Massachusetts
The castle-inspired Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center joined a connected three-hotel campus in March. The Framingham Collection now comprises three properties—Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, Fairfield Inn & Suites Framingham and TownePlace Suites Framingham—boasting more than 370 guest units. The new campus offers refreshed public areas, technology-forward meeting spaces and three reinvented culinary concepts: Malone’s Irish Pub, Provisions Hearth and Kitchen and Tara Cafe.
The Renaissance also completed a full property transformation, introducing contemporary furniture in the guest rooms and reimagined meeting venues. The property offers more than 25,000 square feet of flexible space for 1,000 attendees. The new meeting spaces are equipped with upgraded technology and luxury finishes.
New York
The 205-room Kimpton Ashbel New York-Park Avenue, a boutique luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan, opened in late April. The property offers views of Park Avenue and the Empire State Building and is located near Grand Central Terminal and Bryant Park. Design elements at the hotel include soft, natural lighting and custom-designed furnishings.
For meetings and events, the Midtown Lounge is an intimate space with communal tables and small breakout spaces for groups to recap, recalibrate and relax. The warm, inviting spaces are best for corporate groups and intimate celebrations. Meeting and event amenities in the space include complimentary Wi-Fi and pre-registration.
[Related: N.J. Meadowlands on Track to Welcome $3 Billion Convention Center Project]
Vermont
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbor will reopen in June as The Harborvale. Located in Burlington, Vermont, the Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott is located four miles from Burlington International Airport.
The 161-room property offers views of Lake Champlain and is designed to embrace the simplicity and playfulness of lake life. Harborvale offers four adaptable meeting and event spaces—nearly 3,000 square feet—including a boardroom for eight and an outdoor terrace with a lake view and large fire pit. The main event space is the 1,500-square-foot Harbor Room for 129 guests. Other amenities include an American restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, an indoor pool and curated lake-focused programming.
Skol Hotel Viking!
Hotel Viking, in Newport, Rhode Island, reopened in May after a comprehensive makeover celebrating the property’s centennial year.
The 208-room hotel opened in 1926 as a gathering place for culture and conversation. Renovations to the property blend historic character, modern comfort, layered textures, residential style interiors and custom furnishings.
Other amenities onsite include a fitness center, Spa Fjör, indoor pool and infrared sauna. Meeting specs at Hotel Viking include more than 13,000 square feet of space, two ballrooms and two conference rooms. Viking Ballroom can host groups of 400.
The property features four distinct dining options: Pescadou, Cap Club, Skoal Room and Tuck Shop. Pescadou draws inspiration from the French Riviera, blending Mediterranean cuisine and seafood, while Cap Club offers coastal-inspired cocktails and dishes. Skoal Room is the hotel’s historic cocktail bar and the Tuck Shop is a cafe that serves coffee and pastries.
The property is located within walking distance of the harbor, International Tennis Hall of Fame and the city’s famous Gilded Age mansions.
