WYNDHAM NASSAU RESORT & CRYSTAL PALACE CASINO, Bahamas, has 850 guest rooms and suites, all with private balconies. A recent renovation added flat-screen TVs to all guest rooms and an Asian restaurant, Moso. The Crystal Ballroom, which is divisible by four and holds up to 1,750 guests reception-style, and the resort's 11 meeting rooms, which all offer wireless Internet access, were upgraded as well. The resort offers more than 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Guests can enjoy golf at a nearby 18-hole championship course, or work out at the on-site fitness center. Daily towel replacement is optional.
In May, PARIS MARRIOTT RIVE GAUCHE HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER, the largest hotel convention center in Paris, was rebranded by Marriott International Inc. after a complete refurbishment. Opened in 1972 as the PLM Saint Jacques, the hotel remains an all-business hotel, with 757 rooms, 51 suites, and 48,883 square feet of conference space, including a 13,240-square-foot ballroom with 6,781 square feet of pre-function space, a 160-seat auditorium, and 40 banquet rooms.
KIANA, a new high-end resort on the Pacific in Dominical, Costa Rica, is set to open this month. The resort, with 26 1,500-square-foot villas, a full-service spa, four pools, and a fitness gym, is ideal for small meetings and incentives. Each villa is equipped with a 29-inch television and an iPod speaker base. Groups can use the Villa suite (living room area) for meetings of up to 20 people with breakout rooms for 10 people each. Kiana is set amid more than 2,000 acres of mountainous rain forest, 80 percent of which will remain jungle green space. Activities nearby include hiking, canopy tours, horseback riding, surfing lessons, and wildlife tours.
Nine miles outside Brussels, Belgium, Dolce International opened DOLCE LA HULPE BRUSSELS in April. The conference center/resort has 264 guest rooms and suites and 43,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel has a wellness center, pool, tennis courts, and jogging and mountain biking trails.
