Why Here?
Lots of excitement awaits in these two powerhouse Texas cities. For example, at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, above, the on-site Speedway Club gives up to 600 guests panoramic views of the track, and the venue is installing a giant video screen that will bring the action right into your lap.
Delicious Dishes
Two Dallas eateries have made Esquire's list of Best New Restaurants of 2013: John Tesar's Spoon Bar and Kitchen (spoonbarandkitchen.com) is a seafood-lover's delight, while Stephen Pyles is behind Stampede 66 (stampede66.com), turning locally sourced ingredients into fine Texas cuisine.
New Venue
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas has enjoyed a banner first year. More than 1.3 million people explored its 11 permanent exhibit halls. Groups of up to 1,500 can take over the whole facility. perotmuseum.org
New Flights
Qatar Airways has announced new daily international service from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Doha, Qatar, starting on July 1.
DALLAS
Local Update
• Work continues on a new 30,000-square-foot meeting facility at the 514-room Renaissance Dallas Hotel. When the conference area opens in June, the property will have a total of 50,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a new 16,000-square-foot grand ballroom. The meeting center is aiming for LEED Silver certification. Meanwhile, at the in-house Asador restaurant, chef Dean Max has designed a menu of farm-to-table American cuisine with a Latin flair. Recreational amenities include a rooftop pool.
• The 161-room Joule Hotel has finished a $78 million renovation that included the addition of an 8,000-square-foot spa called Espa. Set on two subterranean floors of the hotel, the facility offers several multifunction treatment rooms. Work also included an expansion of the hotel's lobby and three ballrooms, and the addition of 31 new guest rooms. The Joule has more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space, a rooftop pool (called the Poule), a yoga studio and a 24-hour fitness center.
• The 76-room NYLO Dallas South Side has earned LEED Gold certification. The hotel is in a 102-year-old former factory that sat vacant for more than 10 years. Steps taken to achieve the certification included adding a well-insulated roof, installing a 3,900-gallon cistern to collect rainwater for landscaping and irrigation, and installing sensor-controlled thermostats and low-flow bathroom fixtures. The hotel has two small meeting rooms along with a 4,500-square-foot rooftop terrace.
• The 1910 Butler Brothers building is becoming a 200-room Hilton Hotel, along with 250 residential units and 21,000 square feet of retail space. The hotel will have two restaurants and a pool; specific meeting space details and other amenities, as well as an opening date, have not yet been announced.
Meeting Hotels: About 30,000 hotel rooms are within the city of Dallas, and a total of 75,544 are in the greater metro area. The headquarters hotel for the convention center is the 1,001-room Omni Dallas. Other nearby properties include the 1,120-room Hyatt Regency Dallas. For more, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Dallas Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 1,018,942 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 88; (877) 684-7322; dallasconventioncenter.com
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 20 miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $40; by shuttle, $19
Love Field, approximately six miles from the downtown area. Transfer by taxi, $18; by shuttle, $19
Taxes: Room tax, 15%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Groups can enjoy cocktails while strolling through an underwater tunnel at the Dallas World Aquarium. The popular attraction, in the main gallery, gives a close-up view of coral reefs, waving kelp and tropical fish. Among other highlights are exhibits on the Mayan world, South Africa and Borneo. Private events can be held for up to 2,800 people; for smaller groups, the second-floor Port Hole holds 600 for a reception, while the Reef Room hosts up to 125 for a dinner, the Rainforest seats 250 and Mundo Mayo holds 125 for dinner. (214) 720-2224; dwazoo.com
Contact: Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1000; visitdallas.com
Nearby News
The
Sheraton McKinney Hotel in McKinney, Texas, will debut in February 2015 with 186 rooms. The property will connect to a 20,000-square-foot events center, to open at the same time.
A $90 million, 350-room full-service headquarters hotel is in the works in Irving, Texas. The property, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space, will serve the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.
FORT WORTH
Local Update
• The 55,000-square-foot Sundance Square Plaza, a new outdoor event area, recently opened, offering a permanent stage.
• Adding to the city's wide-ranging choice of museum offerings (such as the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame), the colonnaded Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimball Art Museum opened last November, complementing the facility's original building, which was designed by Louis Kahn. The pavilion's opening exhibit features masterpieces from a permanent collection that includes works by Michelangelo and Caravaggio.
• The first Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival, to take place March 27-March 30, will raise funds for local grant programs and culinary scholarships.
• Fort Worth launched a bike-share program on Earth Day last year. Today there are 30 stations set up across Downtown, the Cultural District, Near Southside and on Texas Christian University's campus.
Meeting Hotels: The largest meeting properties in town include the 614-room Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 504-room Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 431-room Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa, 294-room Hilton Fort Worth, 203-room Courtyard by Marriott-Blackstone and 156-suite Embassy Suites Fort Worth-Downtown. For more, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Fort Worth Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 253,226 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 41; (817) 392-6338; meetinfortworth.com/fort-worth-convention-center
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 17 miles from the downtown district. Transfer cost by taxi, about $52; by shuttle, $15-$25; by Trinity Railway Express, $2.50
Taxes: Room tax, 15%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: A good time is guaranteed when dripping cheese and/or melted chocolate are involved. Choose from a creative range of molten flavors at Simply Fondue on West 4th Street in Sundance Square, where sauces are made with ingredients such as aged whiskey cheddar, Wisconsin sharp cheddar, French onion Swiss, spicy pepper Jack, bananas foster, campfire chocolate, crème caramel and Bailey's Irish chocolate. Groups of up to 36 people can enjoy private dining in the restaurant's Board Room, where three flat-panel displays can be used for presentations. (817) 348-0633; simplyfonduefortworth.com
Contact: Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, (817) 336-8791 or (800) 433-5747; fortworth.com