Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa

Avon, Colo.

The News: Colorado's newest luxury resort, at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain, is planning to open in July.

Specs: The condominium hotel will have 210 guest rooms; a ski gondola outside the hotel entrance; an outdoor saltwater pool; a spa; a restaurant; 4,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space, including a boardroom; and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor banquet terrace.

Extra: The property is being constructed as a “green” resort and is on pace to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Coronado Island Marriott Resort

San Diego

The News: The resort has completed a two-phase, $15 million, propertywide renovation.

Specs: 300 guest rooms with LCD flat-panel televisions, wet bars, wireless Internet, MP3 docking stations, walk-in showers, and oversized tubs; 25,000 square feet of meeting space

Extra: The lobby follows the Marriott Great Room concept, with four zones: a welcome zone, including check-in area; relaxation zone; social zone; and a business zone that includes a business center.

The Westin Imagine Orlando

Orlando, Fla.

The News: The 315-room, art deco, modernist-style hotel is on schedule for a spring opening.

Specs: Free wireless Internet access in lobby; business center with high-speed Internet access; 7,200 square feet of meeting space, with five function rooms; golf course nearby; restaurant; 24-hour room service

Extra: The hotel will be smoke-free.

Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel

Kansas City, Mo.

The News: This 374-room hotel underwent a $22 million renovation and was converted from a Clarion hotel.

Specs: The hotel, which is across from the Truman Sports Complex, offers 16,000 square feet of meeting space, business center, indoor pool, and an outdoor pool. Guest rooms feature 32-inch flat-panel televisions.

Time Frame: Opened in late November

Extra: The hotel's brand-new, 60,000-square-foot CoCo Key indoor water resort is scheduled to open this spring.

W Washington D.C.

Washington, D.C.

The News: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to open the first W Hotel in Washington, D.C., in 2009.

Specs: The company will convert the historic Hotel Washington at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street. The hotel will offer 317 guest accommodations; 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 11th-floor rooftop meeting level; a spa; and 24-hour concierge service.

Bottle Saver

Hamilton Park Hotel & Conference Center, Florham Park, N.J., decided to do something about all those partially consumed bottles of water that meeting attendees were throwing away. The hotel designed a special coaster that doubles as a water preserver. The water saver says: “Place this saver over your water bottle and our staff will not remove it, conserving water and saving resources for future recycling.” The hotel says that since last spring, meeting attendees have consumed 25 percent fewer bottles of water each month.