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HOTEL HAPPENINGS OMNI HOTELS & RESORTS TO REFLAG OCEANFRONT RESORT ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND Luxury Beach Resort in South Carolina to Become an Omni OmniHotels&Resorts announced recently that the luxury hotel brand will rebrand theHiltonHeadOceanfront Resort as part of a long term management agreement. Under the new agreement, the property will officially become the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort on February 1, 2012. The resort has been successfully managed within Omni's overall portfolio under its sibling company, Allegiance Hospitality, since 2003. During that time, the resort achieved the AAA four-diamond designation. In 2012, the property will now launch a significant, multi- phased renovations plan as part of the transition to fur- ther distinguish it from the competition. In keeping with Omni's strategic growth plans in the premier destination resort segment, this latest addition complements the brand's acclaimed resorts along the East Coast, including the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, PA and Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, FL. It also joins ranks with the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, which was acquired by Omni Hotels & Resorts in September 2010 and broke ground late last year on an $85 million re-development and expansion. Located on Hilton Head Island on the banks of South Carolina, the beachfront resort showcases beautiful views from its 295 guest rooms, the largest on the island, as well as one-bedroom suites. The property has over 24,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, including beachfront venues, numerous restaurants, the Ocean Tides Spa and pools with private cabanas. As part of the prestigious Palmetto Dunes community, the resort offers a 10-mile lagoon system for kayaking or canoeing, bike trails, 25 tennis courts and 36 holes of championship golf. "We are pleased to put the Omni flag on this resort given its beautiful views, gracious accommodations, broad range of amenities and commitment to the Omni service standards," said Mike Deitemeyer, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. "We believe that the property is a natural extension of our luxury resort collection and exemplifies our commitment to deliver memorable experiences to our guests." Guests may visit omnihotels.com or call (800) The-Omni. Travelers can also follow Omni Hotels & Resorts at Facebook.com/OmniHotels,Twitter.com/OmniHotels or Twitter.com/OmniHotelsPR. KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION OF TWO NEWPOOLS AND THE COMPLETE RENOVATION OF ONE IF ITS EXISTING POOLS FOR VILLAGUESTS Kiawah Island Golf Resort recently announced that, over the next several months, the resort will make a signif- icant investment in new state-of-the-art pool facilities in the Night Heron Park and adjacent to the West Beach Tennis Center. These projects include: A large children's pool at the Night Heron Park pool complex, complete with a curving waterslide and water fea- tures sure to excite children of all ages. A complete facelift of the existing pool at Night Heron. This will become Night Heron's adult-friendly pool with time set aside for quiet adult relaxation, lap swimming and aqua aerobics. The pool will also be used for swim les- sons and select children's Kamp Kiawah activities. The third pool will be built inWest Beach featuring both an adult section and a large play area with water toys and slides - the perfect amenity for guests staying inWest Beach. According to Kiawah's General Manager of Villa Operations MissyWurthmann, this is just another step in the resort's ongoing efforts to bring their guests the finest vacation experience in the world. "We know that these proj- ects will be an exciting addition to the 2012 vacation offerings of our loyal rental guests," said Wurthmann. "We are hopeful many more families choose Kiawah Island as their vacation destination in order to enjoy these won- derful amenities." 16 Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com