New openings and new updates offer exciting options for incredible events
The past year was a big one for meeting spaces—the growth in this sector was exponential. We poured through our roster of newly built and recently refreshed venues for meetings and events and selected our favorites for their unique, beautiful, and functional features. From a chicken ranch-inspired casino to a manmade party island, these new and renovated hotels and convention centers are some of the best and should be on your radar.
Arizona
Caesars Republic Scottsdale Scottsdale, Ariz.
The new Caesars Republic Scottsdale is the first non-gaming hotel from Caesars Entertainment in the United States. The 11-story “lifestyle-hotel experience” property combines contemporary design and elegance, vibrant dining and nightlife, and luxury amenities against Scottsdale’s scenic desert landscape, along with approximately 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Caesars Republic Scottsdale features 265 guest rooms and five penthouse suites ranging from 1,186 to 2,377 square feet. The fitness center features Peloton bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights for guests who want to work out. Guests also can enjoy two separate pools, at Cleopatra’s Pool & Bar on the first floor, near the meeting and event space; and at SEVEN restaurant, bar, and rooftop pool, overlooking Camelback Mountain.
Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort Scottsdale, Ariz.
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch has rebranded to Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort, following a $115 million renovation, making it the first Grand Hyatt hotel in Arizona.
The renovation introduces six new dining experiences in collaboration with celebrity chef Richard Blais, expanded pool and cabana offerings, and a refreshed Spa Avania. The resort features 496 renovated accommodations, including 18 luxury casitas and the two-story Gainey House. It also has 90,000 square feet of meeting space, with spacious ballrooms and outdoor spaces with manicured lawns and gardens. The 10 pools at the heart of the resort make for a unique backdrop for cocktail parties or casual poolside events.
The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nestled at the base of the landmark Camelback Mountain, The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale has completed renovations to its meeting and event space. Phase Two, completed in 2024, refreshed the interior of The Phoenician Grand Ballroom and Estrella Ballroom, as well as upper-level meeting rooms and hallways.
Phase One efforts included signature carpeting, tiling, wall treatments, draperies, LED lighting, furnishings, and electrical upgrades throughout the space. In addition, updated air walls were installed in The Phoenician Grand Ballroom, and its atrium was repurposed to create a communal work lounge for guests.
Under the direction of Boston-based Parker-Torres Design, the extensive refresh brings a blend of contemporary and Indigenous aesthetics to the Camelback Ballroom and foyer, The Phoenician Grand Ballroom south and east foyers, and first-floor breakout rooms and hallways. Through the use of authentic color palettes, original materials, patterns, and textures inspired by the Native peoples of the Southwest, as well as the region’s floral, fauna, wildlife, and topography, the new interior pays tribute to Sonoran culture and history.
The Phoenician offers 585 guest rooms, seven restaurants, the scenic 18-hole Phoenician Golf Course, and more than 160,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
The Scottsdale Resort & Spa, a Curio Collection Resort by Hilton Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Scottsdale Resort & Spa, a Curio Collection Resort by Hilton emerges as a full-service luxury retreat, captivating both global travelers and Valley locals, with the completion of a $40 million renovation encompassing all guest rooms and public spaces, including Luna Spa and the introduction of four new distinct dining destinations.
When The Scottsdale Resort originally opened in 1976, it was the country’s first conference resort. Today, its legacy lives on with the refresh of 18 versatile meeting venues with 45,000 square feet of flexible interior space and an additional 40,000 square feet across its picturesque outdoor areas. Whether organizing an intimate retreat or a large-scale conference, the sprawling resort offers ample space for guests to convene, brainstorm, and celebrate, from banquet halls to poolside areas.
Sky Rock Sedona, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel Sedona, Ariz.
Sky Rock Sedona, managed by Remington Hospitality, has transformed into a Tribute Portfolio hotel by Marriott. The transition to Tribute Portfolio’s independent hotels follows a renovation (led by Dauntless Development, in partnership with Sixteenfifty and SANDdesign) of the 109-room boutique hotel and its dining spot, Bar WooWoo.
The boutique hotel is located near Sedona’s top hiking destinations, including Red Rock State Park, Devil’s Bridge, and Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook. Guests can enjoy panoramic views from the terrace of Bar WooWoo while indulging in the restaurant’s Southwestern-inspired tapas. The newly renovated Tranquility meeting room is great for small meetings. Communal terraces offering 360-degree views of Arizona’s natural landscapes are perfect for gatherings and retreats.
