Meeting News - December 21, 2009 - (Page 17)

By Michael B. Baker mbaker@meetingnews.com Construction Cites been better positioned to serve the needs of our guests.” Westin Lake Mary Debuts North Of Orlando, Fla. Hilton Opens Downtown Mexico City Property Hilton Worldwide this month opened its first managed Hilton hotel in Mexico City’s Reforma business district. The Hilton Mexico City Reforma, a renovated property formerly under the Sheraton flag, is the city’s largest hotel convention center, according to Hilton. It contains 45,000 square feet of meeting space, including a convention center with 15 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 5,000 guests. The property contains 458 guest rooms and suites that include luxury bedding, flat-screen LCD televisions and marble-tiled bathrooms. Dominican Resort Open During Hard Rock Work Hard Rock International this month announced an agreement with Palace Resorts that will renovate and rebrand the former Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana by spring 2010. The rebranding of the 121-acre resort will bring Hard Rock’s signature décor, which includes rock The 253-room Westin Lake Mary opened last month Starwood Hotels & Resorts in November opened a new Westin property in the Orlando suburb of Lake Mary, Fla. The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North features 253 guest rooms and suites and 14,000 square feet of meeting space. The space includes a 7,700-sq.-ft. grand ballroom and an outdoor landscaped courtyard. All meeting space is equipped with audiovisual facilities, a public address system and wireless, highspeed Internet access. “We are confident that our abundant conference space and renewing signature services will make this hotel the first choice for corporate events, meeting planners and business executives,” said hotel general manager Steve Ragsdale. Other hotel features include a Shula’s 347 Grill restaurant, a 24hour fitness center, an in-room spa program, business center services and free self-parking. feet of meeting space, including the installation of a new videoconferencing unit. The property houses 16 meeting rooms and a 7,600-sq.-ft. grand ballroom that can seat up to 840. Renovations updated the décor of the meeting space into a single cohesive color and design scheme, featuring new carpets and lighting. The hotel also renovated bathrooms and halls in the meeting space. “Our multimillion-dollar renovation project was several years in the making, but we think the final results speak for themselves,” Punta Cana ready to rock memorabilia and music themes, while keeping the Moon Palace’s luxury amenities intact. The project also will boost the size of the property’s casino to 48,000 square feet. The property will not close during the renovation project, however. Palace Resorts reported that work will take place in different areas at the resort at different times and will be scheduled to avoid interrupting meetings already scheduled at the property. The resort contains 1,800 rooms and more than 65,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Hilton rises in Mexico City Other property features include a 5,015-sq.-ft. spa, a 3,100-sq.-ft. fitness center, three restaurants, a lobby lounge and a wine bar. Hilton is continuing construction on the property in 2010. It plans next year to open a 5,400sq.-ft. presidential suite, an executive lounge, two boardrooms, business center services and a theater room. r MeetingNews 17 Newport’s new decor Newport Marriott Adds Video, Revamps Space The Newport Marriott in Newport, R.I., in November completed a full renovation of its 24,800 square www.meetingnews.com according to a statement by hotel general manager Walter Andrews. “Together with the new spa at the Newport Marriott, which opened this summer, our hotel has never December 21, 2009 http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - December 21, 2009

Meeting News - December 21, 2009
Contents
Newsmaker
Viewpoint
Meetings Spotlight
Association Watch
Construction Cites
Event Profile
Meeting People
Dateline: Mississippi
Dateline: Las Vegas
West Regional
Planner’s Choice Awards
Travel Dashboard

Meeting News - December 21, 2009