Alabama
Montgomery’s first luxury boutique hotel, The Trilogy Autograph Collection Hotel, is now open in the heart of the historic downtown area of Alabama’s capital city. The property puts guests steps away from the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and within three miles of the Montgomery Whitewater outdoor adventure center.
The Trilogy Autograph Collection Hotel is inspired by the region’s multicultural history with design elements celebrating the rich heritage of Montgomery and its surrounding cities, aiming to bring people together in a comforting, approachable environment encouraging social connection. The hotel is housed inside three historic buildings that have been renovated and restored to offer a total of 101,189 square feet across the property, including 117 guest rooms and suites, 2,100 square feet of event space and a welcoming lobby.
The Trilogy Autograph Collection Hotel also offers high-end dining at The Kinsmith restaurant as well as skyline views from the top of the hotel at the Waterworks rooftop bar, both of which are available for gatherings and groups looking for innovative cuisine, local craft beers and creative cocktails. Groups can also gather in the hotel’s Tallapoosa Ballroom, equipped with Plug & Play audiovisual technology.
[Related: The Secret About Alabama as a Meetings Destination Is Getting Out]
Louisiana
Homewood Suites New Orleans unveiled a multimillion-dollar, music-themed renovation, reimagining the hotel from top to bottom across all 166 suites and public spaces. The hotel’s guest rooms were upgraded with new furniture and wall and floor coverings, and the two-story lobby area greets guests with images of New Orleans’ storied music heritage at a new front desk.
Homewood Suites New Orleans offers 5,168 square feet of event space, including the 1,664-square-foot Baronne Room, with a capacity of 166 for a reception; The Penn Room, measuring 1,638 square feet and a capacity of 88 banquet-style; and the 1,518-square-foot Poydras Room, with space for 152 standing.
[Related: A Little Something More for Louisiana Meetings Groups]
South Carolina
Located in a tranquil and natural environment minutes from downtown Greenville, Hotel Hartness is open and welcoming guests to the historic Hartness family estate that’s been reimagined as a retreat destination.
Offering 73 guest rooms and suites, elevated dining and resort-style amenities, Hotel Hartness was
once a grand family home surrounded by rolling pastures, lakes leading to creeks and land canopied by woodland trees. Today’s resort features the same natural views, as well as Patterson Kitchen + Bar for contemporary fine dining, The Captain as a cozy gathering place inspired by the Hartness family’s love for aviation and Spa H, offering six treatment rooms and a curated menu of customizable treatments.
Hotel Hartness has two levels of meeting and conference space totaling 16,000 square feet across 18 unique spaces both indoor and outdoor. The White Oak Ballroom can accommodate up to 300 guests, is adjacent to a patio space and features a nano wall that opens to tree-lined ponds and the nature preserve.
The centrally located Marriott Hilton Head Resort & Spa unveiled redesigned guest rooms, suites and an exterior refresh as the resort recently completed its $10 million second phase property renovation, reimagining a total of 513 guest rooms and suites including the Presidential Suite and four Vice Presidential Suites. Phase one of the resort’s renovations updated public spaces, dining outlets and function space.
The resort’s guest rooms have been redesigned with elements inspired by the hotel’s surrounding landscape, featuring a neutral aesthetic of earthy tones complemented by sea glass and gray and headboard murals reflective of the ripples and sand ridges meeting breaking waves.
Situated in the exclusive residential community of Palmetto Dunes, Marriott Hilton Head Resort & Spa puts guests in the center of opportunities to explore three miles of beaches, play three PGA golf courses or take in 2,000 acres of the natural beauty surrounding the resort.
The resort features a total of 46,665 square feet of space across 11 event venues and 17 breakout rooms. The 17,600-square-foot Leamington Grand Ballroom is the resort’s largest venue with a capacity of 1,900 guests, and the 15,000-square-foot Basshead Oceanfront Deck can accommodate 1,200 standing.
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Texas
Nestled on South Padre Island’s shoreline along the Gulf Coast is the first Texas beachfront resort in the Margaritaville portfolio, Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island. The property officially opened its doors in mid-June and offers all ocean view rooms reflecting the quintessential “laidback lifestyle” of Margaritaville resorts.
The resort features an island-inspired design across 200 guest rooms and aims to transport visitors to a “vacation state of mind.” Guests also have access to the area’s largest hotel pool, which is heated year-round and surrounded by private cabanas and a separate kids’ area. The nearby Hammock Row allows guests to “swing and sway” in the breeze off the Gulf and beneath towering palm trees, and outdoor fire pits create an atmosphere for guests to unwind and socialize as they stargaze.
Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island features 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space equipped with the latest audiovisual technology including the Blue Marlin Ballroom, offering an expansive view of the Gulf of Mexico and its beaches, and the 3,460-square-foot Sand Dunes, the resort’s largest ballroom capable of being divided into four smaller rooms.
The resort also offers three dining options that include LandShark Bar & Grill, offering indoor and outdoor patio seating overlooking the gulf; the Salty Rim Bar & Grill, a swim-up bar serving signature cocktails and bar bites; and Joe Merchant’s Coffee & Provisions, for grab-and-go coffee and snacks.
Guests can also schedule beachside activities like windsurfing, banana boat rides, parasailing, offshore fishing, dolphin watching or wave runner rentals at the concierge desk.
[Related: 5 Creative Breakouts and Teambuilding Opportunities in Plano, Texas]
Business and Baseball
Now open 30 miles west of Houston in Katy, Texas, is the first-of-its-kind virtual entertainment concept, sports bar, restaurant and event venue, Home Run Dugout, “a brand-new way to play baseball with friends.” The concept, described as “Topgolf for baseball,” reinvented the typical batting cage to offer an immersive, social-gamified playing experience suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Home Run Dugout offers 46,000 square feet of space featuring 12 patented Batting Bays with soft-toss pitching machines and simulated gameplay that can also be converted into a projector screen equipped with audiovisual technology suitable for a presentation. The venue also offers a Biergarten Baseball mini field complete with stadium lights, a full-service restaurant, concert stage and three bars. Around the mini field is a patio with shaded seating, firepits and Adirondack chairs with seating for nearly 500 guests.
Home Run Dugout is available for events and full buyouts and also offers a private dining room with two batting bays and a private bar with space for 65 seated or 225 standing.
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