CITY BEAT
Montgomery, Ala.
New Center Set for ’07
The new Montgomery Convention Center, which replaces the old Montgomery Civic Center, is on track to open in October 2007. The facility, which will be connected to a new 347-room Renaissance property, will feature 112,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and a 2,000-seat performing arts center. The project will bring the city’s guest room count to 6,500.
Albuquerque, N.M.
Event Facility Planned
Plans are moving ahead for a new $125 million, 10,000-seat event facility to be built in the city’s downtown district, south of the Albuquerque Convention Center. Meanwhile, the convention center itself is undergoing $6 million in upgrades, including the addition of a new business center and wireless hot spots. The 228-room Sandia Resort opened recently with 35,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as a 12,000-square-foot spa and an 18-hole golf course.
FL, St. Petersburg
Hotel:
Courtyard St. Peters-burg Downtown (formerly The
Pennsylvania Hotel). Opened: Oct. 1.
Rooms: 128. Meeting space: 806
square feet. Key features: an indoor pool and a
spa.
HI, Lihue
Hotel: Hilton
Kauai Beach Resort (formerly Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort).
Renovations completed: Sept. 15. Price
tag: $17 million. Rooms: 350.
Meeting space: 13,000 square feet. Key
changes: upgraded guest rooms and the 8,600-square-foot
ballroom.
IN, French Lick
Hotel: French
Lick Springs Resort & Casino. Reopens: Nov. 5.
Price tag: $382 million. Rooms:
442. Meeting space: 35,000 square feet, plus a
35,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Key features: a
new 84,000-square-foot casino/entertainment complex, a spa, a
salon, a health club, a bowling alley and 45 holes of golf.
NORTHERN LIGHTS.A new Westin property is opening this month in Chicago, 16
miles north of O’Hare International Airport. The 411-room Westin
Chicago North Shore features a business center, an indoor heated
pool, a WestinWorkout gym, a 14,832-square-foot grand ballroom and
three junior ballrooms, for a grand total of 35,000 square feet of
meeting and event space. (847) 777-6500;www.starwoodhotels.com/westin
MI, Ann Arbor
Hotel:
Holiday Inn Hotel & SuitesÐAnn Arbor.
Opened: August. Rooms: 107.
Meeting space: 1,300 square feet. Key
features: an indoor pool, a fitness center, a business
center and wireless Internet.
MO, Kansas City
Hotel:Howard
Johnson Plaza Hotel (formerly the KCI Air-port Hotel).
Renovations completed: Sept. 30. Price
tag: $2.5 million. Rooms: 249.
Meeting space: 3,900 square feet. Key
changes: upgrades to all guest rooms and public space, as
well as a redesigned International Ballroom.
NC, Charlotte
Hotel:
Doubletree Charlotte Airport Hotel (formerly the
Wyndham Garden Hotel). Open-ed: Sept. 28.
Price tag: $3 million. Rooms:
173. Meeting space: 2,200 square feet. Key
changes: added a business cen-ter, upgraded banquet
facilities and refurbished guest rooms.
NY, Saratoga
Springs
Hotel: The Saratoga
Hotel & Conference Center Reno-vations
completed: August (except for the ballroom, scheduled for
March 2007). Price tag: $11 million.
Rooms: 242. Meeting space: 46,000
square feet. Key changes: upgraded guest rooms,
meeting and public space, and added a new restaurant.
OR, Portland
Hotel: Ace
Hotel Portland. Opened: Oct. 1.
Rooms: 79. Meeting space: 2,400
square feet. Key features: in the landmark
94-year-old former Clyde Hotel, offers wireless Internet and a
well-stocked DVD library.