CITY BEAT
Providence, R.I.
Adding Hotel Rooms
The 374-room Westin Providence will add a 200-room tower by year-end 2007. The 274-room Holiday Inn Downtown is slated to undergo a renovation, which will include the addition of 40 new rooms, a full-service spa and a parking facility. The former Masonic Temple was purchased by Sage Hospitality Resources and is being converted into the 274-room Renaissance Providence Hotel, with 10,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space. Grand opening is set for 2006.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Ongoing Revitalization
The economic development of the city’s waterfront continues with the April 2005 opening of the $30 million expansion of the Tennessee Aquarium as well as the $19.5 million expansion of the Hunter Museum of American Art. Continental Airlines will inaugurate twice-daily service between Houston and Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport on Oct. 1.
AZ, Phoenix
The Pointe South Mountain Resort Phoenix recently completed a $1
million renovation of the hotel’s Grande and South Mountain
ballrooms as well as the 3,000-square-foot East and West
“courtrooms” for events. The resort offers 640 guest suites and a
total of 117,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting
space.
CA, Dana Point
Major renovations at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel are
now complete. The Orange County hotel, which features 22,000 square
feet of meeting space, unveiled a new two-story fitness center in
May, a spa in June and this month opens Restaurant 162, which
stands 162 feet above sea level. About three-quarters of the
hotel’s 393 guest rooms have been redone; the rest will be
renovated after the summer season, bringing the total cost of
renovations to $40 million.
CA, West Hollywood
This city’s latest boutique property is the 112-room
Chamberlain in West Hollywood, which opened in May. The hotel
features a meeting room designed for gatherings of up to 25
people.
Touchdown, Dallas. Opening this month at the
new International Terminal D of Dallas/Fort Worth International
Airport is the 298-room Grand Hyatt DFW, offering 34,000 square
feet of meeting space, including a 6,600-square-foot ballroom.
Accessible from all terminals by foot or the new Skylink transit
system, the hotel includes a rooftop fitness center. (972)
973-1234; www.grandhyattdfw.com
IL, Chicago
The 226-room Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown
opened last month, just steps away from the Magnificent Mile. The
property, which offers five meeting rooms totaling 3,000 square
feet, plans to add two restaurants early next year.
LA, New Orleans
The New Orleans Airport Plaza Hotel became the Radisson Hotel New
Orleans Airport in May, following a $5 million renovation. The
property has 244 guest rooms and more than 12,000 square feet of
meeting space.
MA, Chatham
The Boathouse, a new, 1,200-square-foot meeting room at Chatham
Bars Inn, opened last month. The venue features a built-in rear
projection screen, full audiovisual capabilities, high-speed
Internet and an oceanfront deck. The resort offers a total of
12,500 square feet of meeting space and 205 guest rooms.
TN, Nashville
The Nashville Airport Marriott unveiled a new 7,200-square-foot
ballroom in May as part of a $2.3 million renovation, which also
overhauled the hotel’s lobby and restaurants. The 392-room property
has a total of 24,000 square feet of meeting space.
TX, Frisco
The $20 million Frisco Conference Center, which adjoins the
330-room Embassy Suites Hotel Dallas-Frisco, opened last month.
Combined, the conference center and hotel offer 90,000 square feet
of meeting space.