Baton Rouge
At press time, Baton Rouge Marriott was on track to complete a $23 million renovation by Nov. 9, including upgrades to all 299 guest rooms, meeting rooms and on-site pool. The property features nearly 30,000 square feet of event space and an on-site restaurant, Stinky’s Fish Camp, a seafood and wine bar.
The Baton Rouge River Center, the city’s convention center, was recently renamed to Raising Cane’s River Center.
Watermark Baton Rouge, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, opened downtown in October 2016 in the old Louisiana National Bank Building. The property offers 135 guest rooms and 2,295 square feet of meeting space.
At press time, the 93-room Courtyard Baton Rouge Downtown was scheduled to open in August 2018 with more than 1,800 square feet of meeting space and a full-service Starbucks located adjacent to the lobby.
The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU completed a guest room renovation in July, including updates to all 129 rooms.
Shreveport
Shreveport Aquarium opened in November and is touted as one of the greenest buildings in the state.
Gators & Friends Adventure Park, which includes an alligator park and exotic zoo, opened Gator Raceway in September for visitors interested in riding high-speed go-karts.