Tucson Convention Center Tucson, Ariz.
A 10-year, $100 million renovation project at Tucson Convention Center (TCC) is now complete, with 233,000 square feet of new and remodeled meeting space, public walkways and gathering places, water features, sculptures, and landscaping. There are now 10 new meeting rooms located at the end of the Long Galleria, split between two levels, with approximately 8,100 square feet of meeting space on each floor. The rooms are separated by soundproof air walls and can be used individually or combined.
TCC includes Tucson Musicians Museum, a free-admission museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing Tucson’s unique musical heritage. Adjacent to Tucson Musicians Museum, the North Meeting rooms have additional meeting space, including a renovated boardroom seating up to 30 people. Across the boardroom are four meeting rooms of 1,400 square feet each. In addition to meeting spaces, TCC has three performance facilities perfect for sporting events, ice shows, theatrical performances, and concerts.
Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks Waddell, Ariz.
The fifth casino operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona, the $450 million Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks at San Lucy in Waddell, Ariz., opened to the public in December 2024.
The casino floor is 184,000 square feet, with slot machines, a poker room, a retail sportsbook, and table games, including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. It will eventually expand to include a hotel, conference center, an outdoor pool, recreational amenities, and an amphitheater with event lawn space.
California
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Carlsbad, Calif.
The recent multimillion-dollar expansion of Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s Coastal Events Center added 9,000 square feet of event space to the facility’s west side. Expansion of the Coastal Events Center includes three new meeting rooms—Allen, Anna, and Calliope, named for Southern California hummingbirds—and a terrace. These new spaces feature Spanish-Colonial design influences, reflected in the doors, arched windows, and Spanish tiles. Juliette balconies with French doors spread throughout the Coastal Events Center foyer, opening to the main plaza, add a touch of flair. With this expansion, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa offers a total of 170,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including meeting, event, and exhibiting venues totaling more than 70,000 square feet of space, and private terraces, plazas, and lawns.
Chicken Ranch Casino Resort Jamestown, Calif.
Tucked into the Sierra Nevada foothills, the 197-key Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown is approximately one hour from Yosemite National Park. Guest rooms like Henhouse Suite and Coop Royale Suite are a playful nod to the resort, named for the Indigenous tribe of the area. The resort offers several dining options and more than 34,000 square feet of casino action, including more than 900 gaming machines and table games. Located on level three of the nine-story resort, its 12,000-square-foot event space includes an 8,670-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,253 guests, and three meeting room that can accommodate 30-49 people. There is also a 5,447-square-foot pre-function area that can hold up to 545 attendees, and a large patio with views.
Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas Indian Wells, Calif.
The completion of a $64 million property-wide renovation at the newly rebranded Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas in September 2024 features redesigned guest rooms and luxury villas, an expanded lobby experience, elevated accommodations, refreshed meeting and event spaces, and two new dining concepts.
Accommodations include 531 refreshed guest rooms and suites, along with 43 new one- and two-bedroom private villas featuring exclusive amenities, such as private backyards with hot tubs or plunge pools. Additionally, the resort’s pool complex offers extended cabana options.
With 88,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, including a 20,000-square-foot ballroom, Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas can host meetings and events for groups of 10-1,000.
Thompson Palm Springs Palm Springs, Calif.
The highly anticipated Thompson Palm Springs officially opened in October 2024, featuring 168 bungalow-inspired guest rooms, including 18 suites with private balconies overlooking the Palm Springs skyline and San Jacinto Mountain range.
Spanning two-and-a-half city blocks along Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs, the hotel features mid-century modern design inspired by the desert landscape, with soft stone, light wood, and splashes of color. Amenities include a pool, onsite dining, the HALL Napa Valley Tasting Room & Wine Lounge, a state-of-the-art fitness studio with TRX and Peloton equipment, and retail space.
Thompson Palm Springs offers more than 8,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space, including the 6,200-square-foot San Jacinto Ballroom.
In addition, the adults-only Upper Stories at Thompson Palm Springs offers 42 luxury guest rooms and five specialty suites. Guests have exclusive access to elevated food and beverage offerings, poolside activations, and other upgraded experiences.
The Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa Sacramento, Calif.
Marriott International’s Westin brand has debuted a newly renovated and renamed hotel in Sacramento. The newly named The Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa, located along the historic Sacramento River, completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of all 101 guest rooms and suites, lobby, check-in area, and meeting spaces. The hotel is owned by Monarch Alternative Capital and operated by HHM Hotels. It offers 7,887 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including three event rooms, two breakout rooms, and outdoor Portofino on the river. The Portofino space can accommodate up to 380 guests and is ideal for weddings, meetings, and banquets.
