In June, the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center launched a new Web site that allows planners to take a virtual tour of the facility, which is under construction with a planned December opening. The new center will have 60,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Tech features include high-speed (T3) Internet service as well as wireless capabilities, outlets for audiovisual connections and multimedia presentations in the meeting rooms and exhibition hall, and a cybercafe. The center connects to the new 412-room Sheraton Hotel.
Oak Brook Hills (Ill.) Resort has added wireless Internet service, and for guests with their own Ethernet adaptor, high-speed connectivity is free in the guest rooms and meeting rooms. The cards can be rented from the front desk for $9.95 per day.
In February, Hyatt Regency Chicago debuted a new guest room concept called The Great Room, with amenities aimed at the business traveler: a dual-line, cordless phone, a dual-line speaker phone, an oversize desk, and increased desk lighting. The property has converted 400 of its 2,019 rooms to the Great Room concept.
A three-year, $100 million transformation of the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center (home of General Motors global headquarters) is complete. The project included a complete makeover of all 1,298 guest rooms, meeting space, and ballrooms.
At Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport, the Laptop Lane business centers have been acquired by Austin-based Wayport.