Texas is synonymous with “big,” and so is Houston, its largest city. As the Gulf Coast’s centerpiece, Houston is significantly growing its 21st century meetings portfolio.
“Houston used to have a perception problem within the industry,” says Ken Middleton, vice president of sales for the
Greater Houston CVB. “It wasn’t negative or positive, just neutral. So in recent years, we’ve spent a great deal of energy and the king’s treasury to position our region as a major meetings destination in the Southwest corridor.”
The region’s meetings amenities currently include millions of square feet of space; 60,000 hotel rooms, 200-plus institutions devoted to the arts, science and history; and more outdoor green space than most other major U.S. cities.
One acknowledgement of Houston’s ramp-up: ConferenceDirect voted the city’s CVB the easiest and most innovative bureau to work with, according to Middleton.
“We make it easy for people to do business in Houston,” he says.
Another testament to its ability to host larger groups is this July’s Microsoft World Partner Conference, with a total of 60,000 room nights.
“Our venues have grown enough to accommodate a meeting of this size,” Middleton says. “That was a key ingredient in securing the event.”
Houston’s diverse business sectors are also a draw. While energy is still a major shaker, technology, telecommunications, the space industry, international commerce, health care, and education are in the mover mix as well.
Though the city is big and urban, it has a huge inventory of green spaces. There are 56,405 acres of parklands, including 600 city and county parks and open spaces, 100 miles of hiking and biking trails, and 165 golf courses. To promote its “green” image, Middleton says there is now a citywide initiative by hotels and large meeting facilities to go beyond recycling and sustainable food handling with initiatives like reducing energy usage.
Those who do meetings business in the “new” Houston have much more than a vibrant downtown district in which to convene. The region offers several business-centric areas that are ready to host groups of all sizes.
Downtown Renaissance
When the $170 million Houston Pavilions debuts this fall, it will be the latest notch on this district’s continuing evolution as a bustling business, theater and after-hours district. The project will include four city blocks of entertainment, retail and walkable cityscapes.
New green spaces are also opening this year, including the 12-acre Discovery Green Downtown Park, which will be located in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center and feature Wi-Fi, restaurants, an amphitheater, picnic areas, and vibrant green spaces for recreation and special events.
Since 1999, public and private investments of $5 billion to revitalize downtown have ignited Houston’s core. This includes METRORail, a light rail system that connects with Reliant Park, Texas Medical Center, the Museum District, two new professional sports stadiums, and numerous meetings-ready hotels like Hilton Americas–Houston, the 1,200-room convention headquarters hotel adjacent to the recently expanded, 1.2 million-square-foot George R. Brown Convention Center.
In 2009, Omni Hotels plans to unveil another property (formerly a Sheraton) near the convention center. The hotel will offer 400-plus suites and 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
“In the past five years, we’ve doubled our downtown committable hotel inventory to about 5,000 guest rooms,” Middleton says, “along with expansion of our thriving social scene.”
That scene is populated with music venues, restaurants and nightlife stops, he adds, along with many performing arts venues, for which Houston is famous. The Theater District spans 17 blocks and is home to several permanent professional resident companies, such as Houston Grand Opera, the world’s only opera company with Grammy, Tony and Emmy awards.
Restaurants and nightlife populate the “new” downtown as well, and they are as varied as Zula’s, featuring “New American” cuisine and Las Vegas-style decor, and Cabo, a Mexican eatery with a great rooftop balcony. Main Street is a big nightlife scene with stops such as the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium and La Carafe, Houston’s oldest wine bar.
Washington Avenue was the city’s trading thoroughfare in the 19th century, and it’s the hottest “new” Houston hood only five minutes from downtown, replete with eateries, clubs, galleries, and shops.
Reliant Park
Reliant Park is Houston’s top trade show, convention, sports, and entertainment complex only about 7.5 miles from downtown. Located on 350 acres, the Reliant package offers 1.6 million square feet of exhibit space in Reliant Stadium, Reliant Center and Reliant Arena. Reliant Center has an exhibit hall measuring 168,000 square feet that’s divisible by 11, and all space is at street level.
Hotel rooms in the area number 3,400, and thousands more are adjacent to the nearby Uptown/Galleria and Texas Medical Center districts.
