Texas
Meetings in the Lone Star State can prove a nice surprise to planners and attendees, thanks to the state’s amazing diversity.
By Marc Boisclair
Finding that all-encompassing group destination often seems, at best, an elusive if not impossible task. Some attendees need a post-meeting break by the beach; others crave arts and culture; still others insist on time out for fine dining, entertainment, and recreation. Fortunately, Texas offers all of that and more, particularly the types of venues and accommodations bound to put a smile on any planner’s face. In fact, the Lone Star State often surprises planners with its affordability, easy access and down-to-earth attitude.
“One of the things that makes Texas great for faith-based groups is our unknowns,” says Tina Teague, convention sales manager for the Amarillo CVC. Given the state’s enormous size (more than 574,000 square miles), many people are not yet familiar with the land, its people, and all that they have to offer. “We could easily be divided into several different states based on our climate and the speed with which we live,” says Teague.
Indeed, while Texas carries three of the nation’s most populous cities—Dallas, Houston and San Antonio—the state is also home to a slew of popular second-tier destinations, plus scores of small towns and rural villages. “People come here and find themselves stepping outside of their comfort zone and enjoying the new surroundings,” she says. “The larger cities offer excitement, while in Amarillo, we like to take our time, smell the roses, and enjoy the moment.”
Old West Meets New Millennium
Another nice surprise about meeting in Texas: the marriage of history and modern conveniences. To wit, downtown San Antonio features several major, stylish and tech-savvy meeting properties, all within an easy trip to the state’s most iconic landmark, the Alamo. That mix of old and new provides a draw that can bring attendees in early and have them staying well past the closing night gala.
“Texas is very historic to begin with, and our area in particular has a lot of history and culture,” says Brenda Scott, VP of sales and marketing for the Bryan-College Station CVB. Scott cites at least 11 museums within her destination, places attractive for their cultural quality and as unique venue options. “That’s part of this town’s family atmosphere, and it becomes part of the overall package when you’re promoting and bidding,” she says.
Activities abound here, a huge plus for attendees who make their annual meeting a family vacation in the process. “Even though our town has been here for a while, we have a number of new hotels and venues, including a mall, restaurants, major bowling alley and a number of pro sports facilities,” says LaChelle Evans, sales manager for the SMERF market at the Frisco CVB.
And Frisco, not unlike Plano and several other mid-level Texas destinations, is conveniently located between major highways and airports for easy access in and out of town. “It’s like a resort feel,” says Evans. “Groups come for a meeting, bring their families, and everything is here that they need.”
That concept works well for Donna Anderson, CEM, operations director for the Covenant Church who often books her educational meetings and leadership retreats in Frisco. “The service is excellent, the location and parking are good, and it’s convenient having everything under one roof.”
Texans also understand the value of a dollar well-spent. “We have 18 hotels in Grapevine and can meet every price range,” says Ashlee Van Blarcom, tourism sales manager for the CVB. “We can help people on a budget all the way up to a higher-end property.”
And if you can’t find the right fit in one destination, there’s a cooperative spirit throughout the state that will help them work things out elsewhere. “In that respect we’re a very good state for conventions,” says Amarillo’s Teague. “We figure that if you ever bring a meeting here and have a good experience, then you’ll come back again. We’re happy to refer business or help planners find the best convention facilities that will meet their needs.”
New and Exciting
Centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving is an area that will see more than $2 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, and meeting facility development in the next three years. A 100,000-square-foot conference and event space is scheduled to open fall 2010 in conjunction with a Las Colinas area entertainment complex. The master-planned community will welcome NYLO Las Colinas Hotel with 200 loft-style rooms in May 2009.
Trinity Fellowship in Amarillo has opened its new 360-degree, 4,000-seat sanctuary, a $15 million facility that also houses classrooms, a youth atrium and is available for group functions. The Panhandle city also opened a new 90-room Hilton Garden Inn with meeting space in January. Odessa offers several new value-minded hotels with event space this year, including a 102-room Holiday Inn Express, a 116-room Comfort Inn & Suites and a 108-unit, extended stay TownePlace Suites by Marriott. A new Best Western property in Odessa is currently under construction.
In Austin, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center has opened on the University of Texas campus. Highlights of the new facility include three restaurants, 297 guestrooms, 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a fitness center. Hotels continue to sprout across the Texas capital as well. Among the planned properties: a 1,000-room Marriott convention center hotel, $225 million Block 21/W Hotel, 340-room Westin at the Domain and a 300-room Warehouse District Westin, with a JW Marriott, Hyatt Place and 21C Museum Hotel also in the works. New and renovated Austin venues including the Long Center for the Performing Arts the Bass Concert Hall/ University of Texas Performing Arts Center.
