Orlando Venue News for Event Planners includes updates on Planned Projects, Renovations, Newest Spaces and Development at Exhibit Halls, Conference Centers, Galleries and Lofts in Orlando by BizBash

Orlando Venue News lists the latest scoop on new projects, renovations and development at Hotels, Lofts, Houses, Museums, Terraces, Bars, Clubs and Lounges

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NEW HOTELS Waldorf Astoria Orlando Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort   NEW RESTAURANTS Spencer's Brio Tuscan Grille Tampa Paradiso 37 Cantina Laredo Cuba Libre Kafe Kalik Lago The Black Olive   PLANNED PROJECTS Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North Mainsail Suites Conference Center   RENOVATIONS AND EXPANSIONS Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress   NEW EVENT AND MEETING SPACES SeaWorld's Manta Ride Universal Studio's Music Plaza     Venue News Archive 09.22.09 9:00 AM Universal Orlando's Harry Potter Park to Open Next Spring With Rides, Shops, Restaurant A rendering of Harry Potter town Hogsmeade Rendering: Courtesy of Universal Orlando Universal Orlando's park devoted to Harry Potter is set to open in spring 2010. And after several years of planning, Universal finally released details about the park last week, including the fictional locations from the books and films that will make up the extension of Universal's Islands of Adventure.  Called the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the immersive environment will include multiple attractions, shops, and a signature restaurant. To give the franchise an authentic treatment, Universal Orlando collaborated with author J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers Consumer Products, and Warner Brothers. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Harry Potter, Universal Orlando, Universal Islands of Adventure, Warner Brothers 07.21.09 4:15 PM Tampa Airport Hotel to Add Meeting Space Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore Photo: Courtesy of Sheraton Suites Tamport Airport Westshore The Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore kicked off a $13 million renovation last month that will add new meeting space and is expected to be completed in November. The hotel, two miles from the Tampa International Airport, will add two meeting rooms measuring 1,300 and 900 square feet. The addition brings the property's total event space to 12,150 square feet, including two executive boardrooms and a grand ballroom that seats 500. MORE >> 07.14.09 9:00 AM New Westin Hotel for North Orlando Business Travelers to Open in November A rendering of the Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North Rendering: Courtesy of the Westin Lake Mary Central Florida business travelers looking to bypass the mayhem of Orlando's resorts will have a new option come November, when the Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North opens. The new hotel is set in the serene suburban community of Lake Mary, about halfway between Orlando and Daytona Beach and around the corner from the Orlando Sanford International Airport, AAA World Headquarters, and a growing number of high-tech businesses. MORE >> 07.09.09 12:03 PM Pedestrian Plazas Now Available for Events, Provide New Revenue for City The crowded car-free zone next to Macy's Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash FROM NEW YORK After debuting in May, the car-free areas on Broadway are still in the development stages—lingering traffic cones cordon off some sections, and the lawn chairs in Times Square will soon be replaced with sturdier ones—but the city has already started renting them out for events and promotions. The move is a positive one for New York—the usage brings in an additional revenue stream—as well as for planners and producers, who value the added visibility. And according to The New York Times, 20 events have made use of the spaces since May, including Monday afternoon's public promotion from VH1. MORE >> 06.30.09 9:00 AM Tampa Hotel to Open Conference Center in September A rendering of the Mainsail Suites conference center Rendering: Courtesy of Mainsail Suites Visitors to the Tampa area will have a new option for meetings of various sizes come September, when Mainsail Suites, an independent hotel a few minutes from Tampa International Airport, adds an 8,000-square-foot conference center. The new facility will have 16-foot ceilings throughout eight different meeting rooms, including a 6,300-square-foot grand ballroom that holds 700 guests. A new 6,000-square-foot terrace adjoins the conference center, overlooking a landscaped outdoor area that includes a gazebo, pond, and fountain. MORE >> 06.02.09 9:00 AM Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress to Reopen This Fall With Revamped Guest Rooms A guest room at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Photo: Joe Daylor The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is undergoing