Alabama

GULF SHORES, ALA. — Hilton Hotels & Resorts has rebuilt and reopened The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel, located at 21196 E. Beach Blvd. in Gulf Shores, after the property was irreparably damaged by Hurricane Ivan. Originally established in 1974, the newly rebuilt hotel features 350 rooms with views of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Shelby. Designed by LakeFlato and Rabun Architects, the new hotel features more than 40,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space, including The Gulfview Ballroom that can accommodate indoor events up to 1,000 guests. On-site restaurant options include Foodcraft, Perch, Roasted Oak Coffee & Wine Bar and Dragon Pool Bar & Grill. Guests will also have direct access to more than 6,150 acres of trails and activities within Gulf State Park. Valor Hospitality Partners manages the property. Sasaki Associates provided native landscape design, while Dallas-based Looney & Associates served as interior designer for the redevelopment.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Marshall Hotels & Resorts has opened the 63-room Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points S-UAB. Located in the Five Points South area, Birmingham’s arts, entertainment and dining district, the hotel is near attractions including the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum. In addition, the property is a half-mile from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The building was originally designed in the 1930s for medical offices and was converted into a hotel in the 1980s. Marshall Hotels completed a $5 million renovation to convert the hotel from the Hotel Highland Downtown to a Hotel Indigo, a chain of boutique hotels under the InterContinental Hotels Group umbrella. The hotel features the Rx lounge, a themed bar and restaurant that captures the building’s medical arts origins.