Stay up to date on the latest venue openings and property renovations, including these found in the East.
New Jersey
Beach Plum Farm, an idyllic 62-acre working farm in Cape May, is launching new group offerings, including immersive teambuilding experiences, that are perfect for corporate retreats and leadership events. Groups can partake in teambuilding activities such as horseshoe crab rescue, fishing charters, beach clean-ups, drum circles, scavenger hunts, farm yoga and participating in integral farm operations.
This Garden State getaway offers five cottages and barns that sleep six to eight guests per cottage. Shared amenities include full kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms, each prime for breakout sessions and team meetings. Outdoors, planners might find the gardens ideal for brainstorming sessions or the backfields fit for after-lunch walks.
For attendees that need more room, they can take advantage of accommodations and private rooms at nearby Cape Resorts properties or boutique hotel The Virginia Hotel.
New York
Marking its third opening in the Americas, voco Hotels (a fast-growing brand launched in 2018 from IHG Hotel & Resorts) has debuted voco Times Square South. The property offers 224 modern guest rooms with blackout curtains and Apotheke plant-based bath amenities. Unique features include a greenhouse and an outdoor terrace with a mural by Manhattan-based mural and studio artist Tony “Robin” Sjöman.
Sustainability is top of mind at voco Times Square South, with plastic use reduced significantly through the property providing filtered water in glass bottles, large-size bath products and biodegradable drinkware. Additionally, the filling in the duvets is made from 100% recycled materials, while aerated showerheads in every guest bathroom reduce water consumption.
This is the second voco property in New York City, as it joins voco the Franklin New York. Other voco properties now open or coming soon can be found in St. Augustine, Florida; Chicago; New Orleans; and Olympia, Washington.
Rhode Island
More modern accommodations are arriving in Providence. The Rhode Island capital recently welcomed Aloft Providence Downtown to its Innovation and Design District on the Providence River, making it within walking distance of Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson & Wales University.
The property offers 175 contemporary guest rooms and a lobby bar dubbed WXYZ that will host Live at Aloft events, where guests have a front-row seat to live acoustic performances from emerging artists. Guests also have access to the Re:charge fitness center and the Re:fuel pantry for grab-and-go options.
Planners can book two event small event rooms on the property that offer floor-to-ceiling windows with river views. They can also make use of Blu Violet, the hotel’s indoor/outdoor rooftop bar that can accommodate up to 100 guests for an event.
[Related: Newport and Providence Are on the Post-Pandemic Comeback Trail]
Net-Zero Hotel to Debut in Connecticut
Set to open this April, New Haven’s Hotel Marcel—under the Hilton umbrella—will be a net-zero hotel, with both Passive House and LEED Platinum certification. The property is an adaptive reuse project, as it overtakes Marcel Breuer’s iconic Armstrong Tire/Pirelli building, which sat vacant for years and is considered a feat in Brutalist modern architecture. According to the hotel, it is the first all-electric, net-zero hotel in the U.S.
It offers 165 guest rooms and suites with dramatic views of Long Island Sound, historic New Haven and Yale University. Guests can use touchpad controls for room temperature, lighting and automatic shades.
Onsite restaurant, BLDG, will serve up breakfast, lunch, dinner, crafted cocktails, sustainable wines and cuisine sourced from Connecticut farms and the Atlantic. The hotel also offers 12 Telsa superchargers and additional two-level EV chargers under solar canopies where all parking is complimentary.
Meeting and event space includes two meeting rooms, Forum and Function, located on the ground floor that can be combined for larger gatherings. Planners can also take advantage of the ninth-floor loggia and four expansive conference rooms with clerestory windows. Private rental of the entire ninth floor is also available.
Read: 4 New Hotels in New York City, Philadelphia and Tysons Corner
