Buoyed by overall growth in business, convention and leisure travel, Texas is on a hotel development hot streak. As reported by The New York Times in March 2017, Austin, Dallas and Houston will lead the nation this year in new openings. The three-city boom could include as many as 130 new Marriott hotels, 75 from Hilton and 100-plus across different brands from InterContinental Hotels Group alone.
Meanwhile, in these and other Texas group markets, established properties maintain solid foundations for group success.
Talk about a prime location. The upscale Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport sits within one of the world’s most dynamic, and with its central U.S. location, conveniently situated airports. Adjacent to Terminal C, the 811-room hotel offers 70 meeting rooms and 92,000 square feet of total high-tech function space, including the 4,832-square-foot Innovation Ballroom, its glass doors opening onto the pool area; 21,120-square-foot Enterprise Ballroom; and 26,000 square feet of exhibit space.
San Antonio groups have a relaxing escape in the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa. Set on 300 acres of historic ranchland about 16 miles from both the city and airport, the 500-room resort’s 100,000-plus square feet of highly configurable indoor and outdoor space includes three elegant ballrooms and a spacious event lawn.
Plus, it offers family-friendly amenities such as luxury pool cabanas and five-acre waterpark.
Since opening in 2014, the 299-room Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park has supported Plano’s continuing ascendancy as a major draw for corporate and other groups.
The appeal starts with accessibility and convenience, including proximity to DFW and Love Field Airports, and Plano’s growing corporate and retail campus. On-property, the advantages include 30,000 square feet of flexible conference center space, an outdoor resort-style pool and great dining.
Houston’s convention campus, the largest in Texas, continues to expand with new integrated entertainment and group products, but bragging rights as the original (2003) and largest headquarters hotel remain with the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston. Connected by two air-conditioned skywalks to the George R. Brown Convention Center, the AAA Four Diamond anchor offers 91,500 square feet of blockbuster space throughout, including the 40,000-plus-square-foot Grand Ballroom.
On Galveston Island, perennial AAA Four Diamond honoree San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center is a luxurious constant for the group market. Rising 16 stories, the 250-room retreat offers 40,000 square feet of recently updated IACC-certified conference space with magnificent Gulf views. Plus, personalized service, award-winning dining, tropical heated pool with swim-up bar, nightlife options and more.
