Houston
- In April, the Houston Ballet opened its new $53 million Center for Dance (713.227.2787) in downtown Houston. At 115,000 square feet, the six-story building, incorporating sustainable features throughout, is the largest professional dance company facility of its kind constructed in the U.S.
- The 267-room Westin Houston, Memorial City(281.501.4300) opened in March in West Houston. It features 29,000 square feet of unconstrained meeting and banquet space, an 18th-floor infinity pool with panoramic views of Houston's skyline and Trattoria Il Mulino, an outpost of New York's legendary Il Mulino restaurant.
- The full-service Embassy Suites Houston Downtown (713.739.9100) hotel opened in February. Overlooking the 12-acre Discovery Green park and within walking distance of the George R. Brown Convention Center, the 262-suite hotel features approximately 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, a rooftop pool and spa, a 24-hour fitness center, a street-level cafe and bar, and two levels of underground valet parking.
- Situated in the heart of Houston's Energy Corridor, the 400-room Omni Houston Hotel at Westside (281.558.8338) completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in early 2011. Designed to resemble a contemporary oil baron's estate, the upgrade encompasses the hotel's 25,000 square feet of meeting space, saloon-style Black Gold Bar and large atrium lobby with its lush waterscape extending to the two-acre lake outside.
- Downtown's trendy Hotel ICON (713.224.4266) is set to rebrand in 2011 following its purchase by an investor group backed in part by former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The new owners plan to make cosmetic and technological updates to the historic, 135-room property, originally a bank building from 1911. The property will continue operations under Destination Hotels & Resorts with a seamless rebranding to an undisclosed chain later in the year.
- Opened in December 2010, the Houston Zoo's new $35 million African Forest (713.533.6500) exhibit, encompassing 6.5 acres and representing the largest undertaking in the institution's history, recreates the wilderness habitats of Africa's most majestic animals.
The Woodlands
- The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center (281.367.9797) unveiled renovations of its 336 guest rooms, seven suites and most of its 70,000-plus square feet of meeting and convention space in January. Included in the $6.2 million enhancement project is Marriott International's new room decor package, making its debut at the property.