The Knights Templar sheltered here on their way to the Crusades, but it's been updated since then. In fact, Luna Hotel Baglioni's 104 rooms and suites have all been recently refurbished. This stunning hotel is just a few steps from Venice's Piazza San Marco and has its own private mooring for gondolas. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Luna Hotel Baglioni features antique furnishings, crystal chandeliers, and 18th-century frescoes painted by students of Tiepolo. The hotel has three meeting rooms for up to 170 people, including the stunning Salone Marco Polo.
Hilton Waikoloa Village, on Hawaii's Big Island, is in the midst of a $61 million resort enhancement capital project scheduled for completion by the end of 2007. The three-phase project launched in 2005, with renovations to the majority of the resort's 1,240 guest rooms, the 25,000-square-foot Kohala Sports Club & Spa, the 432-seat stadium court at Kohala Tennis Gardens, high-speed wireless Internet access, and more. All ballrooms and meeting facilities have been enhanced with refinished woodwork, new carpeting, and advanced lighting and sound systems. A Dolphin Quest Village will also be developed as part of the project.
The 190-room Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek, Colo., is undergoing a $20 million renovation that includes Allegria Spa, public areas, meeting facilities, and guest rooms. The spa will double in size to 30,000 square feet and add 23 new therapy rooms. Improvements are also planned for the hotel's more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The expansion and renovation is due for completion in mid-December.
Less than an hour from Salt Lake City International Airport, Zermatt Resort & Spa opened this summer. The Swiss-style resort village is located outside of Park City, Utah. The resort's Matterhorn Conference Center offers more than 28,000 square feet of meeting space, including meeting rooms, hospitality suites, and an exhibition center. Hotel de Baer has 226 guest rooms and Chateau Hotel Villas provides 126 suites. A three-level, 17,000-square-foot spa features an indoor/outdoor pool. In the spring, summer, and fall, guests have access to 90-holes of golf that surround Zermatt. Reservations can be made at any of Midway's courses: The Homestead Resort (18 holes), Wasatch Mountain State Park (36 holes), and Soldier Hollow (36 holes).
The Lodge at Whitefish Lake opened last year in Whitefish Mont., close to Glacier National Park. All suites in the chalet-style lodge open onto private decks with lake or mountain views. Suites have granite-topped counters in their kitchenettes, and all areas of the hotel have high-speed Internet access. With more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space, the lodge is capable of hosting meetings for up to 400 people.
The new Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa opened this year 13 miles from the Austin, Texas international airport. The 405-acre resort adjoins the 1,100-acre McKinney Roughs Nature Park and has a mile of frontage on the Colorado River. There are 492 guest rooms and suites and more than 60,000 square feet of indoor function space, as well as 230,000 square feet of outdoor function space. Wolfdancer Golf Club is an 18-hole layout designed by Arthur Hills. Spa Django is a full-service, 18,000-square-foot facility. Recreational options include canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and fly-fishing on the Colorado; and hiking and horseback riding on more than 16 miles of trails.
Friday Harbor House, a boutique inn on Washington's San Juan Islands, recently added a new 1,070-square-foot meeting and events center that can accommodate up to 100 people. The inn has 23 guest rooms.
The new Raffles Resort Canouan Island, in the Grenadines, features 156 suites and Raffles Amrita Spa with nine hillside, open-air treatment suites and two over-water suites. Also on site;:Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort.
In the British Virgin Islands, Peter Island Resort has opened a new $6 million spa. The property features 52 rooms, two villa estates, and private beaches.