COEUR d'ALENE - With 25 years under its belt as a destination travel icon, The Coeur d'Alene Resort is preparing for the next quarter-century - and beyond.

Hagadone Hospitality Co., which owns and operates The Resort, has launched part two of a three-phase construction and renovation program.

Construction crews are busy putting new roofs on The Resort, as well as restoring its iconic copper peaks.

The 4,400-square-foot deck on the second floor, formerly occupied by a swimming pool, will be transformed to an outdoor dining area for receptions, banquets and weddings, complete with a paver surface, glass railing and two fireplaces. Half of the dining deck will be covered for all-weather use.

"This is a superb facility we didn't have before," said Jerry Jaeger, president and co-owner of Hagadone Hospitality. "The view from there is truly breathtaking."

Crews will install a new elevator to serve the upper deck and north annex, and will replace decorative roof pallets and accent wood beams.

Since opening in 1986, The Resort has garnered enthusiastic accolades from the world's top travel press. Conde Nast Traveler named it the best resort in the U.S. and the finest travel experience worldwide. The AAA consistently gives The Resort a four-diamond rating, and MSNBC recently named The Spa Coeur d'Alene "the world's most romantic spa."

Hagadone Hospitality began phase one by building the 11,000-square-foot Hagadone Event Center overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene. The year-round facility opened July 1 for the Western's Governor's Association Conference and has hosted numerous weddings, banquets and other events. That center, Jaeger said, already has bookings into 2015. The construction included a luxury pool and sun deck overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene.

The company is planning a significant project for phase three, which is expected to begin shortly after a New Year's Eve event celebrating the hotel's 25-year milestone.

"This will be a major announcement," Jaeger said. "And a party to go down in history - not to be missed."

Key players include designer Guy Dreier, architect Cory Trapp and general contractor T.W. Clark, said John Barlow of the Hagadone Corporation.

"Phase three will give us the ability to bring more group business to Coeur d'Alene," said Bill Reagan, general manager of The Coeur d'Alene Resort. "This is meaningful to The Resort's continuing success, as well as to our entire region's economy."