Houston keeps reinventing itself, to the delight of its many domestic and international visitors. Besides adding billions in new infrastructure, the region retains its appeal to all pocketbooks, and of interest to many meeting groups nowadays is Houston’s rank as one of the nation’s largest and most affordable metropolises. According to Hotwire.com, it is No. 6 in that hierarchy based on air fare, hotel rates, car rental prices and entertainment offerings.
The average hotel room rate in 2008 was just under $128, and the average Houston meal was $5 less than the national average of $33.76, according to Zagat.
Ken Middleton, the Houston CVB’s vice president of convention sales, says Houston is affordable now for groups and will remain so when the recession subsides.
“Houston has always done well within our competitive set,” he says. “Although we’ve been steadily increasing our ADR rates in recent years, we will remain a great buy even during this economic downturn. And when other first-tier destinations return to $300- and $400-dollar room rates, Houston will remain a great buy. Our affordability is not just a recessionary phenomenon. Houston holds the line on rates in any market, and we won’t suffer the consequences of the rate dump that others are resorting to now to maintain market share.”
One way Houston’s CVB staff is getting the affordability word out to groups is via a longer reach to associations and others in the nation’s capital region. The bureau opened a new Washington, D.C., office last month with the goal of increasing meetings bookings by 15 percent within its first full year of operation.
New Downtown Faces
One of the biggest downtown developments is Houston Pavilions, the giant entertainment, retail and dining component near the 1.2 million square-foot George R. Brown Convention Center and adjacent headquarters hotel, the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston. The mixed-use project opened last October. When it is completely finished, it will have 360,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet of office space and a 1,600-space parking garage.
Anchor tenants include House of Blues, XXI Forever, Lucky Strike Lanes and Books-A-Million. And true to Houston’s dedication to the palate, there is a delicious array of eateries in the mix. From McCormick & Schmick’s fresh seafood entrees to the Mexican fare of Guadalajara del Centro, the array of cuisine serves up something for everyone. Coming later this year are Cork Wine Bar; The Board Room; Polk Street Pub; Andalusia Tapas Restaurant and Bar; Marble Slab Creamery and more.
Also animating the downtown scene is Discovery Green, the new 12-acre park across from the convention center. The park’s green design and operation reflects the city’s interest in energy conservation and sustainability. Included are a one-acre lake, a children’s playground, interactive water features, an amphitheater, public art works, open lawns and restaurants, including The Grove and The Lake House. The tempo of park life rises in season with regularly scheduled music, dance, film and theater events as well as exercise classes, children’s events and an urban market. Private events are also welcome.
Reliant Park
Houston’s big facilities lineup continues in the 350-acre Reliant Park, the city’s premier trade show, convention, sports and entertainment complex comprising Reliant Stadium, Reliant Center, Reliant Astrodome and Reliant Arena and offering 1.6 million total square feet of exhibit space. The complex is near 3,400 hotel rooms, Texas Medical Center and the Museum District.
The Reliant area is all about business, sports and other group events, yet it’s near cultural oases like The Galleria district and Rice Village, where cafes, white-cloth dining and nightclubs enliven the scene next to Rice University, the “Harvard of the South.” The village is known for its plethora of small and eclectic shops and boutiques, such as Lot 8, Abejas and Wink, as well as national retail labels like Banana Republic and Sephora. Dozens of restaurants mingle with the retail facades.
Reliant Park is also near the Museum District, home to 17 museums and the Houston Zoo, all within walking distance of one another. Included are the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Houston Museum of Natural Science; and eclectic choices like Czech Cultural Center Houston, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and The Weather Museum.
Texas Medical Center
Near the Museum District and Reliant Center is Houston’s medical centerpiece, Texas Medical Center (TMC). The complex has 42-plus institutions, including 13 hospitals and several medical schools that draw millions of people from around the world annually for medical evaluation and treatment. The world renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science are among the components.
The city’s METRORail light rail connects Texas Medical Center to the convention center, many hotels, Reliant Park, the Museum District and Hermann Park, which has an 18-hole golf course.
TMC offers extensive meeting planner resources and facilities that include the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center, with 13,000 square feet of meeting space; the 386-room Houston Marriott Medical Center, with 9,000 square feet of meeting space, and the 180-room Hilton Houston Plaza, where there is 4,200 square feet of exhibit space.
Uptown Houston
Convenient to Reliant Park and downtown is the retail heart of the city, where The Galleria and other upscale venues offer shoppers more than 5 million square feet of retail space in 1,000 stores and numerous restaurants and clubs.
Groups that convene at any of the district’s upscale hotels—featuring a combined total of more than 6,000 guest rooms—enjoy the shopping, eating and after-business club glitter. Lodging choices include the Westin Galleria, Westin Oaks Houston, JW Marriott, InterContinental Houston and Omni Houston Hotel. There are also trendy boutiques like Hotel Indigo, with its chic beach house appeal, or the luxe Granduca, with its Old World European elegance. Meanwhile, The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa sits on 18 wooded acres and has a large fitness center and spa, Trellis.
Uptown’s evening scene includes the Buddha Bar, Bar Annie at Cafe Annie, The Belvedere at Uptown Park and Ringside at Sullivan’s on tony Westheimer Street.
Houston Environs
Just south of downtown, the Bay Area Houston region includes several cities along a 35-mile waterfront that leads to Galveston’s Gulf beaches. Space Center Houston, a visitor’s launching pad to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and the Kemah Boardwalk, with its plethora of restaurants and retail shops, are popular with groups gathering in the region.
Meeting and event spaces in the area range from country clubs and civic centers to wineries and yachts. One of its premier meeting sites is South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in League City. The resort, part of a development that overlooks a marina, has 25,000 square feet of meeting space to accommodate up to 1,000 people, in addition to a golf course.
Attendees who hail a water taxi on The Woodlands Waterway may feel as if they are experiencing Venice in Houston as they enjoy a languid ride to conference spaces, shops and restaurants in The Woodlands Mall and Market Street. The Woodlands, about 40 minutes north of downtown, is one of Houston’s greenest neighborhoods, and it has a sophisticated business and lifestyle culture. The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center sits on acres of forest preserves and offers groups 60,000 square feet of gathering space, much of which boasts views of the water and lush surrounding landscape. Already a popular golf, tennis, spa and relaxation destination, the resort is in the midst of a $50 million expansion and renovation that Tori Enriquez, director of sales and marketing, says is transforming the property for the 21st century.
“We are hoping to complete the project by the end of 2009, and we expect it to reposition our resort as a AAA Four Diamond resort with amenities that are unique to this region,” Enriquez says.
The project includes larger rooms with earth-toned color schemes to reflect the resort’s natural surroundings. Public spaces, including meeting rooms, are also receiving upgraded decor.
Lake Conroe is another natural oasis north of downtown and the location of the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center, featuring 56,000 square feet of function space. La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa has 445 guest rooms and 70,000 square feet of meeting space that includes four ballrooms, the largest of which is 10,000 square feet and divisible by three.
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.thewoodlandscvb.com
