Why here?
Next month will mark the opening of the 1,048-room Fairmont Austin Hotel (rendered pictured), a third headquarters option for the city's convention center. Helping to handle citywide overflow is the new dual-branded Aloft and Element Austin Downtown, which adds another 422 rooms to the inventory.
DMO SUPPORT
• Following the trend among destination marketing organizations, the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has become Visit Austin. Information and contacts are found at visitaustin.org.
• Visit Austin has developed a new digital meeting planning tool at meet.austintexas.org. The Austin Meeting Planner Guide features details on the city's event facilities, accommodations, convention services and more.
STEP OUTSIDE
The new Backyard at Waller Creek at the 367-room Sheraton Austin Hotel features 11,500 square feet of flexible outdoor space for events, plus a food truck, a full bar and more.
AUSTIN
Local Update
• The 1,048-room Fairmont Austin Hotel, the largest Fairmont yet, is on schedule to open Sept. 21. The property will connect to the Austin Convention Center via the $6 million Red River Canopy Walk. Plans call for almost 140,000 square feet of in-house meeting space, a Willow Stream spa, and five restaurants and bars.
• Beginning on March 28, 2018, Norwegian Airlines will offer daily service between Austin Bergstrom International Airport and London Gatwick Airport.
• Lyft and Uber have returned to the city after a new state law was enacted in May, overriding regulations in some cities that had imposed strict background checks on ride-share drivers, including fingerprinting.
• The combined Aloft and Element Austin Downtown debuted on July 27 with a total of 422 rooms (the Aloft has 278; the Element, 144). The properties share the Caroline restaurant, an outdoor lounge with open-air gaming space called Upstairs at Caroline and approximately 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
• Hyatt has taken over the 220-acre, 70-room Travaasa Austin Resort and is redeveloping it into a Miraval spa resort, set for completion in January 2019. The project will add 50 guest rooms, and its spa will be expanded to 21,000 square feet and 30 treatment rooms. Plans also call for a total of 15,864 square feet of event space.
IN THE SWING
The grand dame of golf properties in Austin is the 309-room
Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa, with four exceptional layouts. Duffers and seasoned players alike will enjoy the Canyons and Foothills courses, designed by top architect Tom Fazio. The resort also features Arnold Palmer's Lakeside layout and the Coore Crenshaw course.
Meeting Hotels: Austin has more than 36,000 rooms citywide. Properties include the 1,012-room JW Marriott Austin, 800-room Hilton Austin, 492-room Renaissance Austin Hotel, 448-room Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown, 422-room Aloft and Element Austin Downtown and 319-room Hotel Van Zandt.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Austin Convention Center; exhibit space, 247,052 square feet; meeting rooms, 54; (512) 404-4000
Airport Transit: Austin--Bergstrom International Airport, about eight miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $28; by shuttle, $12
Taxes: Room tax, 9%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Lady Bird Lake, part of the Colorado River, offers water sports in the heart of downtown. Go out on the lake with Lone Star Riverboat, whose doubled-decked paddle boat seats up to 130 people. (512) 327-1388
Contact: Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 926-2282