Stay up to date on the latest venue openings and property renovations, including these found in the Midwest.
Florida
Margaritaville Beach House Key West debuted in Florida’s southernmost tropical destination in November 2021. Previously the Barbary Beach House Key West, the rebranded and upgraded resort features an expanded retail outlet and the Tin Cup Chalice Bar & Chill for full-service dining. The resort sits along Smathers Beach and offers 186 suites, a lagoon-style pool, lawn games and lounging hammocks throughout the grounds.
Planners can make use of more than 4,000 square feet of meeting space, including an indoor banquet space and outdoor gardens and courtyards, complete with a 1,500-square-foot event “Tiki Hut” for smaller meetings and events. Complimentary shuttle service can provide transportation to world-famous Duval Street, the historic Downtown Seaport Harbor and Key West International Airport.
Georgia
Now open in Atlanta’s affluent Buckhead neighborhood along the edge of Lenox Square, Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta was designed by New York-based Sawyer & Company. The look is influenced by both Georgia’s historical pottery heritage and Buckhead’s more modern designation as a fashion destination. The 218-room hotel features a reception area with a floral stenciled wall, a light installation of woven pendant shades in the shape of pottery and an oversized accent wall made of terracotta.
The main dining space connected to the lobby lounge will be Mount Royal, a Montreal-style steakhouse—open for breakfast, lunch and dinner—that will combine the culinary diversity of Quebec with local fare from southeast Georgia. The second dining venue will be Spaceman, an indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge on the 15th floor.
The hotel’s second floor will house meeting and event space. All spaces will have built-in wet bar areas and feature floor-to-ceiling windows and lounge seating. The 3,702 square feet of total meeting and event space includes three meeting rooms, one large “social space” and one boardroom. Other amenities include a fitness center and an outdoor heated plunge pool.
Kentucky
Lexington will soon welcome a new entertainment, convention and sports complex. The Central Bank Center is expected to open February 2022, and it will bring nearly 150,000 square feet of modern meeting and event space to downtown Lexington. The new center is revitalizing the already existing Lexington Convention Center and Rupp Arena that, after four decades of use, needed major upgrades to accommodate increasing demand in Lexington.
The new center will feature a contiguous exhibit hall, ballroom and an additional 25,000 square feet of meeting space. Historical design details abound, including reclaimed wood from Claiborne Farm (home of the famous Secretariat). New sustainability features will also target LEED certification.
Texas
In late 2021, Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk debuted a new Topgolf Swing Suite experience prime for meetings and groups. The two indoor simulator bays feature a variety of virtual games powered by Full Swing technology. Planners can bring a playful energy to their programs at this property with signature Topgolf target games, zombie dodgeball, hockey, baseball, football and carnival games. While they participate in some friendly competition, attendees can enjoy dedicated food and beverage service from the hotel’s signature Bar Rojo.
The 1,003-room property is located on San Antonio’s River Walk and is adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. It boasts 115,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, a heated rooftop pool, a fully equipped gym, as well as a coffee shop open 24 hours.
[Related: Q&A with Visit San Antonio President & CEO Marc Anderson on City’s Meetings Potential]
PGA National Resort Unveils Massive Renovation
In early 2022, South Florida’s world-class PGA National Resort will unveil a $100 million transformation, meant to dispel notions of a one-dimensional golf resort and create a “360-degree luxury travel experience.”
The renovation includes full updates to its 360 guest rooms and meeting spaces, with nods to the charm and elegance of 1960s Palm Beach. The entrance and lobby have been transformed with ‘60s-inspired pocket seating; period furniture pieces; two chandeliers resembling upside-down palm leaves; and a bar with a massive replica of a banyan tree, featuring over 1,500 LED lights inspired by the trees that reside within the City of Palm Beach Gardens.
The resort will offer six new culinary concepts, including two signature restaurants led by Top Chef alumni Lindsay Autry and Jeremy Ford. Additional new dining spots include an ice cream shop, a specialty chocolate shop and a retro diner. Guests can also expect two new golf courses and a redesigned spa with a hair salon, ‘50s-inspired barber shop, outdoor pool deck and bar and Himalayan salt rooms.
Planners can take advantage of 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting and event space, as well as 20,000 square feet of outdoor options.
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