West United States

In a way the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club is the kind of property that a visiting business person imagines he’ll find in southern California but rarely does. That’s because it really does combine a location convenient to business while being located on the Pacific Ocean beach with its own marina filled with sail and power boats.  But less than a mile away is a concentration of major aero-space companies, high-tech outfits and North American headquarters for international airlines. All this just six miles from LAX. The 161-room Portofino offers complimentary HSIA and Wi-Fi throughout, 24-hour business center, daily paper, in-room coffee maker. An $11 million renovation of the 45-year-old property is now wrapping up.

 

Southwest United States

 

With all the activity in and around the Texas White House these days there’s another lodging alternative in Waco. Fairfield Inn’s been operating a new property at 4257 North Interstate 35 for a while. That puts it within decent proximity to Waco Regional Airport (seven miles) and Baylor University.

 

South United States

 

High-tech Huntsville has a new Homewood Suites. The 107-suite hotel can be found at 15 Town Center Drive, a mile away from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Because Huntsville’s the site of a significant amount of NASA and military activity, there’s a strong demand in this part of the Tennessee Valley for extended-stay accommodations. That’s Homewood Suites’s forte.

 

Northeast United States

 

Working on a presentation in Princeton and plan to be there awhile? There’s a new Homewood Suites to help with that extended stay. The 142-suite property is located at 3819 US 1 South Plainsboro. That puts it a mile away from Princeton University. The in-room high-speed Internet is gratis.

 

Midwest United States

 

Dublin your destination in central Ohio?  Know that the Clarion is now a Crowne Plaza. With the new name comes a $4 million makeover. Located north of downtown Columbus off Interstate 270 ‘twixt Frantz Road and Metro Place North, the Crowne Place Columbus-Dublin sports 13,000 square feet of meeting space and a revamped restaurant, The Dublin Metro Bar & Grill. As for Wi-Fi, it’s free in the public areas of the hotel.

 

Worldwide

 

Courtyard by Marriott has a new prototype European hotel, and you can book it in Paris. The 150-room Paris Courtyard by Marriott Colombes is a template for some 50 Courtyards Marriott plans to open over the next five years. The new-and-improved European variants offer fitness rooms, a business lounge, Internet library and a 24/7 mini-market/pantry. That’s where salads and sandwiches, beer and wine, and espresso can be had—the kind of stuff you can take back to your room.