Other Cities, Other Sites
• The 105-room Hilton Garden Inn opened last December in Gallup, along the Arizona state border and 140 miles west of Albuquerque. Just minutes from Gallup Municipal Airport, the Gallup Cultural Center and the Navajo Nation Museum, the property has 3,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center and an indoor pool.
• In Santa Fe, the former Old St. Vincent Hospital has been transformed into the 182-room Drury Plaza Hotel. The property opened last year and offers 17,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 3,800-square-foot ballroom.
• La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa, part of Starwood's Luxury Collection, debuted last spring. The 158-room hotel is set on a six-acre campus and includes a full-service spa, three restaurants and 4,500 square feet of flexible meeting space.
• The 94-suite TownePlace San Diego Carlsbad/Vista opened this past March. The property features a swimming pool, an exercise room and complimentary wireless Internet access throughout.
Local Update
• Heritage Hotels and Resorts has announced a spring 2016 opening for its new 118-room Hotel Chaco. The contemporary boutique property will juxtapose modern décor and design with ancient and Native American architecture. Features include a rooftop restaurant and lounge, a 6,000-square-foot spa, a 1,200-square-foot fitness room and about 3,000 square feet of retail. Heritage Hotels also owns the adjacent 188-room Hotel Albuquerque, which was built in 1975. Guests of Hotel Chaco will have access to its neighbor's pool and its more than 62,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.
• A $22 million renovation of the Albuquerque Convention Center wrapped up last October. The project upgraded the center's West Building facilities, including the ballrooms, light fixtures and lower-level kitchen. A new 5,600-square-foot space was added that serves as an entrance vestibule with retail space and an outdoor deck. The 600,000-square-foot SMG-managed facility has more than 167,000 square feet of exhibit space and 27 meeting rooms, including a 31,000-square-foot ballroom.
• At the 151-room Nativo Lodge, local Native American artists have transformed eight guest rooms into individual large-scale art installations. Guests can sleep among the artwork, which is rooted in cultural traditions but expressed with modern flair. The lodge has a restaurant, a pool and more than 7,600 square feet of function space.
Tops In Hops
Albuquerque's beer scene is enjoying national recognition: The Marble Brewing Co. was named Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, and a section of downtown Albuquerque has been officially designated the Brewery District, thanks to the high concentration of such establishments in the area.
Meeting Hotels: Major properties include the 411-room Albuquerque Marriott Hotel, 395-room Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, 300-room Hotel Cascada-An Urban Resort, 295-room Albuquerque Sheraton Uptown, 295-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Albuquerque and 261-room Albuquerque Embassy Suites Hotel & Spa.
The 276-room Sheraton Albuquerque Airport and 150-room Courtyard by Marriott Albuquerque Airport are at Albuquerque International Sunport. Ten minutes away is the 228-room Sandia Resort and Casino.
To browse more area hotels, and to send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Albuquerque Convention Center; exhibit space, 167,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 27; (505) 768-4575
Airport Transit: Albuquerque International Sunport, about five miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $15; by shuttle, $11
Taxes: Room tax, 6%; sales tax, 7%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%
Group Venue: The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, a Smithsonian affiliate, details the history of nuclear development and its influence in the world. Exhibits cover the Cold War, nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, managing radioactive waste and more. Just outside is the 9-acre Heritage Park, displaying an assortment of planes, rockets and missiles. The facility can accommodate up to 900 guests for a full buyout but also offers several smaller event areas. (505) 245-2137
Contact: Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 733-9918