Virgin Hotel Chicago
Chicago
250 guest rooms
2,300 square feet of meeting space
Richard Branson’s Virgin Group opened the first of its new Virgin Hotels brand properties early this summer in a restored 1920s bank in Chicago’s Loop District. The property’s mobile app, called Lucy, can be used to make reservations, check in, adjust your room’s climate controls, control the TV, request housekeeping and other services, live chat with staff or other guests, and more. Amenities include a spa, rooftop restaurant and lounge, and car service in a red Tesla Model S electric vehicle. The hotel’s three meeting spaces are The Manor (1,430 square feet), The Sandbox (625 square feet), and the Founder’s Room (245 square feet). Virgin has announced additional properties coming to Nashville (at 1 Music Row) and New York (at 29^th and Broadway) in 2016 and to Dallas in 2018.

The Sea Pines Resort
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
60 guest rooms, plus villas and rental homes
20,000 square feet of meeting space
Hilton Head’s 5,000-acre Sea Pines Resort has upped its game for meetings and events with the opening in April of the Harbour Town Clubhouse. The venue’s 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 4,600-square-foot ballroom, complements smaller venues at the resort’s Plantation Golf Club and Sea Pines Beach Club (both opened in 2014). The beachfront resort is known for its three golf courses, 23-court racquet club, 14 miles of biking and walking trails, and 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Accommodations include the Inn at Harbour Town, a 60-room boutique property, as well as home and villa rentals.

International Convention Centre Sydney
Sydney, Australia
377,000 square feet of exhibition space
70 meeting rooms
In December 2013, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center closed its doors to make way for a major redevelopment of the Darling Harbour area. By December 2016, the waterfront ICC Sydney is on target to open in its place, a new convention, exhibition, and entertainment destination, with, among other features, 377,000 square feet of exhibition space, an 8,000-seat theater, a grand ballroom that can accommodate 2,000 for a banquet, 70 meeting rooms, a 54,000-square-foot rooftop event deck, and adjacent 600-room headquarters hotel.

Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
San Juan, Puerto Rico
319 guest rooms
25,000 square feet of meeting space
This summer, the historic Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, joined the Associated Luxury Hotels International after a comprehensive $200 million renovation and restoration that was completed at the end of last year. The upgrade to the 1919 Spanish Revival–style property added two 11-story suite towers, bringing the total guest rooms to 319, as well as an infinity-edge pool that overlooks the ocean and the 10,000-square-foot The Spa at Condado Vanderbilt.

Bellagio Resort and Casino
Las Vegas, Nev.
3,933 guest rooms
200,000 square feet of meeting space
Groups meeting at the Bellagio Resort and Casino this summer will find a new Picasso exhibit called Creatures and Creativity with 43 of the master’s works focused on the human figure. There’s also an over-the-top under-the-sea display in the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, which will include 80,000 flowers while on display through mid-September.  In May, MGM Resorts International hired Olivia Brown to serve as Bellagio general manager. She comes from management roles at Ritz-Carlton hotels in Atlanta; Philadelphia; White Plains, N.Y; and most recently the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common.

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa
Honolulu, Hawaii
1,230 guest rooms
19,500 square feet of meeting space
A year-long, $100 million guest room renovation at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa has abandoned the guest rooms’ earthy palate for shades of blue and subtle Hawaiian cultural influences, such as koa wood clocks and surfboard-shaped desks. The bathrooms now include bidet-style Washlet toilets and new shower heads. Four ballrooms at the Waikiki property range from 2,150 square feet to 5,400 square feet.

The Adolphus
Dallas
407 guest rooms
24,000 square feet of meeting space
The downtown Dallas luxury hotel has completed a $1 million renovation of its meeting space, with extensive enhancements to the Grand and Century ballrooms, as well as pre-function spaces, nearby restrooms, and the business center. The project installed carpet, wall coverings, leather chairs, window treatments, and more, for a top-to-bottom makeover. A second major renovation project at the property was recently announced that will add 3,700 square feet of meeting space, redesign all guest rooms, update the lobby, and add a rooftop pool.

