Florida 2015 - (Page 15)

The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa will begin a $175 million expansion project in mid 2015 that will include a revamped lobby, a new wing with expanded meeting space, a new restaurant and guest room enhancements, as well as 94 additional guest rooms (for a total of 821). In other news, a new four-story hotel at Seminole Casino Immokalee is nearing completion and LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort just completed a million-dollar overhaul of its meeting space, with enhancements to the Vanderbilt and Bayview ballrooms. A remodel of the Naples Botanical Garden's garden and meeting spaces included the new Kapnick Hall featuring 3,000 square foot of air-conditioned space, a state-of-the-art audio vsual system and a spacious veranda overlooking the Water Garden and the new LaGrippe Orchid Garden. TAMPA The past year has seen three new meeting properties opening in Tampa: a 130-room Aloft just steps from the convention center, a 137-room Epicurean hotel, part of the Autograph Collection, and the luxury 130-room Le Meridien in a converted 1905 federal courthouse. Looking ahead, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is developing a 400-room downtown hotel with 100,000 sf of meeting space, and plans were announced recently for an upscale hotel in Ybor City. Tampa Bay's culturally diverse foodie scene is getting a lot of media attention. In Ybor City, there's a growing craft beer scene that began with Tampa Bay Brewing Co. and has expanded to include Coppertail Brewing Co. and Cigar City Cider and Mead. "The culinary scene here is taking off," says Santiago Corrada, Visit Tampa Bay president & CEO, as evidenced, he says, by the opening of the Epicurean, "which is like The Food Network meets The Travel Channel." David Laxler, owner of group favorite Bern's Steak House, is an investor. Another local restaurant icon, Richard Gonzmart, owner of Columbia Restaurant, just opened Ulele in a century-old building on Tampa's Riverwalk, focusing on ingredients from the Florida waters and local beef. A new venue for private parties, The Vault, is located in the 1923 Exchange National Bank building in the heart of downtown, with spaces overlooking the city skyline. It accommodates up to 300 guests for cocktail receptions. The City of Tampa has also begun a multi-year overhaul of the Tampa Convention Center that will bring new escalators and elevators, upgraded bathrooms and other improvements. Imagine your next meeting in a place where unforgettable surroundings inspire creativity. Newly designed guest rooms and state-of-the-art facilities provide the perfect backdrop for meetings from 15 to 15,000. With two decades of service expertise backed by award-winning accommodations and dining, this is the world you'll experience at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. 800.524.4939 | www.swandolphinmeetings.com 35-53_Florida.indd 49 1/8/15 2:31 PM http://www.swandolphinmeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida 2015

Planner’s Pick: New Orleans
Fresh Meets: Hilton
Bureau Buzz: Raleigh
Good Business: Monaco
Sea Shores: Royal Caribbean International
The Era of Personalization
CONVENTION CENTERS INNOVATE
CORPORATE RETREATS
ONLY IN FLORIDA
On Location: Barcelo Bavaro
SOUTH KOREA
DUBAI
On Location: Caesars Entertainment
On Location: Grand Geneva
On Location: Guadalajara

Florida 2015