10 New and Noteworthy Second-Tier City Hotels for Groups 

1. Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel

Long-awaited convention hotel debuts

The new 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel, the brand’s third flagship in Florida, rises 29 stories above the Intracoastal Waterway, with ocean views from every floor. There’s 120,000 square feet of meeting and event space (the largest room can accommodate 3,500), a pool deck with city and ocean views, and a full-service spa. The hotel is directly connected to the Broward County Convention Center, with 1.2 million square feet of space.

2. SongTeller Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.

Dolly Parton’s first Nashville hotel

SongTeller Hotel, a partnership between Dolly Parton and the themed attractions company Herschend, promises to be as much an experience as a hotel. The 245-room property will include two entertainment venues — Parton’s Live and Jolene’s — and a 20,000-square-foot museum, as well as Acoustic Suites decorated with Parton’s guitars and album cover artwork. Opening in June, it will have 10,000 square feet of meeting space in four rooms.

3. 1 Hotel Austin

Tallest tower in Texas

The newly revived Starwood Hotels group will open the 250-room 1 Hotel Austin in July, part of a mixed-use project at the junction of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake. The tallest tower in Texas will feature a swimming pool and rooftop bar, plus 8,350 square feet of meeting space in six meeting rooms, along with outdoor event spaces.

4. Monarch San Antonio

Local art throughout

Guests at the new 200-room Monarch San Antonio, opened in March, can step outside the door into the reimagined Hemisfair District, with the Riverwalk, HemisFair Park, and convention center close by. The elegantly designed hotel, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, features local art and sculpture throughout, with each floor representing a stage in a butterfly’s metamorphosis. Highlights include a spa, rooftop swimming pool, three chef-driven restaurants, and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.

5. Baby Grand, Coronado, Calif.

Seaside retreat for small groups

Ideal for incentives or executive retreats, the just-opened 31-room Baby Grand embodies the seaside experience, with clamshell-shaped beds and a restaurant that pairs raw dishes with vintage champagne. It’s a short walk to the beach and a short drive to downtown San Diego.

6. Signia by Hilton Indianapolis

Downtown’s new convention center hotel

Opening this fall, the 38-story Signia by Hilton Indianapolis will add 800 rooms to downtown, bringing the downtown total to 5,500+ rooms connected by enclosed skywalks to the Indianapolis Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. It will also have nearly 100,000 square feet of its own meeting space in 42 rooms, including the state’s largest hotel ballroom.  

7. Hyatt Regency Denver

Multiphase renovation complete

The ongoing $70 million renovation of all 1,100 guest rooms, suites, and corridors at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center is scheduled for completion in March, just in time for the hotel’s 20th anniversary. This follows the 2018 and 2019 revitalization of the hotel’s public spaces and dining venues, and the addition of more than 150 works of art by 50 local artists. The hotel has 60,600 square feet of meeting space in 35 rooms, including the city’s largest ballroom at 30,000 square feet.

8. The Cooper, Charleston, S.C.

Luxury on the water

The design of Charleston’s soon-to-open luxury hotel, set on Charleston Harbor, is inspired by the 18th-century architecture of this city’s many waterfront mansions. With 191 guest rooms, The Cooper features its own marina, a 7,000-square-foot spa, rooftop infinity pool, and more than 20,000 square feet of event space. Attendees are within walking distance of some of the city’s leading attractions.

9. Recess Hotel & Club, Savannah, Ga.

Clubhouse concept

Located in Savannah’s historic district, Recess will be more than just a hotel, but a “hospitality concept “ with a clubhouse feel, co-working studios, a rooftop pool and bar, communal spaces known as “Rumpus Rooms,” and a classic French brasserie. There will be 221 minimalist guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space in two rooms. The hotel is expected to open this fall.

10. The Driskill, Austin, Texas

Austin’s oldest hotel is reimagined

A renovation of all 175 guest rooms, the lobby and common areas, meeting space and restaurants, along with the addition of a new 2,000-square-foot ballroom, are set to be completed by this summer, in time for this historic hotel’s 140th anniversary. The Romanesque Revival-style Driskill was built in 1886 by cattle baron Colonel Jesse Driskill and is the oldest operating hotel in Austin and is a member of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. It has a total of 16,500 square feet of meeting space.