Talk about the definitive mission statement. This July, San Antonio’s five Spanish colonial missions were officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Collectively, San Antonio de Valero, established in 1718 and best known as the Alamo, and the quartet of missions south of the city—San Jose, from 1720, and San Juan Capistrano, Concepción and San Francisco de la Espada, all dating from 1731—are the first UNESCO site in Texas and 23rd overall in the nation.
“San Antonio has grown to become the nation’s seventh-largest city while preserving the iconic history upon which it was built,” says Casandra Matej, executive director of the San Antonio CVB. “Treasures like the missions set us apart as an authentic destination, and now with World Heritage status, we are provided a tremendous opportunity to bring even more awareness, visitors and business to our city.”
There’s yet more happening to magnetize Alamo City for groups. Born and raised in San Antonio, Michael Dominguez (see Zoom In, page 96), one of the meetings industry’s most influential leaders, calls his hometown “a place to discover, learn and remember.”
From the Old World to the next generation, San Antonio is investing in unforgettable experiences for years to come.
Unconventional Might
Attracting some 6.4 million visitors, HemisFair ’68 gave San Antonio its first true global spotlight. Slated for completion in early 2016, the $325 million transformation of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is poised for its own dramatic impact. Representing the fourth upgrade of the facility—built for the 1968 World’s Fair—this latest makeover takes San Antonio back to the future.
At the heart of HemisFair Park, itself being dramatically reimagined, the new convention center reflects the city’s escalating allure as a leading group destination.
Incorporating innovative design and advanced technology, the completed work, billed as the city’s largest capital improvement ever, will be truly expansive. Highlights include 270,000 square feet of new exhibit space, with 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space overall; 85,000 square feet of column-free multipurpose space; a 54,000-plus-square-foot ballroom; and 70 meeting spaces, including divisible breakout areas. Add in a wrap-around balcony and enhanced access and connectivity to downtown and a realigned Market Street, River Walk and HemisFair Park.
“As our convention center is the heart of many San Antonio meetings, it’s imperative that we offer the most flexible, innovative space possible,” Matej says. “This project ensures that San Antonio is able to welcome larger and more diverse groups while offering the highest service and venue platform for returning groups who have found a home in our city.”
Complementing these projects is the announced $43.5 million enhancement of the Alamodome, including high-definition and wireless technology, and new field flexibility for multiple sporting and convention events. The project is slated for completion by 2018, when the venue turns 25 and San Antonio hosts the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
Overnight Sensations
Opened in 2013, the Mission Reach section completed the $358.3 million lengthening of River Walk from three to 15 miles. This final eight-mile stretch, incorporating the largest-ever ecosystem restoration in an urban area, offers a prime hike or bike opportunity for groups to connect with the four south San Antonio UNESCO missions.
The magical 1.3-mile Museum Reach section, meanwhile, links downtown with group-capable venues such as the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and the San Antonio Museum of Art. At its terminus beckons the Pearl Brewery complex, where the new Hotel Emma is set to crown more than a decade of mixed-use transformation.
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With much of the culinary-centric vision for the Pearl now realized, including the Culinary Institute of America’s anchoring, Latin-themed San Antonio campus, 14-plus chef-led restaurants, boutique shops, residences and outdoor event space, Emma gives the neighborhood its long-anticipated overnight headquarters.
Reinventing the Pearl’s long-vacant 1894 brewhouse, the 146-room boutique, named for the wife of the brewery’s founder and slated to open next month, will be its own center of culinary discovery.
“The direction of the food and beverage program will classically fit within the Pearl and its surrounding neighborhood, defining our location and seasons with generous support from local farms and incorporating world flavors and techniques,” says Executive Chef and Culinary Director John Brand. “It will be exciting and approachable for locals and hotel guests alike.”
From private in-suite dining and culinary concierge services to the Supper restaurant and Larder gourmet market, there are F&B touchpoints at every turn. Along with distinctive outdoor areas, the hotel will offer 6,160 square feet of meeting space, including the 3,250-square-foot Elephant Cellar.
Accommodating 240 guests, the room features original brewing tanks and cylinders, typifying the preservation of original industrial and mechanical fixtures throughout the hotel. These include private banquettes inside 20-foot-tall cast-iron tanks in the hotel’s cavernous Sternewirth Bar and Clubroom.
“Each with its own personality, incorporating intriguing architectural details and vintage elements from the brewery’s past life, our comfortable and unconventional meeting and event facilities offer the perfect combination of style and advanced technology,” says Beth Ticku Smith, the hotel’s director of marketing.
The brewhouse is also home to the new event-capable Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, which connects to the hotel via an interior hallway.
North of the city, La Cantera Hill Country Resort is nearing completion of a multimillion-dollar transformation commenced last November. This month, the resort is slated to unveil its new 10,000-square-foot ballroom and additional meeting rooms, boosting total event space to 115,000 square feet. The refresh of all 498 guest rooms and suites, plus a new signature restaurant and spa concepts, are slated for completion in early 2016.
Meanwhile, the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa underwent a $35 million expansion at the end of 2013 and features 500 guest rooms and more than 70,000 square feet of meeting and prefunction space.
Cultural Pursuits
Adaptive re-use is also the story on the cultural front. Following the October 2013 opening of the Briscoe Western Art Museum in the former San Antonio Library building, and last September’s debut of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, which reinvented the city’s WWI-era Municipal Auditorium, The DoSeum opened this June as San Antonio’s new children’s museum.
Comprising three exhibit halls totaling 65,000 square feet, plus 39,000 square feet of outdoor exhibit yards, this “museum in a park” in the Broadway Reach District above downtown emphasizes hands-on interactivity with exhibits focused on science, technology, literacy, art, creativity and imagination.
Seeking LEED Gold certification, the museum also offers versatile function space for large gatherings in the downstairs lobby, theater and adjoining patio areas. Plus, there is conference space with three breakout rooms and outdoor spaces for special occasions.