Hotel G
San Francisco
151 guest rooms
450 square feet of meeting space
For small meetings in San Francisco’s Union Square, the year-old Hotel G has an updated meeting space for groups of up to 10. An 11-foot walnut table allows for direct computer plug-ins to stream presentations on the 70-inch, flat-screen smart television, while a separate area for conversation is outfitted with a leather sofa, walnut coffee table, and Herman Miller chairs. Guest room amenities include flat-screen TVs, docking stations, Nespresso coffee makers, and complimentary Wi-Fi, and a gym is available for guests on the second floor. Originally built in 1909 as The Fielding hotel, the renovation took almost two years to complete and the design incorporates many original features, including a cast-iron staircase and the building’s exterior façade.

New York Marriott East Side
New York City
655 guest rooms
18,000 square feet of meeting space
New York Marriott East Side, a 655-room hotel in the heart of Midtown, combines the classic architecture of the 1920s with interior design for the 21st century. The hotel has recently completed a renovation of its 18,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes 14 meeting rooms, the largest of which can host up to 350 theater style. The upgrade gives the modern meeting space a fresh look in neutral tones and plush textures. A variety of newly designed retreat suites, featuring sweeping city views, insure that guests stay refreshed and rejuvenated during their stay.

Bently Reserve
San Francisco
14,000 square feet of meeting space
In San Francisco’s banking district, the elegant 1924 Bently Reserve, which hosts meetings and special events for up to 650 people, has recently completed a major renovation. The upgrades include a restoration of the entryway and 8,045-square-foot Banking Hall, improved the sound-proofing and lighting, and a new 870-square-foot meeting room. The property is one mile from the Moscone Convention Center.

Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nev.
2,884 guest rooms
18,000 square feet of meeting space
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino recently announce an alliance with Urban Translations, which provides in-room tablets that will allow guests to order and pay for room service, purchase Cirque de Soleil tickets, inquire about meeting rooms for business or private events, request spa services, or make reservations at one of the hotel’ on-site restaurants. The system, which will soon be available in the property’s 220 suites, includes a translator that can display Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, and German. Treasure Island completed a $1.7 million renovation of its 18,000 square feet of meeting space in 2012, which can accommodate groups as large as 1,000. 

The Cancun Center
Cancun, Mexico
151,940 square feet of event space
Just a block from the Caribbean and in the heart of the Hotel Zone, Cancun’s largest meeting site, The Cancun Center, is in the midst of a major remodeling effort. The project will bring a new design theme “inspired by the natural elements of the Caribbean” to the 11-year-old facility’s 151,940 square feet of meeting space. The Cancun Center, which hosted 13,000 visitors for meetings and conventions in 2014, is expected to wrap up the project by June 2016.

Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
314 guest rooms
15,000 square feet of meeting space
The Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort opened in June on Riviera Maya’s turquoise coastline, the first Grand Hyatt luxury brand hotel in Mexico. The resort’s 314 guest rooms include 36 suites, 20 oceanfront “air suites” (built on the bridge that connects the two sides of the resort), and two presidential suites. Twelve of the property’s 18 meeting rooms feature natural light and the grand ballroom boasts 20-foot ceilings. Eight pools, a 6,000-square-foot spa, and two restaurants round out the offerings.

Kongresshalle am Zoo Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany
8,600 square feet of exhibition space
Congress Center Leipzig is operating a new meeting venue in the center of city, Kongresshalle am Zoo Leipzig, which is just completing a renovation and opening this fall. Known for its eclectic mix of architectural styles—Art nouveau, Art deco, contemporary—the historic 1900 building is adjacent to the city’s zoological garden and has 15 halls and rooms, which can seat up to 1,200 people. A few miles away, Congress Center Leipzig, part of the Leipzig Trade Fair and Exhibition Center, is a much larger facilities, hosting some 100 congresses each year.