CITY BEAT
Boston
Hotel Happenings
The 112-room Onyx Hotel, managed by San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC, opens in March, and three more properties break ground in Beantown this April. The 790-room Westin Convention Center Hotel will be attached to the new center opening in June. Also breaking ground in April are the 150-room Mandarin Oriental Boston, in the Back Bay, and the 185-room Regent Boston Battery Wharf Hotel.
Sacramento, Calif.
Capital Improvements
Two city hotels are renovating. The Hilton Sacramento Arden West starts its project next month, when the lobby will get a new look and 186 of 331 guest rooms will get complete overhauls. The 448-room Doubletree Hotel Sacramento is refurbishing its lobby, ballroom and 100 guest rooms. In addition, the Sacramento Convention Center will do some spiffing-up of its own by laying new carpeting throughout the facility this spring.
CA, San Jose
In December, management of the mission-style Hayes Mansion
Conference Center was taken over by Montvale, N.J.-based Dolce
International. The 214-room Silicon Valley facility has 30,000
square feet of dedicated meeting space. Prior to Dolce’s
management, the center had been privately run.
FL, Fort Lauderdale
The former Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport became the Wyndham Fort
Lauderdale Airport last month, following a renovation of all 388
guest rooms. The reflagged property has 18,500 square feet of
function space.
FL, Miami
The InterContinental Miami, in the city’s business
district, debuted its redesigned club level in November 2003. The
101 rooms and suites on the club level now offer a greater variety
of high-tech perks, such as Internet access, as does the club
lounge. The 641-room hotel has more than 65,000 square feet of
meeting space.
IL, Chicago
The new 306-room Courtyard by Marriott Chicago
Downtown/Magnificent Mile opened in November 2003. The property
features art deco-inspired decor in guest rooms and public spaces,
and many rooms overlook bustling Michigan Avenue. For groups, the
new Courtyard offers 3,700 square feet of meeting space.
POSH PITTSBURGH. After acquiring the landmark
Omni William Penn Hotel in 2001, Dallas-based Omni Hotels launched
an ambitious $22 million renovation, restoring the lobby and public
spaces to their circa-1916 glory, complete with a marble floor and
a sumptuous lounge where high tea is served daily. For groups, the
596-room hotel has 52,000 square feet of meeting space. (412)
281-7100; www.omnihotels.com
NV, Tahoe
The 424-room Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and
Casino added a 20,000-square-foot spa in November, the final phase
of a $60 million renovation. In addition to the 16-room spa, the
hotel has 23,000 square feet of meeting space.
NY, Nanuet
The 88-room Hilton Garden Inn Nanuet opened in November.
The hotel, about 25 miles from Newark Liberty International
Airport, offers three meeting rooms that total 2,400 square feet of
meeting space.
NY, New York
The Omni Berkshire Place Hotel on East 52nd Street in
midtown Manhattan wrapped up a $4 million renovation in November,
during which the property’s guest rooms and public spaces were
refurbished. The Omni has 396 guest rooms and 6,500 square feet of
meeting space.
VT, Burlington
The former Radisson Burlington Hotel became the Wyndham
Burlington at year-end 2003. The 256-room property overlooks Lake
Champlain and has 16,000 square feet of meeting space that
accommodates groups of up to 680.