Conference Center News & Notes

The completely renovated OJAI VALLEY INN & SPA, in Ojai, Calif., will debut 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 that it can be broken into eight smaller sections. The 6,000-square-foot Hacienda Ballroom is large enough for receptions for 650 people. The E.D. Libbey Boardroom seats 12, and four new villas at Ojai can be used as retreats for small groups.

The 10,000-square-foot KITSAP CONFERENCE CENTER at Bremerton Harborside opened in July as the centerpiece of the 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 from the ferry and the regional transportation terminal.

There's a new name for Merrill Lynch Conference & Training Center in Plainsboro, N.J. The property is now the HARRISON CONFERENCE CENTER & HOTEL, PRINCETON FORRESTAL CENTER, reinforcing Aramark's 18-year management of this facility in New Jersey's Princeton Corridor. The center was sold recently to a group of private investors. Property enhancements will begin soon, including conversion of 20,000 square feet of office space into additional meeting rooms.

THE HILTON LONG BEACH (Calif.) unveiled its EXECUTIVE MEETING CENTER in May. Designed 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 International Association of Conference Centers' guidelines. It has an 88-seat amphitheater, T-4 Internet lines and data ports on each meeting table, private cell-phone nooks, a dedicated services staff and concierge, and all-inclusive meeting packages. There are 12 meeting rooms that can accommodate from five to more than 100 attendees.

Meet in the dunes with IACC standards: The 88-room SANDERLING RESORT, SPA & CONFERENCE CENTER on North Carolina's Outer Banks in Duck, N.C., offers a stunning seaside location. The wireless 1,550-square-foot Sanderling Conference Center can host groups of 10 to 100. The conference center's Swan and Heron rooms open onto a private deck for breaks, and the boardroom can accommodate up to 20 people. Upstairs is a private executive suite with decks and ocean views, suitable for receptions or small, informal meetings. The Sanderling's 8,000-square-foot spa was recently renovated.

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.

Historic hot spot: In April, SKYTOP LODGE, a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, began construction of a $6 million conference center that will adjoin the Skytop, Pa., hotel. The center is set to open this winter with 9,000 square feet of meeting space. It will feature two ballrooms, an executive boardroom accommodating 30, a dining room, and breakout rooms. The center will CAT6 cabling throughout the facility; the property will also be a wireless hot spot. The exterior will be built from the same stone used in Skytop's Main Lodge and feature a slate roof, copper dormers, and a wraparound porch.

The CLARION HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER ANTIETAM CREEK in Hagerstown, Md., with 210 rooms and suites, has begun a $150,000 refurbishment of its guest rooms and Learning Center. The hotel has 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a poolside tropical garden atrium reception/party area. The MAGNA CENTER FOR EXECUTIVE LEARNING has ergonomic chairs, breakout meeting rooms, and state-of-the-art equipment. Improvements in 2004 include a complete soft-goods renovation and DSL lines.

THE EMORY CONFERENCE CENTER HOTEL in Atlanta is among the first hotels nationwide to be certified as a Green Seal Hotel by Green Seal Inc. Green Seal, founded in 1995, promotes environmentally responsible practices within the lodging industry. To qualify for the Green Seal, a hotel must comply with a list of environmentally protective policies, which includes state regulatory compliance, as well as specific requirements for waste minimization, refuse and recycling, water and energy efficiency, and conservation management. Opened in 1995, The Emory Conference Center Hotel is adjacent to Emory University's Hahn Woods. It has 198 guest rooms, 24 meeting rooms, three restaurants, and a spa.

CONGRESS HALL, a 106-room hotel in Cape May, N.J., has finished its conference center with the addition of the 1,600-square-foot HARRISON ROOM. The meeting room features ergonomically designed chairs with tabletops, large-screen LCD projection television, integrated DVD/VCR capability, blackout shades, and a theater-quality audio system. Multiple data ports and T1 Internet access are standard. Congress Hall has a 4,200-square-foot ballroom that can seat 350 for dinner or 425 theater-style, as well as a full-service spa.