Stay up to date on the latest venue openings and property renovations, including these found in the South.
North Carolina
Opened in July, the new JW Marriott Charlotte is located in the heart of Charlotte’s financial district and is across the street from the Charlotte Convention Center. The 381-room property offers a 24-hour fitness center, a rooftop lounge and pool, a Spa by JW, three restaurant concepts and 22,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The property is the first and only JW Marriott in the Carolinas.
Dining concepts include Dean’s Italian Steakhouse, a classic American steakhouse with Italian influence set in a modern rustic opening setting, and Caroline’s Oyster Bar, a coastal Carolina-themed seafood restaurant. And the Aura Rooftop is the fifth-floor rooftop bar.
Meeting and event spaces include the 5,158-square-foot JW Grand Ballroom and the 2,718-square-foot Carolina Ballroom. There’s also nearly 7,000 square feet or breakout space.
South Carolina
Auro Hotels recently opened AC Hotel by Marriott Greenville Downtown in Camperdown Plaza in the heart of downtown Greenville. The property features 196 guest rooms and suites, seven F&B concepts, nearly 29,000 square feet of meeting space and a private collection of art featuring more than 100 works by 35 local artists.
F&B concepts include Juniper, a 16,000-square-foot rooftop space, and The Press Room, a modern speakeasy that offers “an intimate cocktail experience.” And Palmoa is the hotel’s ground-level restaurant serving up Mediterranean-inspired tapas.
Interiors were designed by hospitality architecture and interior design firm Stonehill Taylor. The firm redesigned the hotel’s public spaces and five suites to highlight the site’s history as the former headquarters of the Greenville News. Design themes reflect a European modern print-house in homage to the paper.
Texas
Opening this fall in Texas’ capital city, tommie Austin, a JdV by Hyatt Hotel will be a part of Hyatt’s independent collection brands. The new boutique hotel will offer 193 king guest rooms, touchless and contactless check-in via a mobile app or kiosk and an all-day coffee shop (led by Austin-based Greater Goods Coffee Co.) and wine bar as an alternative to the traditional hotel lobby.
Designed by Studio Collective, the hotel’s guest rooms draw inspiration from the colors, materials and images of West Texas. Six panoramic images—from the Guadalupe Mountain Range to Big Bend Ranch State Park—are situated above each bed headboard and were shot by local photographer Kenny Braun.
F&B concepts include The Diner Bar, a streetside dining concept, and The Grey Market, a fourth-floor entertainment deck featuring the hotel’s signature restaurant and bar offering al fresco poolside terrace dining, indoor dining and a billiards/game room experience.
Futuristic in Florida
Set to debut in Orlando this fall, the innovative Lake Nona Wave Hotel will bring 216 guest rooms, 16 one-bedroom suites and two penthouse suites to this meetings mecca. The property aims to be “at the intersection of wellbeing and technology,” in Lake Nona, which is a 17-square-mile, tech-centric neighborhood just southeast of Orlando International Airport.
The new property will feature View Glass smart windows that tint using predictive intelligence in response to the sun and outdoor conditions, voice-automated in-room controls, TOTO smart toilets, in-room tablets, and a comprehensive wellness center home to Dr. Deepak Chopra’s Mind-Body Zone and Spa. On the property, guests can even spot self-driving shuttles, which can take them to nearby restaurants and entertainment venues, and robotic lawn mowers.
The hotel will also offer a pool deck with pastel-colored cabanas, three dining outlets, two cocktail bars, communal workspaces and a game room. Lake Nona Wave Hotel will also offer 12,000 square feet of event space with the technology required to run a hybrid event or meeting.
Nearby in Lake Nona, guests can explore the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus, Nona Adventure Park, Lake Nona Town Center and augmented reality driving range Drive Shack.
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