A River Runs Through
The Trinity River Corridor Project touches both Dallas and Fort Worth, creating acres of greenway, parks and, in Fort Worth, a redeveloped waterfront.
trinityrivervision.orgDallas
Construction is running on time for the January 2012 opening of the city-owned Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel. The 1,000-room property, adjacent to the convention facility, will have 100,000 square feet of meeting space.
A five-year, $125 million renovation has been completed at the 1,606-room Hilton Anatole. All guest rooms now have Asian-inspired décor, while the property's meeting space, totaling 600,000 square feet, was redone and now offers a new registration area and office space for planners. All common areas were refurbished, and Internet capabilities were enhanced throughout the hotel. Three new dining spots have been added: Media Grill + Bar, a contemporary American bistro; Counter Offer Gourmet Market & Wine Gallery, which converts to a wine bar in the evening; and Gossip Bar, serving breakfast in the morning and martinis by night.
Last October, the 407-room Westin City Center became the Dallas Marriott City Center. Eight blocks from the Dallas Convention Center, the property offers the 650 North Bar and Restaurant, a fitness center overlooking downtown, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and an indoor ice-skating rink.
The 198-room Hotel Palomar Dallas has been certified as a Green Seal Silver property. The hotel offers the 10,000-square-foot Exhale Spa and 9,000 square feet of meeting space.
A new NYLO Hotel is planned for South Side Dallas, three blocks from the Dallas Convention Center. The 76-room property will mark the first NYLO hotel to pursue LEED Silver certification.
Offerings at the 218-room Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, include Playground, a program of movement breaks for groups of eight or more, starting for as little as $60. The aim is to give meeting participants some stress relief while respecting the event's budget and time constraints. The property features a 12,000-square-foot spa and 14,000 square feet of meeting space.
Spirit Airlines will begin twice-daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Fort Lauderdale, and between Dallas and Las Vegas, on May 5. The carrier will be DFW's sixth low-fare airline, joining AirTran, Frontier, Sun Country, US Airways and Virgin America.
Dallas Love Field Airport, home of Southwest Airlines, is in the middle of major construction, to be completed by 2015. The three original concourses are being demolished and consolidated into one centrally located concourse for all airlines. Check-in and baggage-claim areas are being redesigned, and the main lobby is being renovated.
Dragonfly, the restaurant at the 153-room Hotel ZaZa, reopened for business last month following a striking redesign. The luxury property offers approximately 8,600 square feet of meeting space.
An outdoor space with a pavilion, a restaurant, walking trails, a dog park, water features and more debuts in 2012. The Park, a pedestrian conduit, is being built above the below-ground eight-lane Woodall Rodgers Freeway; it will connect the Dallas Center for Performing Arts, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton Meyerson Symphony Hall, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and the future Perot Museum of Nature & Science, opening in 2013.
Meeting Hotels
About 30,000 hotel rooms can be found within Dallas proper, and a total of 75,544 rooms are in the greater metro area. For a comprehensive listing of properties, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Dallas Convention Center; exhibit space, 1,018,942 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 88; (877) 684-7322
Airport Transit
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, 20 miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $40; by shuttle, $19
Love Field, six miles from downtown. Transfer by taxi, $18; by shuttle, $19
Taxes
Room tax, 15%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue
Popular local chef Stephen Pyles borrows from the cuisines of India, Spain and the Eastern Mediterranean for the menu at Samar. Among the mouthwatering offerings are tiger prawns "Bombay Style" with crispy okra and spiced pear chutney. The establishment seats up to 75 and accommodates 200 for a reception. (214) 922-9922
Contact
Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1000
New Center
The 275,000-square-foot Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas debuted in February with a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and 20 breakout rooms. irvingconventioncenter.com
Fort Worth
Ground was broken last summer on new facilities for the Kimbell Art Museum, in a new building designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. When the $125 million expansion opens in 2013, it will double the Kimbell's gallery space. The museum's holdings include major works by luminaries such as Michaelangelo, Cézanne and Picasso.
Meeting Hotels
The city's main properties 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.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle is 20 minutes north of downtown. Near the airport are the 299-room American Airlines Training and Conference Center and 295-room Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott South.
Convention Center
Fort Worth Convention Center; exhibit space, 253,226 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 41; (817) 392-6338
Airport Transit
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, approximately 17 miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $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
Opening on May 21 is the $48 million facility for the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, a cultural and scientific center for conservation. Groups will be welcome to use a classroom with seating for 20, an open-air terrace accommodating 100 for a reception and 50 for a dinner, and a common area seating 120 for dinner. (817) 332-4441
Contact
Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, (817) 336- 8791 or (800) 433-5747
Update: GrapevineThe city of Grapevine, Texas, is the northern tip of a triangle anchored by Dallas and Fort Worth. New this year is the Legoland Discovery Center Dallas/Fort Worth in the Grapevine Mills mall, where the Sea Life Aquarium opens in May. Both facilities have space for small groups. Just opened downtown is the 120-seat Texas Star Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.
At the 1,511-room Gaylord Texan (pictured at right), which offers 400,000 square feet of meeting space and five restaurants, a 10-acre pool complex opens next month with a lazy river, a zip line and poolside seating for 1,200.
Also in town is the 605-room Great Wolf Lodge, with an indoor entertainment center and water park, plus 27,000 square feet of meeting space. The 395-room Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, a member of IACC, offers 63,000 square feet of meeting space. Serving Grapevine Mills is the 329-room Embassy Suites Outdoor World, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Contact:Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 457-6338