Reliant Park is two miles from Rice Village, where sidewalk cafes, fine dining and nightlife overflow in a concentrated pedestrian-friendly area. A host of happy hour havens line Morningside Drive, and other unique bars are scattered throughout “The Village.”
For cultural breaks, the Reliant area is close to the Museum District, which boasts 18 cultural institutions. Included are the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Menil Collection; the Contemporary Art Museum; the Children’s Museum of Houston (which is doubling in size by 2009); and the Holocaust Museum.
One of the city’s hip new properties, Hotel ZaZa, is also located in the Museum District. The 315-room property, a reincarnation of the former Warwick Hotel, features 17,000 square feet of meeting space.
Uptown Houston
Also near Reliant Park, Uptown Houston District is defined by its trademark stainless steel arches and colorful, lush plantings, coupled with shady oak trees. It is the city’s retail heart, with 5 million square feet of retail space, including The Galleria mall, with over 375 stores.
The Uptown area also has many hotels, including The Westin Galleria and Westin Oaks. The JW Marriott, InterContinental Houston and Omni Houston hotels are also in the lineup. At The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, situated on 18 wooded acres, there’s a Texas-sized fitness center and Trellis, an upscale spa.
Dining is also a popular Uptown activity and there are menus for every taste. At the Euro-style Uptown Park, another retail destination, there are leafy piazzas and restaurants like Arturo’s for homemade Italian cuisine, McCormick and Schmick’s for seafood specialties, and a variety of dishes at Morton’s of Chicago and Capital Grille. Coming in 2009 is an 80,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market.
Hip and contemporary characterizes this district, a trend that is reflected at new boutique properties such as Hotel Derek Houston with its cosmopolitan flair and Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria with its chic beach house appeal. For Italian flair, Hotel Granduca delivers an elegant Old World ambience.
Texas Medical Center
The world’s largest medical research and education complex is in Houston. Texas Medical Center (TMC) contains 42-plus institutions, including world-renowned medical schools and hospitals.
Five million people per year come from around the world to TMC for evaluation and treatment. On TMC’s 800 acres are the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science.
TMC is situated midway between downtown and Reliant Park, and connects to both of those districts via METRORail’s light rail line. TMC is also near the Museum District, an array of hotels and leafy green Hermann Park.
Meeting facilities include the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center, offering 13,000 square feet of meeting space. The 386-room Houston Marriott Medical Center has 9,000 square feet of meeting space, and the 180-room Hilton Houston Plaza includes 4,200 square feet of exhibit space.
On the Edges
Houston’s satellite communities present groups with nearby getaways and stellar business facilities.
Bay Area Houston, just 20 minutes south of downtown, encompasses seven cities and features hotels with views of its 35-mile-long waterfront. As the region midway between the big city and Galveston’s Gulf Coast beaches, Bay Area Houston is also home to Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and the Kemah Boardwalk, where themed restaurants and retail shops occupy visitors. Shopping stops, wineries, a birding trail, and the 2,500-acre Armand Bayou Nature Center wildlife preserve are also in the Bay Area’s portfolio.
League City is one of the region’s hub communities, and its South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center has 30,000 square feet of meeting space and a 27-hole golf course. The resort is part of a planned development that overlooks a yacht-filled marina. Along tree-lined Main Street, there are late 19th and early 20th century homes that house antique shops, boutiques and eateries.
The Woodlands and Lake Conroe areas are only about 40 minutes north of downtown Houston. They offer more meet and play options within natural lakeside and forested environs. The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center offers 60,000 square feet of meeting space, and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center has 70,000 square feet of function space.
Meanwhile, Lake Conroe features two principal group facilities for meetings and exhibitions. The Lone Star Convention and Expo Center has 56,000 square feet of function space and an equestrian center, and the former Del Lago Waterfront Conference Center and Resort will reopen in October as La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa. The new owners are spending $100 million on a renovation that will result in 445 suites, 70,000 square feet of meeting space, an 18-hole golf course, and a spa.
For More Info
Bay Area Houston CVB 281.338.0333
www.visitbayareahouston.com
Greater Houston CVB 713.437.5200
www.visithoustontexas.com
Lake Conroe Area CVB 936.538.7112
www.lakeconroecvb.org
League City Convention and Visitors Corp. 281.338.7339
www.visitleaguecity.com
The Woodlands CVB 281.363.2447
www.town-center.com