Colorado
Omni Interlocken Hotel Broomfield, Colo.
Omni Interlocken Hotel has completed a full-scale renovation, updating all guest spaces and amenities as part of its “Era of Elevation” initiative. The project, which began in 2019, incorporates modern design elements while reflecting Colorado’s natural landscape.
The renovation includes updates to all 390 guest rooms, featuring custom-designed furnishings, nature-inspired color palettes, and premium amenities. Each room offers views of the Rocky Mountains or the Front Range and includes gear storage, a multi-use activity table, flat-screen TVs, and redesigned bathrooms with large, illuminated mirrors and custom wall coverings. Event facilities have been expanded as well. Omni Interlocken now offers 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including 9,000 square feet of outdoor event space.
Chamonix Casino Hotel Cripple Creek, Colo.
The new Chamonix Casino Hotel is the area’s newest casino resort experience, claiming to offer a Vegas-quality level of Colorado gaming. Less than an hour’s drive from Colorado Springs and two hours from downtown Denver, Chamonix has been five years in the making. Owned by Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts, the 300-room hotel has a rooftop heated pool, full-service salon and spa, and several onsite dining options.
Chamonix Casino Hotel can accommodate groups of 5-500 in its meeting and convention spaces, featuring views of the majestic Rocky Mountains. The hotel’s team of experts can customize every detail of your event, from state-of-the-art audiovisual aids to delectable dining options, and more.
Kimpton Claret Hotel Denver
Named after the state’s official state cactus, the claret cup cactus, the new Kimpton Claret Hotel is a mix of sophistication and Colorado ruggedness. The “lifestyle boutique” hotel, which opened in July 2024 and is situated at the heart of the Denver Technological Center, offers proximity to shopping and dining, with easy access to downtown Denver via the light rail. Its ground-floor Italian-inspired restaurant, Saverina, serves pizza and pasta in a cozy space. Guests can gather around the lobby’s grand fireplace or take in the views of the Front Range from the 19th-floor Halo Rooftop Bar.The 190-room luxe hotel offers all the Kimpton perks, including being pet-friendly, “Forget It, We’ve Got It” amenities, luxurious robes, participation in the “plant pals” program, yoga mats in every room, a daily social hour, and more.
Kimpton Claret Hotel features 10,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of up to 250 people, including two ballrooms, a boardroom, pre-function space, and an outdoor terrace. The meeting spaces are designed to be simple, clean, and elegant—a blank slate for clients to convert into their ideal space—with warm accents such as artwork, large mirrors, custom glass, and metal light fixtures. Saverina provides all catering for meetings and events.
The Mining Exchange Colorado Springs, Colo.
Wyndam debuted its first U.S. Registry Collection hotel last fall with the opening of The Mining Exchange, a 128-room hotel located in downtown Colorado Springs. The new hotel is housed in a renovated historic building that once served as the region’s stock exchange for gold and silver.
The hotel blends modern amenities with its rich history. Guest rooms feature exposed brick, vaulted ceilings, and vintage-style windows, along with marble finishes and gemstones in the ensuite bathrooms. It includes multiple culinary outlets, a full-service spa, and an art gallery called The Vault.
The Mining Exchange also offers 15,000 square feet of functional space, including a ballroom, two meeting rooms, a boardroom, and an outdoor terrace.
Populus Denver
The first “carbon positive” hotel, Populus opened in October 2024 in downtown Denver. The 265-room hotel features biophilic architecture, consciously sourced natural materials, original art, and seasonal cuisine for an all-round natural experience. According to the hotel website, one tree will be planted for each night’s stay.
Created by Urban Villages, the building was designed by AD100 architecture firm Studio Gang and led by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang. Guest rooms face Civic Center Park, the Rocky Mountains, and the state capitol.
Inside the Aspen tree-inspired building are multiple gathering spaces, each with its own purpose, whether for co-working, meetings, or gatherings. Level two features five different areas with combined seating for up to 60 guests or up to 120 guests standing. The 13th-floor restaurant, Stellar Jay, features a dining room, a bar, and an outdoor terrace with space for up to 150 guests. A private dining room offers seating for 16 guests.
Nevada
Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas celebrated 25 years on the Strip with the August 2024 unveiling of a newly redesigned Versailles Tower (formerly Jubilee Tower at Horseshoe Las Vegas) with 756 redesigned luxury guest rooms, including 38 new balcony rooms with beautiful views of the Strip. The Versailles Tower renovation, which exceeded $100 million, was designed by Klai Juba Wald.