a $65 million renovation, which began last fall and is slated to be complete in November. The project's main focus is revamping the property’s 750 guest rooms and suites. “It’s all about ensuring that meeting attendees are as happy with their guest room and the hotel’s service as they are with the content of the meeting they’re attending,” explained Paul Tang, the vice president and managing director for the hotel. New amenities will include revamped lighting, a flat-screen TV with presentation DVD access, wireless internet, and a work station and laptop stand. The hotel is also using the renovation to focus on conservation efforts, with energy-conserving ceiling fans, in-room recycling systems, and water-conserving showers. MORE >> 02.19.09 10:06 AM InterContinental Tampa Introduces Stimulus Package for Planners In an effort to further appeal to the cost-conscious planner (which is quickly becoming the majority of planners nowadays), the InterContinental Tampa is offering planners who book at least 50 room nights a handful of budget-friendly perks. The AAA Four Diamond property's new package includes: A 10 percent credit to the master bill Complimentary high-speed wireless Internet in the guest rooms One complimentary room for the meeting planner 20 percent discount on audiovisual equipment and services Double Priority Club meeting planner points One upgrade with amenity for every 25 guest rooms actualized Located in Tampa's popular Westshore business and shopping district-convenient to downtown and the Tampa International Airport-the hotel has 17,000 square feet of meeting space. Additional amenities include a rooftop pool deck and the on-site restaurant, Shula's Steak House.   —Leo Young 02.12.09 9:38 AM Four-Diamond Shores Resort Debuts New Meeting Package The Shores Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach Shores has recently announced its newest meetings package. Planner booking groups of 25 or more guests can receive a 10 percent discount on audiovisual services, food and beverage-when serving a set menu-a complimentary room for every 25 booked, and an additional meeting space at no cost. These incentives are offered in addition a preferred room rate and oceanfront room upgrades for three guests or V.I.P.s. Additional amenities in the meeting package include the daily resort fee for self-parking, wireless Internet, daily newspapers, and more. Located just five miles south of Daytona Beach, this 212-room boutique hotel holds a AAA, four diamond rating and just received the 2009 Meetings & Conventions Gold Key award for overall professionalism and quality of the property as voted on by the magazine's readers.   —D.C.M. 02.11.09 3:55 PM Top Orlando Hotels Announce New Incentives for 2009 With travel decreasing and corporations being extra careful to avoid the same attention for its events that AIG garnered following its incentive trip back in November, hotels are looking for new meetings packages to draw companies back to their properties. In Orlando, three Rosen Hotel properties and the Orlando World Center Marriott and Convention Center are doing just that. Following a study by the Convention Industry Council, which found that more meeting attendees are booking their rooms outside of room blocks in turn leaving planners with unfilled quotas, three Rosen Hotel properties will be reducing, or even eliminating, customary attrition fees for planners who don't meet their estimates. "We understand how difficult it is for meeting planners to estimate and guarantee their room block, so this program was designed to make their jobs a little easier," said Leslie Menichini, vice president of sales and marketing for Rosen Hotels convention properties. "As the industry evolves and travel habits change, we want to remain flexible and attentive to the needs of our planners and our attendees. We have developed a variety of special programs that make an immediate impact on our customers' bottom lines." MORE >> 01.06.09 10:07 AM Three Rosen Hotel Properties Receive Two-Palm Green Certification Rosen Hotels & Resorts has just announced that its three Orlando convention properties - Rosen Plaza, Rosen Centre, and Rosen Shingle Creek - are the first in Central Florida to achieve the Two Palm status in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program. The Two Palm status-bestowed upon only 11 properties in the state-certifies that the hotels have increased energy conservation and pollution prevention measures since their One Palm certification just a year ago. "To us, green lodging is more than just another award or designation after our name. It's a real, everyday effort to continually reduce our footprint on the environment, " said Harris Rosen, president and C.O.O. of Rosen. "We plan to continue our efforts, meeting and exceeding the state's standards not for accolades or for sales, but simply because it is the right thing to do." 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