Meeting venues in Galveston have recently announced some major upgrades, and the forward progress is continuing full force. From major IT improvements at the beachfront Galveston Island Convention Center coming in May to a $20 million renovation at the Moody Gardens Hotel to be completed over the next three years, the island’s meeting venues are making moves.
IT Upgrades at Galveston Island Convention Center
By May of 2012, the Galveston Island Convention Center (GICC) will have a completed two-part IT upgrades to its facility, including adding significantly more bandwidth and increasing the number of access points. Bandwidth capabilities at GICC will be expanded to 100 MB per second. Also, 40 additional access points will be installed inside the convention center. After the upgrades are complete, the GICC will be able to host a group of 1000 people in the Grand Ballroom all downloading an application at the same time over Wi-Fi, which is offered complimentary.
The Galveston Island Convention Center is located on Galveston's famous Seawall Boulevard, at the San Luis Resort. It is a 140,000 square-foot property combining executive conference facilities with luxurious amenities. More than 700 guest rooms are adjacent to the center and another 1,400 are located within two miles. For information, visit www.galvestonislandconventioncenter.com.
$20M Renovation at Moody Gardens Hotel
For the first time since 1998, the Moody Gardens Hotel will get $20 million in renovations from the Moody Foundation. This renovation project will last three years and focus on refurbishing the hotel lobby, guest rooms, the exercise room, meeting rooms and restaurant. When the renovations are complete, the hotel’s 428 guest rooms will boast new furniture, fixtures, bedding, carpeting and painting. Bathrooms also will get new tiling, fixtures and mirrors.
The Moody Gardens Hotel is part of popular resort Moody Gardens, which features a variety of attractions, including an aquarium, tropical rainforest replica with free roaming animals, a water park, golf course, historic paddlewheel boat, and 3D, 4D and Ridefilm theaters. For information on the Moody Gardens Hotel, visit www.moodygardenshotel.com.
$60M Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier Opening
In May 2012, Galveston Island will bring the glory of its famous past into the present with the opening of the Historic Pleasure Pier. The amusement park, reminiscent of the pleasure pier that was built on the island in the 1940s, will include 16 rides, a full-service restaurant, midway games, shopping and live entertainment. A $60 million project of Landry's Inc., the pier is located on the Gulf of Mexico off Seawall Boulevard at 25th Street where a pleasure pier stood from the early 1940s to 1961. For updates on the amusement park, visit www.pleasure-pier.com.
About Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a historic beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from Houston. The island is best known as a vacation destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, a variety of family attractions, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country, including several National Historic Landmarks. Galveston Island is home to popular amusements such as, Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, as well as a variety of museums and recreational activities from surfing to birding. For more information on Galveston Island visit www.galveston.com or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.