Florida
The Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is scheduled to open its doors this year. The 200-room beachfront property is a collaboration with Summit Hospitality Management Group and Hard Rock International. The hotel will feature the brand’s signature offerings such as a Body Rock fitness facility, Rock Spa, Rock Shop and The Sound of Your Stay music amenity program. The property will boast 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including meeting rooms with views of the Atlantic Ocean and an open-air terrace.
Xenia Hotels & Resorts acquired the 815-key Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Enhancements and an expansion are planned to take place over the next few years, including the property’s meeting facilities. The convention resort offers six food and beverage outlets, over 65,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, a full-service spa and preferred access to 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus signature-designed golf courses. The hotel is located near Walt Disney World theme parks, Universal Orlando Resort, the Orange County Convention Center and downtown Orlando.
Louisiana
NOPSI Hotel, New Orleans–a Salamander Hotel opened in what was the former New Orleans Public Service Inc. (NOPSI) headquarters. Located in the Central Business District, the nine-story brick building was originally constructed in 1927 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel features 217 guest rooms, a regionally inspired restaurant, 14,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space and a rooftop pool and bar. The restoration included the building’s street facades, cast iron rails and stone panels, and the lobby features renovated vaulted ceilings, arches, ornamental columns, brass grills and stone terrazzo flooring. The hotel’s meeting space includes the conversion of an adjacent building into the 4,000-square-foot Dryades Ballroom.
North Carolina
The MRK Hotel Collection celebrated the grand opening of The Ivey’s Hotel in Uptown Charlotte. The hotel features 42 guest rooms, a cocktail lounge, private meeting and event space and a Library Lounge exclusive to guests of the hotel. Originally a department store that debuted in the early 1900s by J.B. Ivey, the multimillion-dollar project revitalized the historic space. The hotel encompasses roughly 38,000 square feet of the historic Ivey’s building and all guest rooms are located on the second floor with the remaining space dedicated to residences and retail. The Tulip Room is a 1,000-square-foot meeting space and the Library Lounge offers private space for guests, serving breakfast as well as offering wine and cheese receptions. The property also features two food and beverage concepts: Sophia’s Lounge and 5Church Charlotte.
Tennessee
The Kimpton Aertson Hotel opened in Nashville’s Midtown neighborhood. The brand’s first property in the city pays homage to Jan Aertson, a Dutch farmer who immigrated to the U.S. in the mid-1700s and was an ancestor of the neighboring university’s namesake Cornelius Vanderbilt. The hotel’s 180 guest rooms offer city and Vanderbilt campus views. Adjacent to the hotel, and also accessible through the lobby, is Henley, a modern American brasserie run by James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper. The hotel’s eighth floor features more than 6,500 square feet of meeting and event space, including the 3,630-square-foot Patterson Ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a large wraparound private outdoor terrace. There is also indoor event space and a private outdoor terrace for 150 guests on the 17th floor.