The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio has unveiled its new Stieren Center, part of a recent $50.8 million expansion and renovation. The city also sports a new 1,000-room Grand Hyatt Hotel, while a 1,000-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa (featuring two TPC golf courses, a 26,000-sq.-ft. spa, and 140,000 square feet of meeting space) is expected on line some time in 2010. By May, San Antonio’s Westin La Cantera Resort, adjacent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, expects to complete a $12 million renovation of its meeting space, public space, and guestrooms.
An October opening is planned for the new, $65 million wing of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The final phase of the $338 million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts (opera, musical theater, classical theater, and ballet) should also be wrapped up by October of this year.
The Hyatt Regency Dallas has completed a $23 million renovation of its 50-story Reunion Tower. Neighboring Cumberland Hall has wrapped up a $9 million redo, while adjacent Union Station, also available for group functions, has finished its own $23 million makeover.
The Renaissance Dallas Hotel has completed a $15 million makeover of its 514 guestrooms. Future plans at the 30-story property include a major restaurant upgrade, a rooftop garden and putting green, and a new 16,000-square.-foot. Grand Ballroom.
Work is underway on Phase One of a $90 million renovation project at the Sheraton Dallas that will include a redesign of its public spaces, guest rooms and conference center. Autumn 2009 is when the 193-room aloft Dallas Downtown expects to open.
Come September, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system will unveil the first three-mile leg of its 28-mile, Green Line expansion.
Plans call for a full-service, 262-room Embassy Suites to be built adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, for a scheduled 2010 opening. The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa has completed a $7.1 million renovation of its 288 guestrooms, while the Hotel Derek has wrapped up a $2.1 million redo of its own accommodations. Work continues on Asia House, a $30 million Asian arts and entertainment venue in Houston’s Museum District.
The city’s new $200 million Houston Pavilions project has opened along three downtown blocks of the entertainment and retail district. The multi-use (dining, entertainment, retail, and office space) development includes a pair of new group venues: House of Blues, with three stages, two restaurants and the private Foundation Room, and Lucky Strikes Lanes, which includes a private lounge. The Showgrounds venue, which holds up to 9,000 for live music and entertainment events, has opened at Sam Houston Race Park. Families should also appreciate the new Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, a 30,000-sq.-ft., in-ground center set in downtown Houston.
Other new projects are popping up across the state. In Bryan-College Station, the former Chimney Inn has completed a top-to-bottom renovation and has re-opened as the 98-room Econo Lodge. The 116-room Manor Inn College Station is undergoing a major renovation that will be completed by year’s end. The Residence Inn opened at the end of 2008 with 85 rooms, while a 100-room Best Western will open in July of 2009, featuring 4,000 square feet of meeting space.
Work continues on the new $47 million Overton Hotel & Conference Center in Lubbock. With 304 guestrooms and an 11,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, the complex has a targeted debut set for July of this year.
In Grapevine, the 404-room Great Wolf Lodge has opened with indoor and outdoor water parks, family-themed restaurants, and Scooops, a spa designed especially for kids. And in Frisco, just a half-hour from DFW International Airport, three new properties have opened: the 102-room Hilton Garden Inn, 109 all-suites Comfort Suites, and the 136-room boutique property aloft Frisco.
Entertainment Options
Crockett Street Entertainment District in downtown Beaumont offers live music and outdoor festivals in a beautiful setting. Five historic buildings host Southeast Texas’ restaurants. Take in the exciting sounds and tastes of restored Crockett Street before kicking up your heels at the Dixie Dancing Hall.
Galveston is a city where people indulge in Spanish tapas and variety of Caribbean and Mexican food. Julu Hangout & Bar is the destination for locals and visitors looking for burgers, gourmet nachos, salads, and handcut French fries.
Frontier Texas! in Abilene is one of the only museums in the world that features life-sized holographic figures. Experience the Texas frontier between 1780 and 1880 with up close and personal accounts from buffalo hunters, Comanche warriors, explorers, and pioneers. You’ll feel the terror of a wolf attack, the chaos of a buffalo stampede, and the tension of a deadly card game shootout.
The Stockyards in Fort Worth is a location with unique attractions worth visiting. You’ll need an entire day to explore the word’s largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas, which features its own indoor rodeo, dance floor, restaurants, and arcade games. Get lost in the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze with over 5,400 square feet of wooden pathways, resembling the
cattlepens of the old west. There’s tons to do in the stockyards; just be on the look out for the daily cattle drives.
For all you makeup enthusiasts, Addiso, is home to the Mary Kay Museum. Explore the history of Mary Kay Inc., and see how it progressed from a tiny storefront to the amazing success it is today. After you get your fill of foundation, head over to Village on the Parkway for a shopping experience like none other. With its Mediterranean inspired architecture, fountains, gazebos, wide boulevards and beautifully landscaped walkways, the Village on the Parkway invites visitors to window shop in style.
This story was originally published in the April 2009 issue of Rejuvenate magazine.
