Hotel Beat 9-1-2007

by Kaylee Hultgren
September 1, 2007

CITY BEAT
Tulsa, Okla.
Expansion Continues

The Tulsa Convention Center expansion, which wraps up in 2008, will add 56,000 square feet of meeting space. Anchoring downtown’s East End mixed-use development project is an 8,000-seat baseball stadium and 450,000 square feet of retail and dining venues. Several new hotels are under construction. Slated to open in 2008 are a 140-room Aloft and a 121-room Hilton Garden Inn. In April 2007, ExpressJet began daily nonstop service from Tulsa to Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego.

Birmingham, Ala.
Adding Hotels

More than $100 million in hotel projects is underway. A 120-room Marriott Residence Inn is scheduled to break ground this fall, with opening day set for early 2008. The Federal Reserve building downtown will be transformed into a 200-room Luxury Collection hotel and is set to open in 2009. The 757-room Sheraton Birmingham is in the midst of a $17 million renovation.

CA, San Diego

Hotel: Hilton San Diego. Renovations completed: July. Price tag: $18 million. Rooms: 357. Meeting space: 34,000 square feet. Key changes: upgraded guest rooms and public areas, a 7,500-square-foot spa with a fitness center and private sundeck, a bayside restaurant, five tennis courts and a private dock area.

FL, Pensacola

Hotel: Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front (formerly the Hilton Garden Inn). Rebranded: July. Price tag: $1.6 million. Rooms: 273. Meeting space: 30,000 square feet. Key changes: a 24-hour business center, indoor and outdoor pools, a newly remodeled Cajun-Asian restaurant and a sushi bar.

FL, Tampa

Hotel: InterContinental Tampa (formerly the Wyndham Westshore). Rebranded: August. Price tag: $18 million. Rooms: 323. Meeting space: 21,000 square feet. Key features: a rooftop pool, a Shula’s Steak House, high-speed wireless throughout the property and iPod docking stations.

Renaissance M Street Hotel Washington, D.C.Capital Gains.The 355-room Renaissance M Street Hotel Washington, D.C., reopened in July, following a $25 million makeover. Improvements include remodeled guest rooms; a new cafe; a new lobby lounge called the M bar; the M Brasserie, a fine-dining restaurant serving regional cuisine; and increased meeting space, now totaling 12,050 square feet. (202) 775-0800; www.marriott.com

GA, Savannah

Hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Historic Savannah. Opened: July. Rooms: 127. Meeting space: 2,000 square feet, plus two boardrooms. Key features: a restaurant, a piano bar, an outdoor pool and fitness center. All guest rooms offer flat screen TVs and complimentary high-speed Internet.

IL, Chicago

Hotel: Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. Opening: December. Rooms: 339. Meeting space: 20,000 square feet. Key features: The 92-story property will feature nine separate meeting rooms, The Spa at Trump, a full-service health club, a lounge, a fine-dining restaurant, and 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

LA, New Orleans

Hotel: Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel. Renovations completed: first phase, Sep-tem-ber; second phase, end of this year. Price tag: $5 million. Rooms: 272. Meeting space: 6,500 square feet. Key changes: in the project’s first phase, a restaurant, led by a soon-to-be-announced celebrity chef; in the second phase, upgrades to the hotel’s jazz-themed lobby and new carpeting in the meeting rooms.

TX, Dallas

Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Opened: August. Rooms: 218. Meeting space: 14,000 square feet. Key features: a 12,000-square-foot spa, a lounge, a signature restaurant, a fitness center, an outdoor pool, a 9,450-square-foot ballroom, and high-speed wireless Internet in guest rooms and business areas.

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