OPENED IN OCTOBER, The Lodge at Buckberry Creek, in East Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, is modeled after the “Great Camps” of the Adirondacks. Nestled above Gatlinburg, the lodge has 46 suites ranging from 575 square feet to 900 square feet in area. Rooms have fireplaces and high-speed Internet access. The lodge offers several meeting spaces for small retreats. www.buckberrylodge.com
Historic hot spot: Skytop Lodge, a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, plans to open this winter a $6 million conference center that will adjoin the Skytop, Pa., hotel. The center will have 9,000 square feet of meeting space, featuring two ballrooms, an executive boardroom, a dining room, and breakout rooms. CAT6 cabling will be installed throughout the facility, and the property will be a wireless hot spot. www.skytop.com
The Doubletree Crystal City in Arlington, Va., has begun a major, three-phase renovation. Phase I of the project, completed this fall, refurbished most of the public areas, including the Skydome Lounge, 27,000 square feet of meeting space, and the fitness center. Wireless Internet access and a new fire safety system have been added. Phase II, scheduled for completion in January, and Phase III, to be finished by spring 2006, will include renovations of the hotel's North and South Tower corridors and 631 guest rooms and suites. www.doubletreecrystalcity.com
In North Charleston, S.C., the $15 million Residence Inn by Marriott — Charleston Airport Hotel opened in October. The four-story, 150-suite property, owned and managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc., is approximately two miles from the airport. It has 1,700 square feet of meeting space. www.jqhhotels.com
The 10,000-square-foot Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside opened in July as the centerpiece of efforts to revitalize the downtown waterfront area in Bremerton, Wash., which is a 60-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Along with its waterfront location, the center boasts more than 10,000 total square feet of space, accommodating as many as 700 people. The 6,000-square-foot ballroom can be subdivided into four. The center is less than a two-minute walk to the ferry and the regional transportation terminal. www.kitsapconferencecenter.com
The completely renovated Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, in Ojai, Calif., debuted a Spanish Colonial — style conference center this fall. A 73-mile drive from Los Angeles and 45 minutes from the Santa Barbara and Oxnard airports, the conference center has a total of 35,000 square feet of function space. The new 4,800-square-foot Anacapa Ballroom has lots of natural light and a flexible floor plan so it can be broken into eight smaller sections. The 6,000-square-foot Hacienda Ballroom is large enough for receptions for 650. The E.D. Libbey Boardroom seats 12, and four new villas at Ojai can be used as retreats for small groups. www.ojairesort.com
The Hilton Long Beach (Calif.) unveiled its Executive Meeting Center in May. Designed for use as a training and teaching facility, the center is adjacent to the Hilton Long Beach and is the only meeting facility in the South Bay/Orange County region to meet the guidelines set by the International Association of Conference Centers. There are 12 meeting rooms that can accommodate from five to more than 100 attendees. www.hilton.com
Pacific Palms Conference Resort, in Industry Hills, Calif., recently completed a $30 million renovation of its 292 guest rooms and suites, the lobby, and all 45,000 square feet of meeting space. Improvements to the 650-acre property also include a technology cafe, a business center, and a new wireless network. Pacific Palms has two adjacent championship golf courses, tennis courts, an aquatic center, and an equestrian center. www.pacificpalmsresort.com
Opening in early 2005, The Carlton Hotel, in Atascadero, Calif., is an elegant restoration of a famed old property, frequented by the likes of Jack Benny, Bette Davis, and Dick Powell. Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the boutique hotel will feature 52 rooms, and convenient access to more than 70 Central Coast wineries. www.the-carlton.com
