CITY BEAT
Fort Lauderdale
High-Stakes Venues
The Donald is making a move in this former spring break capital with long-term plans for a combined condo hotel project in the works, currently dubbed the Trump International Beach Club. And Trump’s not the only one taking a gamble these days: The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in nearby Hollywood opens in May with 500 guest rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space.
Chicago
Size Selection
McCormick Place, already the largest convention facility in the country, unveiled plans to add 470,000 square feet of exhibition space, bringing the convention center’s total to 2.6 million square feet. Ground will be broken on the new West Building this spring. For smaller functions, a new boutique hotel opens in January. The tony Amalfi Hotel Chicago makes its debut with 215 guest rooms stocked with goodies like DVD players and Aveda brand toiletries and 1,653 square feet of meeting space.
AZ, Scottsdale
The Phoenician recently wrapped up a $2 million renovation
to its 65,000 square feet of meeting space. An additional $2
million was spent in late 2003 to renovate the resort’s 654 guest
rooms.
FL, Aventura
In January, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts assumed
management of the Turnberry Isle Resort & Club. The property
has been reflagged the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club,
Miami, Florida. The 392-room property in this Miami suburb offers
45,000 square feet of meeting space, a 25,000-square-foot spa and
two golf courses.
FL, Lake Buena VIsta
Walt Disney World opened the first phase of Disney’s Pop
Century Resort in December, debuting 2,880 guest rooms with a
pop-culture theme. A second 2,880-room phase will open at an
as-yet-undetermined date. The hotel has no meeting space but can be
used for group overflow.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND. Manhattan welcomed a
new luxury hotel at the end of 2003: the 251-room Mandarin Oriental
New York. Set in tony midtown at the southwest corner of
picturesque Central Park, the new Mandarin has 7,000 square feet of
chicly appointed meeting space for groups. For post-meeting
relaxation or to recover from sightseeing in the Big Apple,
travelers can check out the hotel’s spa, a 14,500-square-foot
island of zen-infused calm on an island that’s anything but. (212)
805 8800; www.mandarinoriental.com
HI, Kauai
In the third quarter of 2004, the Coconut Beach Resort at
Waipouli, Kauai, will be rebranded the Courtyard by Marriott Kauai,
following a renovation of all 312 guest rooms. The property will
have 5,000 square feet of refurbished meeting space.
KY, Louisville
As of December 2003, the Brown Hotel offers guests the
complimentary use of laptops during their stay. This initiative
follows the property’s addition of high-speed wireless Internet
access in all 293 guest rooms. The hotel has more than 17,000
square feet of meeting space.
PA, Hershey
In December the Hershey Hotel began a substantial expansion to its
spa. When completed in late 2004, the addition will bring the spa
to a total of 30,000 square feet, including 53 treatment rooms. The
hotel has 234 guest rooms and 23,500 square feet of meeting
space.
SC, Myrtle Beach
The Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes opened in
late 2003. The 400-room property offers 45,500 square feet of
meeting space, an outdoor courtyard for events or parties, and an
18-hole golf course.
TX, Grapevine
Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment announced a name
change to its under-construction Texas hotel project. The $515
million property, scheduled to open in April with 1,511 guest rooms
and 400,000 square feet of meeting space, is now called the Gaylord
Texan Resort and Convention Center on Lake Grapevine.