➤ Opening in summer 2016, the new Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando will include 1,000 rooms and suites along with 115,000 square feet of meeting space. An air-conditioned bridge will connect the new property to the Loews Royal Pacific for a combined 247,000 square feet of meeting space and 2,000 rooms.
➤ The Villas of Grand Cypress in Orlando recently earned four stars in the 2015 Forbes Travel Guide. The 1,500-acre property features 146 luxury villas, 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus-designed golf and an Executive Meeting Center totaling 7,200 square feet of meeting space. A new climate-controlled pavilion offers an additional 3,280 square feet of seasonal meeting space.
➤ The 613-room Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive completed a two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation last year, with upgrades to its lobby lounge, guest rooms and the addition of 25,000 square feet of meeting space and expansive outdoor venues for events.
➤ Salamander Hotels & Resorts’ Reunion Resort in Kissimmee recently introduced the game of FootGolf to its luxury links. Played like traditional golf but with a soccer ball, FootGolf is played at Reunion’s 18-hole, par-72 Watson Course, a Tom Watson Signature Design.
➤ Park Inn by Radisson Resort & Conference Center, formerly known as Worldgate Resort and located in Kissimmee minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort, recently renovated its 434 rooms and rejuvenated its meeting space and common areas. Business events and conferences are accommodated in 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space that can host up to 1,300.
➤ The Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites in Lakeland recently wrapped up a $1 million-plus renovation; the property offers 168 rooms and more than 10,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space.
➤ Newly opened at Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, the 152-room Legoland Hotel features its own amazing construction project—more than 2 million Lego bricks composing over 2,000 Lego models throughout the property.
➤ The Boathouse opened in April as one of the new venues in The Landing, the first of four planned neighborhoods in Downtown Disney’s transition into Disney Springs, slated for completion by summer 2016. The new waterfront dining experience offers two private rooms for receptions and corporate presentations.
➤ Kissimmee’s Wild Florida Airboats & Wildlife Park unveiled the new Cypress Ballroom, offering 2,200 square feet of climate-controlled meeting space. It joins a 1,500-square-foot covered deck that doubles as an ideal spot for sunset-watching.