CITY BEAT
Seattle
New Beds and More
Opening this month in the downtown Belltown neighborhood is the 119-room boutique Hotel Ändra. Among its features are 4,000 square feet of meeting space, wireless capability throughout and a fitness center. Set to open in June is the 262-room Redmond Town Center Marriott Hotel. Features include 10,000 square feet of meeting space, three additional meeting rooms, two boardrooms and wireless capability in all meeting and public spaces.
New Brunswick, N.J.
Conference Call
Heldrich Plaza, a new $102 million mixed-use project that will include the 250-room Heldrich Hotel and Conference Center, is slated to open in spring 2006. The conference facility, which will be managed by Benchmark Hospitality, will feature 50,000 square feet of meeting space. In addition, the 288-room Hyatt Regency New Brunswick recently wrapped up a $4 million renovation of all guest rooms.
CA, Santa Barbara
The El Capitan Ranch opened in February adjacent
to the verdant Los Padres National Forest, just north of Santa
Barbara. The luxury campground features 100 cedar cabins, 26 canvas
safari tents and panoramic views. For events, the property offers
approximately 3,500 square feet of function space spread across six
yurts circular canvas structures with wood floors. In addition, the
ranch has a 1,500-square-foot tented lodge.
FL, Clearwater
The former Radisson Suite Resort on Sand Key was
reincarnated as the Marriott Suites Clearwater Beach on
Sand Key in February. The 10-story, 220-suite property
features 7,500 square feet of meeting space and a pool fed by a
35-foot waterfall.
IL, Chicago
In late January, the 230-room Hampton Inn &
Suites Chicago Downtown opened three additional meeting
rooms, for a total of 12, in an adjacent building joined to the
hotel by a skywalk. The property now offers 7,350 square feet of
meeting space.
NEW VENUE. The Gaylord Texan Resort &
Convention Center opened on April 2 on Lake Grapevine, near
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The 1,511-room resort has
a 400,000-square-foot convention center, which includes the
50,000-square-foot Texas Ballroom and the 32,000-square-foot
Grapevine Ballroom. (866) 782-7897; www.gaylordhotels.com
NE, Omaha
Opened on April 1, the 450-room Hilton
Omaha is Nebraska’s largest hotel. The 16-story property
has approximately 30,000 square feet of meeting space, including a
10,000-square-foot ballroom, 6,800 square feet of prefunction space
and 15 meeting rooms. A skywalk links the hotel with the 300,000-
square-foot Omaha Convention Center, which opened last year.
PA, Allentown
The Crowne Plaza Hotel Allentown opened
in February. About 50 miles north of Philadelphia, the 225-room
property formerly was the Allentown Hotel but changed flags
following a $10 million renovation. The nine-story hotel has 11,000
square feet of meeting space.
PA, Hershey
The 232 guest rooms of the famed Hershey Hotel
became $2 million sweeter in March, following a three-month
renovation. Along with its 23,500 square feet of meeting space, the
property now also offers larger pillow-top mattresses and luxury
linens in every room, as well as a dramatically revamped decor.
TX, Dallas
On March 15, the Renaissance Hotel Dallas North near the
Galleria became the Doubletree Hotel Dallas. The
289-room property, which has 2,500 square feet of meeting space,
will finish a renovation of its public areas at the end of this
month. Three floors of the 10-story hotel will be renovated by
August, with the rest being finished next year.