The Tower guest rooms are inspired by elegant Parisian apartments, showing off chic décor, modern amenities, and interiors with royal blue, black, white, and pops of bold red, crown molding, arches, and panel moldings combined with modernist materials.
In addition to redesigned guest rooms and corridors, the hotel also opened a new pedestrian skybridge connecting the main hotel with the new Versailles Tower.
Featuring one of the largest ballrooms in Las Vegas, Paris offers 140,000 square feet of pillarless function space.
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas unveiled the first completed floor of the $188 million renovation of its convention center in August 2024. The renovation design was led by Las Vegas design firm Woogmaster Studio, with feedback from the resort’s meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibition customers. Key design elements include rich woods, marble, and velvet playing on 1930s Venetian design with a modern twist. Other notable additions include new gaming options, including The Palazzo High Limit Lounge, a redesigned sportsbook in partnership with Yahoo Sportsbook powered by William Hill, and a poker room. The completed renovation will include an elevated lounge-style space for executives and a new 10,000-square-foot speakeasy-style lounge suitable for invitation-only events.
New Mexico
Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North Albuquerque
Located minutes from Sandia Peak, Balloon Fiesta Park, and many shopping and dining spots, Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North has undergone a $22 million renovation to upgrade guest rooms, bathrooms, the hotel conference center, and the addition of a new fitness center and swimming pool. The hotel has a banquet capacity of 800 guests. The 310-room hotel has 30,509 square feet of meeting and event space, including nine event rooms and 18 breakout rooms. Its ballroom can accommodate up to 1,800 guests for receptions.
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe Santa Fe, N.M.
Ranked the Best Resort in Santa Fe and Best Resort in New Mexico by U.S. News & World Report, Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe completed a multimillion-dollar renovation to its 65 intimate casitas last year. It was the resort’s first major renewal since opening in 2008. The design gave each space a sophisticated spin on the Southwest, with notes of coral and rust, reminiscent of the surrounding vistas, and tints of copper, which pay homage to New Mexico’s standing as one of the country’s top copper producers. The resort features the Terra signature restaurant, a bar, a pool shack, and 13,658 square feet of meeting and event space across indoor and outdoor venues. An onsite dedicated Adventure Center offers a variety of options to experience Santa Fe culture and activities.
Utah
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown Salt Lake City
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown debuted its completed renovations in July 2024. Located within six blocks of Salt Palace Convention Center, the hotel boasts a redesigned atrium, lobby, fitness center, and an indoor pool. The 241 all-suite rooms also got a refresh, featuring geometric carpeting, custom artwork, and upgraded kitchen amenities. Guests can also enjoy locally driven food and drinks at the hotel’s restaurant, Red Beryl Kitchen, and bar, Red Beryl Bar—a social hub for business and leisure travelers.
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown offers 4,862 square feet of flexible event space, including boardrooms, pre-function areas, and a divisible ballroom accommodating up to 410 guests. Each venue has audiovisual capability.
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is a mere 10 minutes from the hotel, making for easy travel.
Grand Hyatt Deer Valley Wasatch County, Utah
The new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley debuted in November 2024 as the first Grand Hyatt brand in Utah. The hotel features 436 guest rooms, a heated pool and jacuzzi, and a fitness center. Its 30,000 square feet of event space includes one of the biggest ballrooms in the Park City region, at 10,057 square feet, and 13 breakout and conference rooms.
During warmer months, groups can take advantage of the 3,500-square-foot outdoor event terrace, offering mountain views. Indoor meeting spaces feature floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the mountain views as well. Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is a 40-minute drive from Salt Lake City International Airport.
Red Cliffs Lodge Zion, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott Springdale, Utah
With three event rooms and more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space, Red Cliffs Lodge Zion is ideal for intimate events, corporate retreats, and small weddings. Event spaces include a meeting room accommodating up to 54 guests and a boardroom for up to eight people. Outdoor spaces, including fire pits and lounge areas, provide magnificent views of the surrounding cliffs and mountains. The newly rebranded hotel is located less than a mile from the park’s entrance in the heart of Springdale, serving as a gateway to Zion and a base for exploring the town’s activities, local culture, shopping, and dining. It offers 132 guest rooms, a signature restaurant, Scout Bar & Grill, meeting space, a fitness center, and an outdoor pool with a hot tub.
