of offerings geared toward mind and body wellness, including upgraded culinary options, runs along the St. Johns River and instructor-led yoga classes on the river decks.
Louisiana
The 188-room Aloft New Orleans Downtown opened in March, with many rooms offering city views. There are six meeting spaces on-site, totaling 3,598 square feet. Each meeting room features a 50-inch plasma television and is also set up as a boardroom with tables for 14. The property also features a fitness center and outdoor heated pool.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide recently debuted Le Meridien New Orleans, following a $29 million conversion of the former W Hotel. The renovation included a redesign of its 410 guest rooms and the debut of three food and beverage outlets. The multimillion-dollar renovation added 1,600 square feet of meeting space for a total of 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, as well as a new landscaped palm garden with outdoor seating.
South Carolina
The Hyatt Place Columbia/Downtown/The Vista opened in March. The hotel features 130 guest rooms as well as complimentary Wi-Fi and more than 2,000 square feet of flexible meeting and function space. Other amenities include an indoor saltwater swimming pool, a fitness center and a cocktail bar.
Texas
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide opened the Sheraton McKinney Hotel and Conference Center in McKinney. The hotel offers 186 guest rooms and suites and is located 30 miles northeast of downtown Dallas and a short drive away from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Sheraton McKinney features more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, plus an outdoor pool, contemporary dining at Sweetwater Bar & Grill and a fully equipped fitness facility.
The 265-room Hotel Contessa, located on the banks of San Antonio’s River Walk, recently completed an extensive nine-month renovation of its guest rooms and meeting space. Enhancements were made to all of the hotel’s 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including the 2,277-square-foot Contessa Ballroom and 10 conference rooms. Existing features to the all-suite property include complimentary Wi-FI. Many of Contessa’s breakout rooms feature scenic views or terraces framed by the towering cypress and live oak trees that line the River Walk. The hotel also features a 1,700-square-foot spa.