Florida
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area completed a hotel-wide renovation and rebranding. Formerly the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa, the 1,011-room property is an official Walt Disney World Hotel. The transformation includes a new guest room design, lobby, lobby bar and outside terrace, renovated meeting space and a new restaurant as well as a new recreation area. The property features 92,000 square feet of meeting space that includes two outdoor lawns.
Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, formerly The Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables, completed its $18 million renovation and joined Starwood Hotel & Resorts Worldwide’s Tribute Portfolio. The property is located on Miracle Mile at the site of The Colonnade Building, built in the 1920s by Coral Gables founder George Merrick. The 157-room hotel offers 23,000 square feet of meeting space that includes an 8,900-square-foot rotunda space. The hotel features a new lobby bar, a game room with a pool table, shuffleboard and large TVs, and Aragon Cafe, serving breakfast each day.
The Sheraton Bay Point Resort, situated on the Emerald Coast in Panama City Beach, completed a $30 million property-wide renovation. Set within a 1,100-acre wildlife preserve on St. Andrews Bay, the property features 200 guest rooms in the main building and 120 golf villas. The resort also offers three outdoor pools, an on-site marina with fishing and water sport rentals, two golf courses, five clay tennis courts, a fitness center and a boardwalk to the resort’s private beach. There is 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, 8,000-square-foot junior ballroom, eight breakout rooms, 22 meeting rooms, an outdoor pavilion and event lawns.
Louisiana
The WATERMARK Baton Rouge, formerly the Louisiana National Bank, opened as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. The design of the hotel highlights the 1920s building’s history and rare artworks by famed New Orleans sculptor Angela Gregory have been restored in the public spaces. The on-property restaurant, The Gregory, is named after her. Another dining option is Milford’s on Third, modeled after a New York-style deli. The 2,300 square feet of meeting space is located in what was once bank vaults, including the Exchange room, which can accommodate 100 guests. The 144-room hotel also features a private dining space named The Louisiana Purchase.
Tennessee
The Westin Nashville opened in the city’s entertainment district and adjacent to the Music City Center. The 27-story property includes 453 guest rooms, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and an all-day dining restaurant, steakhouse and rooftop bar. The meeting and event space includes 12 rooms and the Vanderbilt Ballroom, which can seat 500. Decker & Dyer offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as craft cocktails and live entertainment, while Oak Steakhouse Nashville, adjacent to the hotel, is a take on the classic steakhouse. L27 is the rooftop bar and features an infinity pool and cabanas. In the evenings it transforms into a lounge and becomes Upstairs @ L27, a private event space that can seat up to 200.
Texas
The Westin Galleria Dallas completed a multimillion-dollar refresh that included an update of all of its 448 guest rooms and suites, the lobby and meeting spaces, and the property’s on-site restaurant, The Second Floor. The new lobby features a communal table equipped with computers and printers for guests and a buffet with coffee service. The hotel’s updated 54,000 square feet of meeting space totals 23 rooms, including the 11,750-square-foot Dallas Ballroom that can accommodate 1,300 guests and the 6,000-square-foot outdoor pool deck.