Alabama
The Westin Huntsville will undergo renovations beginning in November that will include a new lobby, the complete remodel of all 210 guest rooms, along with the addition of 17 new rooms, 11 new suites, a Westin Club Lounge and Club Level. The current 17,000 square feet of meeting space, including the ballroom, will also be upgraded and a new 5,000-square-foot ballroom overlooking the lake at Bridge Street Town Center will be added. Element by Westin will be joining the property and will occupy floors seven through 11 of the hotel building opening in March 2017.
Florida
Playa Largo Resort & Spa, the first resort built in the Upper Keys in more than 20 years and the 100th addition to Autograph Collection Hotels, opened. The 144-room resort is on 14 waterfront acres and features tennis courts, a basketball court, watersport rentals and a marina. There are three on-site restaurants, including La Marea, a steakhouse; Las Olas, a ceviche and sushi bar; and seafood-focused Sol by the Sea. The property offers 27,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event spaces, including a 8,600-square-foot lawn that can accommodate 1,400 people and a 6,000-square-foot ballroom that has a capacity of 500 guests for a reception.
Georgia
B Historic Savannah completed the final phase of an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation. The five-story brick building was redesigned with new furnishings and decor, and its 101 guest rooms were remodeled. The on-site restaurant and bar Kitchen 3 Twenty serves Southern-inspired cuisine. Hotel amenities include a saltwater non-chlorine indoor pool, a fitness center and Monscierge, a digital touchscreen concierge and destination guide. The property offers 1,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Carey Watermark Investors 2 Incorporated acquired the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel. The 21-story hotel features 304 guest rooms and 8,600 square feet of meeting space. Centrally located in midtown, the property is near the Coca-Cola headquarters, Georgia Tech and Piedmont Park. The hotel offers Community Smith, a restaurant focused on seasonal cuisine, and The Garden at Community Smith, a rooftop bar and lounge.
South Carolina
The $100 million, newly expanded Montage Palmetto Bluff debuted with 200 guest rooms, 35 private residences, six restaurants, three pools and more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space. The largest undertaking of the expansion was a new building, the Inn, which includes guest rooms, a lobby lounge, the resort’s spa, a new restaurant, Jessamine, as well as the Octagon Bar & Gathering Place. The Inn sits along a lagoon waterway and was inspired by the R.T. Wilson Jr. mansion that was built on the property in the early 1900s.
Texas
Fredericksburg Inn & Suites completed renovations that included an expansion of the lobby, new furnishings, upgrades to all 103 guest rooms and a new covered patio. The property is on five acres alongside Barons Creek and one block from Main Street Fredericksburg. There is 3,700 square feet of indoor meeting space, including the Barons Creek Conference Center that can accommodate 125 people, and the Cypress Room that can seat 90.