Workers painstakingly renovated the marble floors in the hotel's expansive lobby and ballroom, turning the surfaces from broken and murky to sealed and shiny.

Meanwhile, the hotel's rooms were brought up to date to Westin Hotels & Resorts' latest specifications, including an uncluttered design, high-definition televisions and Westin's "Heavenly Bed."

Marcus Hotels & Resorts and Waterton Commercial, the hotel's majority owner, recently completed $9.6 million worth of updates to the Great Southern, which last had a design overhaul more than two decades ago, said Bryan Postema, director of sales and marketing. The changes included the renovation and rebranding of the hotel's restaurant, which is now called High Street Grille.

The Great Southern has flown the Westin flag since 1996.