With nearly 500 new hotel rooms in the pipeline and a long-term strategic marketing plan in the works, Providence, R.I., is primed to raise its profile as a meetings destination. Major changes to the meetings infrastructure are already under way. The 374-room Westin Providence, which serves as the headquarters hotel for the 150,000-square-foot Rhode Island Convention Center, has broken ground on a new tower that will add another 200 rooms. The hotel, which is connected to the convention center, has 21,000 square feet of meeting space, including an executive boardroom and three ballrooms.

Plans are also in progress to build a new Marriott downtown, the 274-room Marriott Renaissance. The developers, Sage Hospitality Resources, are renovating an old Masonic Temple, originally constructed in the 1920s. The Marriott Renaissance, slated to open in the summer of 2006, will have 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

Earlier this year, two new luxury boutique hotels opened, the 80-room, European-style Hotel Providence and the Dolce Villa, which boasts 14 deluxe, ultra-modern suites.

In addition, $10 million worth of renovations were recently completed at the historic Providence Biltmore. The building, constructed in 1922, was restored to its original splendor with more than half of the 291 guest rooms converted to suites. It features 18 meeting and function rooms totaling 19,000 square feet.

These projects will boost the number of downtown hotel rooms to about 2,200. With an increased block of downtown rooms, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau officials believe the city will be better positioned to attract larger meetings. The anticipated refurbishment of the Dunkin Donuts Center, an arena adjacent to the RICC, will add another 100,000 square feet of exhibit space to accommodate larger shows.
— Dave Kovaleski

New and Expanded

The Crowne Plaza Oklahoma City opened earlier this year with 215 guest rooms, and more than 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including two 4,000-square-foot ballrooms and three meeting rooms. The hotel completed a $2.5 million renovation this year.

In Sherman Oaks, Calif., the former Valley Radisson hotel reopened earlier this year as the Courtyard by Marriott — Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley. The property's owners have invested $11 million in renovating the hotel. The property has 196 guest rooms and seven suites, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space in seven meeting rooms. All guest rooms have free high-speed Internet access and 27-inch flat-panel television screens.

The Cleveland Marriott East opened earlier this year in Beachwood, Ohio. The full-service property has 295 rooms and features 14,800 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 7,500-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 700 guests.

Scheduled to open in 2006, the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, 20 minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in west Texas, will have 491 guest rooms, more than 50,000 square feet of function space, an 18-hole golf course, and a full-service spa

In Newark, Del., the Shaner Hotel Group, working in partnership with the University of Delaware has recently opened the new Courtyard Newark — University of Delaware. It serves as a learning practicum lab for students of the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management. The hotel is adjacent to the International Association of Conference Centers — certified Clayton Hall Conference Center.

The Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle is offering its clients the new APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) Meeting and Event Toolbox software package. Developed by the Convention Industry Council, the Toolbox CD contains templates, a copy of the APEX Industry Glossary, and all checklists from the CIC Manual, 7th ed. The toolbox is designed to work with Microsoft Office programs. It enables the user to create Adobe-compatible PDF files so users can distribute secure files via e-mail or post them to a Web site.

The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, on the campus of Duke University, Durham, N.C., has completed a two-year, $25 million renovation. The inn features 271 guest rooms and suites, an executive conference center, a ballroom with seating for up to 600, fitness facilities, golf shop, and expanded golf practice areas. High-speed and wireless Internet access is standard in guest rooms, meeting space, and public areas. The 7,000-square-foot conference center has 11 meeting rooms and has preliminary approval to become a member of the International Association of Conference Centers. The Duke University Golf Club, the only Robert Trent Jones — designed course in the Triangle, was built in 1957 and redesigned in 1993 by Jones' son, Rees Jones.

In Boyne Falls, Mich., the new luxury Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark opened at Boyne Mountain in May.

Pacific Palms Conference Resort in Industry, Calif., broke ground in October on a $10 million expansion. When finished in 2006, the $52 million transformation begun six years ago will be complete. The resort will have an additional 90,000 square feet of interior space and 130,000 square feet of updated outdoor space. It will also have a new 7,800-square-foot spa, patio, restaurant, bar, golf pro shop, golf staging area, and improvements to two 18-hole golf courses. In 2004, the resort completed a renovation of the more than 45,000 square feet of meeting space and 292 guest rooms and suites, and added a new lobby.