Why here?
The Dallas Metroplex is busy as new hotels sprout, older properties revamp and restaurants serve notably new dishes. Meanwhile, a convention center is expanding in Grapevine, Irving is getting a headquarters hotel and a new football training camp with meeting space has debuted in Frisco.
IN THE WORKS
• In Arlington last November, voters approved the $1 billion Rangers Ballpark Project. A new stadium, featuring a retractable roof for climate control, will replace Globe Life Park upon opening in 2020.
• The 1,511-room Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine is spending $120 million to expand. When finished, the property will have 1,811 rooms and 490,000 square feet of event space.
IRVING
Local Update
• A new 350-room Westin hotel is being planned to serve as the headquarters for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. The property will have 16,000 square feet of meeting space. Ground will be broken in March, with an aim toward a winter 2018 opening.
• Opening in the fall is the Irving Music Factory, an entertainment complex that will feature a 50,000-square-foot plaza with a stage, and 250,000 square feet of entertainment, retail and dining space, including a movie theater, a comedy club and more than 20 restaurants.
Meeting Hotels: More than 12,000 guest rooms are available, including the 431-room Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas and 410-room Omni Mandalay.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Irving Convention Center; exhibit space, 48,576 square feet; meeting rooms, 15; (866) 313-6490
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 10 miles from Irving. Transfer cost by taxi, $33; by airport shuttle, $18
Taxes: Room tax, 9%; sales tax, 6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Farm to fork is the mantra at the Ranch at Las Colinas. Two private rooms hold 100 each, the pavilion seats 150, and management can help find the right entertainment for the group. (972) 506-7262
Contact: Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau, (866) 433-2980
STRIKE!
Bowling is making a comeback in the Dallas area as
Pinstack, a franchise also devoted to dining and entertainment, has opened in Plano. Similar venues are under construction in Allen and Irving.
GOOD GIFTING
Guests at the recently renovated, 407-room Adolphus Hotel in Dallas can be welcomed with a wellness amenity: house-made granola, specialty water, a roll-on aromatherapy vial and more. (214) 742-8200
COWBOY CAMP
Now open in Frisco is The Star, aka Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters, with a plethora of gathering spaces, including a 12,000-seat event center. Joining the complex this summer is the 300-room Omni Frisco Hotel, with 24,000 square feet of meeting space and a rooftop pool.
DALLAS
A new pool complex is making
a splash at the 1,606-room
Hilton Anatole Hotel.Local Update
• The 1,606-room Hilton Anatole Hotel has a new $15 million pool complex with a leisure pool, a zero-entry family pool, a lazy river and two new event lawns, each able to host up to 200 people. The property offers 349,000 square feet of event space.
• The 200-room Virgin Hotel Dallas is under construction in the city's colorful Design District. The property is scheduled to open in 2018 with several dining and drinking outlets, including a pool deck and bar, a rooftop lounge and the brand's Commons Club lounge.
• A multimillion-dollar refresh of the 448-room Westin Galleria Dallas has been completed, updating the guest rooms and suites, the lobby and 54,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel's restaurant, the Second Floor, also was revamped.
Meeting Hotels: About 30,000 hotel rooms can be found within Dallas proper. The headquarters hotel for the Dallas Convention Center is the 1,001-room Omni Dallas. Other meeting properties include the 1,606-room Hilton Anatole Hotel and 1,120-room Hyatt Regency Dallas.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Dallas Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 1,018,942 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 88; (877) 684-7322
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 20 miles from the heart of downtown Dallas. Transfer cost by taxi, $45; by airport shuttle, $18; by DART, $2.50
Love Field, approximately six miles from downtown. Transfer by taxi, $18; by shuttle, $19
Taxes: Room tax, 7%; sales tax, 6%; Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, 2%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Southern Methodist University's Meadows Museum of Art holds a celebrated collection of Spanish art. The Great Hall accommodates up to 200 for a reception. (214) 768-2516
Contact: Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1000