Swanky Things
Which of These Luxurious Hotel Revamps Is Right For You?
Notable hotel renovations in Texas, Vegas, and the Big Easy.
Inside the Grand Hyatt San Antonio.
Looking for your next great escape, but don't know where to stay? Well, these three vastly different, but totally impressive, hotel and resort renovations should do the trick. From New Orleans to Vegas, make sure to plan your next trip accordingly.
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
The next time you're planning a weekend getaway to the Alamo City—for the Final Four this weekend or the Tricentennial celebration in May—a stay at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio may just be in order.
The huge River Walk-based resort, which is adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and attached to the Alamodome via footbridge, has just debuted a new $19 million renovation with a new lobby, bar, corridors and meeting spaces, and sleek guest rooms, all as part of its 10-year anniversary.
The property boasts 1,003 guest rooms including 46 suites with panoramic views of the city; 5,200 square feet of balcony space to take in those river views as well; 115,000 square feet of expansive indoor and outdoor meeting and event space with all new high-tech gadgetry; the Bar Rojo, now with plenty more outlets to plug in your phone (gees, why is that thing forever on low battery?); and a heated roof-top pool with morning yoga classes, three restaurants including a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and more amenities.
It's always Christmas in Nola, isn't it?
Image: Courtesy of the Jung Hotel
The Jung Hotel & Residences, New Orleans
San Antonio isn't the only city celebrating a Tricentennial this year. If you're heading to the Big Easy, you might just want to test out the newly relaunched 207-room historic Jung Hotel, first opened in 1908, but freshly renovated and catering to a younger traveler with an emphasis on sleek design and technology, located in the city’s burgeoning Biomedical Innovation District.
Image: Courtesy of the Jung Hotel
The Jung includes 21,000-square-feet of meeting and event space, a rooftop pool deck, fitness center, dining and a coffee house. This hotel has seen everything from Mardi Gras balls to President Lyndon Johnson in its day, overlooking bustling Canal Street on the edge of the French Quarter and Treme. Both hotel rooms and full suites (with kitchens) are available.
Blink-182 will have a residency at The Palms, bro.
Image: Ant Palmer/Shutterstock.com
Palms Las Vegas
Hello, you've reached the motherload of all resort renovations. This Vegas stunner's $620 million—yes, $620 million—renovation is launching in phases from now until 2019, featuring a redesign of its casino floor and all of its Fantasy Tower guest rooms, suites and six signature Sky Villas.
Image: Photo courtesy Palms Resort
Numerous new cultural features at the Palms Casino Resort include an extensive art program with works by Damien Hirst, Dustin Yellin ad Jeff Koons, as well as emerging street artists; Blink-182's first-ever Vegas rock residency; a new steakhouse where guests will be surrounded by pieces from Warhol and Basquiat, a scotch inventory worth $3 million, and something called a Liquid Nitro Dessert Trolley. There are also numerous celebrity-chef-owned restaurants, including one from Bobby Flay and more from Clique Hospitality; new nightclubs from the TAO group; and nice new comfy beds so you can collapse easy after processing all of this.
