New York
Park Hyatt New York celebrated its 10th anniversary with the announcement of a multimillion-dollar renovation that is slated for completion in January. The hotel stands 25 stories tall on New York City’s Billionaire’s Row and is a popular choice for business and leisure travelers alike.
Park Hyatt New York’s renovation will inaugurate the 3,500-square-foot Manhattan Suite in a private wing on the hotel’s top floor, offering the option to connect to two guest rooms, each featuring 140-square-foot balconies overlooking Central Park.
The project will also introduce new locations of the signature Rossano Ferretti salon and Spa Nalai, set to debut in June and this fall, respectively, as well as updates to specialty suites.
Park Hyatt New York offers 221 guest rooms and suites and more than 9,000 square feet of meeting space. The 3,100-square-foot Onyx Ballroom is the hotel’s largest space and can host 180 for a banquet or reception.
The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel, a landmark property in New York City dating back to the 1920s, debuted its renovation in September. Phase one of the renovation introduced new guest rooms, suites, lobby space and two new signature residentially-styled suites with private terraces and balconies ideal for group gatherings.
The new Beverly Suite offers 975 square feet of space and can accommodate up to 10 people, while the Sonesta Work Suite offers 380 square feet of space and serves as a traditional office and coworking space for small business meetings and gatherings.
The Benjamin Royal Sonesta offers a total of 5,831 square feet of flexible event space, including the redesigned 1,500-square-foot Benjamin Suite on the 22nd floor, available for private events of up to 30 people, and the Lexington Rooms, offering four modular spaces that can be converted to accommodate 100 seated attendees.
[Related: 5 Unique Event Venues in New York State]
New Jersey
One of Marriott’s first hotels and the second-oldest hotel operating in the Marriott system, Marriott Saddle Brook unveiled the first phase of its $15 million renovation. The historic hotel is less than 20 miles from midtown Manhattan and was originally built in 1967. It now features new guest rooms and meeting spaces.
All 244 guest rooms at Marriott Saddle Brook, including three suites, have been completely redesigned and feature decor elements that incorporate the hotel’s urban roots and geometric exterior.
Marriott Saddle Brook’s fitness center and meeting spaces also received updates. Of the property’s nearly 12,000 square feet of event space, 7,200 square feet of indoor meetings space has been redesigned, including six meeting rooms and the 300-capacity Grand Ballroom. An additional 4,700 square feet of seasonal outdoor space is also available.
Pennsylvania
The 317-room Pittsburgh Airport Marriott hotel unveiled the final phase of its $18 million, top-to-bottom renovation that started July 2021. The project includes design elements that honor Pittsburgh’s Steel City heritage and highlight the surrounding natural landscape.
Situated six miles from the Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh Airport Marriott drew inspiration from its location throughout its four-year renovation, especially from local grist mills, glass works and steel factories. As a result, guest rooms and public areas have a design aesthetic of refined steel meeting modern textures.
Pittsburgh Airport Marriott offers 12,500 square feet of meeting space across 18 meeting rooms, including the Grand Ballroom, three boardrooms and the new Oakdale meeting room.
[Related: New Projects in Pittsburgh That Up Its Event Potential]
Ottawa Tourism’s Step Toward Sustainability
Ottawa Tourism partnered with La Tablée des Chefs to launch a food recovery program for the event sector that’s designed to build relationships between local community organizations and conference and event venues.
La Tablée des Chefs will be working with donors and community groups to ensure the safety, sustainability and organization of the food recovery process post-gatherings and create a seamless connection between participating venues and community groups. Ottawa is the first destination organization to partner with La Tablée des Chefs to move the industry away from food waste.
With this new initiative, groups and venues can donate surplus food to local organizations after large-scale events, creating a more sustainable tourism and event industry. The program demonstrates Ottawa Tourism’s efforts to help with food insecurity by acting as a connection point for La Tablée des Chefs and their hospitality partners.
Both parties have expressed pride and excitement to see this new initiative through. The goal beyond this program is to highlight sustainability and the social responsibility that the tourism industry has to its communities.
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