Near SeaTac International Airport between Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., Washington Mutual opened its new conference center in December 2002. The 18-acre campus of the Washington Mutual Leadership Center at Cedarbrook offers 107,000 square feet of space and 110 guest rooms and suites.
Opened this spring, the Seattle Marriott Waterfront is adjacent to the 78,000-square-foot Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Pier 66. The hotel has 358 guest rooms and 11,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 7,937-square-foot grand ballroom.
In San Jose, Calif., Benchmark Hospitality is now managing the Silicon Valley Conference Center, a day meeting facility with 12,000 square feet of conference space close to San Jose International Airport.
Benchmark also has taken over management of the Georgian Terrace Hotel, a 325-suite historic hotel in midtown Atlanta. After a $10 million renovation, the property is now a member of the International Association of Conference Centers. The hotel's 16,000 square feet of meeting space includes the new Atlanta Conference Center.
Dolce International has taken over management of Houston's 308-room Warwick Hotel in the Museum District, after a $23 million renovation that was completed last May. Dolce completed the first phase of further enhancements in June to bring The Warwick up to IACC standards.
The Historic Conference Centres of Europe has added four new members, including a former church and a silk factory. HCCE, an alliance of modern conference centers housed in historic buildings, now includes the Athinais Conference Centre in Athens; Kaisersaal in Erfurt, Germany; Kongress Palais Kassel in Kassel, Germany; and The Pieterskerk in Leiden, Holland.