Upgrades, Investments and Renovations at the Historic Property Launch Event Ready Focus for 2021
ROANOKE, VA. (February 15, 2021) — As organizations chart the course for the future, meetings and events will play a critical role in bringing teams back together. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton, is excited to unveil comprehensive upgrades, investments and renovations to the property and introduce hybrid and virtual meeting capabilities for 2021 and beyond.
With the installation of a $480,000 investment in renovations, infrastructure, and equipment, the hotel has created an inspiring meetings environment to safely achieve maximum potential in a mixed live and virtual attendance during the recovery phases of the pandemic and beyond.
“Hybrid meetings are set to become the breakout star for meetings and events in 2021,” said Brian Wells, general manager of The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. “While the entire world has been impacted by the pandemic, the event and meeting industry has found itself in a particularly difficult spot. Hybrid meetings and events allows organizations to come back together in-person safely, while simultaneously being able reach a larger audience virtually.”
The concept of a hybrid meeting brings participants together live & in-person throughout the property from various meeting rooms and spaces and allows for other participants to join remotely if desired, offering a unique blend of both live and virtual components. The conference, meeting or event is conducted seamlessly through live video streaming of content and an online professional platform and presentation of content, combining the best features of both in-person and virtual displays.
The conference space at the 329 room property has been upgraded and renovated with the addition of new technology platforms. Capacity of a general session is expanded further with a fiber backbone to simulcast to all of the hotel’s internal spaces, including the Roanoke Ballroom, Crystal Ballroom, and Washington Lecture Hall.
Upgrades to the property’s wireless HSIA network can now handle connections of more than 2,000 unique devices with a dedicated bandwidth circuit for any video element of the program. Virtual broadcast via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex is fully supported with a simple HDMI connection interface in large or small breakout spaces of the Conference Center.
“With the completion of the virtual and hybrid conferencing platform and renovations, our space is uniquely prepared to handle any small, medium, or large live and hybrid events throughout, without any latency in connection of the broadcast of content,” said Wells. “By investing and deploying in solutions from top technology brands like Crestron, Newtek tri-caster, Epson, and Shure paired with fiber connections room to room and to our audio-visual control room our team of certified hybrid meeting technicians will support the most collaborative, imaginative, and entertaining presentations imagined.”
Designed as a purpose-built venue to host exceptional meetings and events, both in-person and virtually, the hotel provides an on-site meeting concierge and a team of technology professionals to guide clients through seamless hybrid meeting experiences from start to finish. Advance video conferencing capabilities includes built-in audio-visual equipment and connectivity, live broadcasting capacities, multi-camera recording options, mobile video conferencing resources and enhanced security for guests.
“In addition to the recent upgrades and investments and our partnership with Hilton EventReady with CleanStay we are able to deliver in-person conference and event experiences that provide peace of mind from start to finish,” said Wells. “This new programming capability provides curated solutions and experiences for every step of the planning process, from redesigned event spaces and innovative technology resources to inspiring food & beverage with thoughtful presentations, it’s all designed to brings teams back together safely and efficiently.”
Highlights of the EventReady by Hilton with CleanStay program include: elevated procedures for cleanliness and sanitation, completed EventReady Room Checklist provided to planners, Hilton CleanStay event room seal applied once the room is properly cleaned, set and EventReady, partnerships grounded in transparency and shared objectives, creative and customized event sets that respect physical distancing guidelines, inspiring food and beverage menus: thoughtfully served, timely and versatile, environmental impact solutions and community service outreach and experiences.
“To complement the new offerings, The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center recently completed a $3.9 million renovation of The Pine Room and further expanded outdoor venue offerings at the historic property,” said Wells. “A stunning highlight of the renovation featured a new stone patio space overlooking downtown that is perfect for gatherings, meet and greets, and group dining functions. The hotel also invested in new top of the line fire pits and outdoor patio heaters to create an almost year-round opportunity and encourage groups to experience outside events.”
This new space adds to the hotel’s growing number of outdoor spaces and patios, including the Garden Courtyard. Perfect for larger groups and social distancing, The Garden Courtyard features 6,270 sq. feet of multi-dimensional space, seating for up to 250 guests, a focal point gazebo that is perfect for numerous applications, as well as a designated lounge area surrounded by the beautiful garden plantings and the warmth of a cozy fire. Other outdoor spaces include the Pool Area, North Entry Courtyard and Lower Level Courtyards.
“These spaces combined offer the perfect opportunity for on property attendees to change scenery and get outside, while weaving in the historic setting of the hotel, coupled with creative food and beverage that are deliciously destination-focused,” Wells added.
As organizations bring their teams back together and move forward, re-imagining the hospitality and infrastructure with creative meeting sets and hybrid technology helps optimize healthy and hygienic practices with peace of mind for participants.
Providing a setting that stimulates collaboration and innovation as the industry moves into the future, the hotel’s new hybrid meeting offerings with advanced technology, meeting sets and video streaming capabilities allows planners to produce seamless meetings both in-person and online.
To learn more about the new hybrid meetings and events possibilities, please visit www.HotelRoanoke.com
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ABOUT THE HOTEL ROANOKE & CONFERENCE CENTER, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON
The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center has 329 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and a 63,000-square-foot, high-tech conference center. It is a joint project of Virginia Tech and the City of Roanoke and is flagged as a Curio – A Collection by Hilton, under the management of Benchmark Hospitality International. The Hotel Roanoke is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and is a member of Historic Hotels of America. To learn more, visit www.HotelRoanoke.com.
