In Hot Springs, Va., The Homestead has just renovated its five presidential suites, located in the resort's historic East Wing. Each suite was expanded by 900 square feet, totaling 2,283 square feet, to include a foyer, a parlor, two bedrooms, and two four-fixture bathrooms with enclosed shower and antique-style tub. In addition, the Cascades golf course is reopening after a bunker restoration project that began in October 2005. The Homestead has 486 guest rooms and suites, more than 72,000 square feet of meeting space, three golf courses, and a European-style spa.
In May, InterContinental Hotels Group opened the 328-room Crowne Plaza Hotel Dulles Airport in Herndon, Va., two miles from Dulles International and 22 miles from Washington, D.C. It has 7,343 square feet of meeting space.
Manhattan's Hotel La Mela will open the fourth quarter of this year with 235 guest rooms. Located in what's sometimes referred to as Hotel and University Club Row — 44th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue — it is the first new hotel built in the area in more than 20 years. Hotel La Mela is adjacent to Times Square on Broadway and 44th.
Benchmark Hospitality will manage the Naples Bay Resort, a new property under construction in Naples, Fla. A September 2007 opening is planned. The resort will feature 85 hotel units and 65 condominium suites, 108 guest cottages, and a restaurant. Thirty townhomes and flats will be part of the residential mix. In addition, there will be 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
This December, the Vail Plaza Hotel and Club will debut in the heart of Vail Village, Vail, Colo. It will feature 207 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a health spa, and a heated pool. Groups of up to 350 will be accommodated in its conference center.
Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., completed a renovation of 295 guest rooms in February, with new furnishings and fixtures, and wireless Internet access.
In July, Dolce International took over management of the 284-room Bedford (Mass.) Glen Hotel, outside of Boston in the routes 3 and 95 high-tech/business corridor. Dolce is overseeing a $12 million makeover to the former Renaissance hotel. This is the company's first property in the Boston area. The hotel has 13,000 square feet of meeting space, and Dolce is working on obtaining approval to expand it by another 25,000 square feet.
Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Mo., has opened the new 14,000-square-foot Spa Chateau, a full-service European-style spa with 10 treatment rooms.
Grand Traverse Resort in northern Michigan has invested more than $11 million in renovating the 900-acre property. A dramatic new grand lobby with new front desk, fireplace, lobby bar, water wall, and a new porte cochere are among the most recent improvements. All guest rooms were included in the renovation. Grand Traverse features 85,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service spa, and 54 holes of championship golf.
The 283-room Hilton London Canary Wharf opened this summer in London's newest business district. The business hotel has nine meeting rooms, three banquet suites, and an executive floor and lounge.
In Beijing, Nikko Hotels International's Jinglun Hotel reopened in August after an $11 million renovation. Close to the International Trade Center and the Silk Market, the hotel will be near the Workers Stadium, where the 2008 Summer Olympics soccer matches will be held.
After a $35 million redevelopment, the Presidente InterContinental Cozumel (Mexico) Resort & Spa will reopen in October on its own white-sand beach. All 220 refurbished guest rooms and suites will have widescreen plasma TVs. The resort will have a courtyard with retail shops and two restaurants.