10 New Game-Changing Hotels for Meetings
Photo Caption: Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort
Skift Take
These 10 U.S. hotels, which have caught the eye of Skift Meetings' editors, are destinations in their own right. Each property — new or renewed — will impress even your most seasoned attendees.
1. Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort
The juxtaposition of old and new
The newly opened Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort fills a long-desired niche in this upscale seaside community — a chic, modern beach resort that still retains the feeling of Old Naples. The 220-room property sits on the site of the former Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. Highlights include a 30,000-square-foot spa and 32,853 square feet of meeting space. A Tom Fazio–designed 18-hole golf course will open in late 2026.
2. Delano Miami Beach
The pinnacle of chic, redux
After being closed for three years, the Delano Miami Beach is reopening in March, with 171 "soft-minimalist" rooms. Highlights include the revival of its glamorous, rose-tinted Rose Bar — once a focal point of South Beach nightlife. There will also be new dining concepts from Paris Society, including Mimi Kakushi and Gigi Rigolatto. Ideal for incentives and high-end meetings/events, it has 1,000 square feet of meeting space.
3. Public West Hollywood
Ian Schrager strikes again
The pioneering hotelier Ian Schrager will add a second Public hotel in Los Angeles this Spring, a renovation of the former Standard hotel. Schrager’s distinctive minimalist style is a fit for this West Hollywood (WeHo) location, which is world-renowned as a design hub. The 137 guest rooms will be intentionally understated, with neutral tones to show off the vivid furnishings, and the lobby will be all white. A 16,000-square-foot open-air rooftop terrace with 360-degree city views is sure to be sought after for events, and there also will also be 3,750 square feet of meeting space.
4. JW Marriott Houston
Expanding into former downtown department store
Opening in time for the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Houston will host seven matches, a transformation of the JW Marriott Houston will expand the hotel into the historic Battelstein’s Building. The treasured former department store dates back to 1897, when Philip Battelstein opened his downtown tailor and haberdashery. The expansion will add 56 guest rooms, for a total of 384 rooms as well as a rooftop bar, restaurant, and pool with skyline views. An additional 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space will complement the existing 41,430 square feet.
5. The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne
Classic luxury meets convenience
A popular group property because of its plentiful meeting space (37,039 square feet), the 420-room Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne just completed a $100 million renovation, the focal point of which is a redesigned lobby that opens up to views of the Atlantic. Key Biscayne’s location just outside of Miami is another plus; a short drive on a causeway with ocean on both sides transports visitors to this vacation paradise, which has long been a getaway for celebrities. The hotel’s guest rooms have new furniture and finishings, and redesigned walk-in showers and soak tubs made of natural stone. A 30,000-square-foot wellness center with 16 treatment rooms will open in April.
6. Fairmont New Orleans
The upscale brand returns to the Big Easy
Accor will open the 18-story, 250-room Fairmont New Orleans in June. This comes two decades after the former Fairmont New Orleans closed in 2005 because of damage from Hurricane Katrina. (The hotel reopened in 2009 as the Roosevelt New Orleans, but was no longer a Fairmont.) The hotel, located just one block from the French Quarter, will occupy 18 floors of a 31-story former bank building. There will be a 10,000-square-foot spa, a rooftop bar and pool with city views, and 19,601 square feet of meeting space.
7. The Huntington Hotel, San Francisco
History atop Nob Hill
The historic Huntington Hotel in San Francisco is back in business after six years and a top-to-bottom renovation in keeping with its Georgian architecture. The hotel, which was built in 1924, has 71 guest rooms and 72 suites; a 8,900-square-foot spa; and The Big Four restaurant, a San Francisco classic. There are 2,619 square feet of meeting space, and the restaurant can accommodate 24 for an intimate meeting or event.
8. White Elephant Aspen
Targeting incentive groups
As part of White Elephant Resorts, this new hotel will join two small but mighty boutique sisters located in equally chic places: the 32-room White Elephant Palm Beach and the White Elephant Nantucket, with 67 rooms. The White Elephant Aspen will open in the Fall of 2026 with 54 rooms and suites. It will feature a heated pool and hot tub for cold Aspen evenings, a 125-piece art collection, and BMW courtesy cars for guests, and continue the company’s policy of no resort fees. The decor will, of course, include elephant-themed accents and a signature White Elephant sculpture by Frederick Prescott in the courtyard.
9. The Vanderpump Hotel, Las Vegas
Reality TV star’s first venture into hotels
TV personality and interior designer Lisa Vanderpump is transforming the former Cromwell hotel into the new Vanderpump Hotel, in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. For convention groups, it is centrally located on the Strip (across the street from Caesars Palace). The hotel stopped taking room reservations on February 15, and The Vanderpump Hotel is expected to open in the Spring, with upgrades to the reception and front desk areas, and a complete redesign of all 188 guest rooms and suites. The former Drai’s nightclub on the rooftop will reopen as a newly designed pool lounge.
10. Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale
Long-awaited brand transition
The Diplomat’s two-year renovation will be completed in May of 2026, when the 1,000-room property will officially be rebranded as the Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort. Initial phases focused on the lobby and exterior. All 200,000 square feet of meeting space will be touched by the project, which will include a new 14,000-square-foot oceanfront event lawn.
