Why Here?
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (above) in Dallas symbolizes the exciting new architectural styles sprouting in Texas, with hotel giants such as Fairmont, Hyatt, Marriott, Omni and Westin contributing new landmarks of their own. The upshot: great new choices for meeting planners and attendees.
New Museum in Dallas
Relive recent history as experienced by our 43rd president:
georgewbushlibrary.smu.eduDALLAS
Local Update
The landmark Butler Brothers building, erected in 1910, is being transformed into a 200-room Hilton Hotel, to be accompanied by 250 residential units and 21,000 square feet of retail space. The hotel will include two restaurants, and a pool; specific meeting space details and other amenities have not yet been announced.
The Dallas Convention Center -- recently renamed the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center after the retired senator -- has earned the Digital Event Center designation from the Virtual Edge Institute. The DEC program provides venues and operators with a readiness review of the facility and its employees and technology partners for executing digital or hybrid events. DEC venues can provide a single-source hybrid event package through VEI.
Ground has been broken on a new 30,000-square-foot meeting facility at the 514-room Renaissance Dallas Hotel. When the work is finished in late 2014, 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 being constructed to garner LEED Silver certification.
The Joule Hotel has spent $78 million upgrading its rooms and adding 30 more, for a total of 161 units, including three penthouse suites. A rooftop event space also was added. The property has 14,000 square feet of meeting space.
Meeting Hotels
About 30,000 hotel rooms can be found within the city of Dallas, and a total of 75,544 rooms are in the greater metro area. To find and compare properties, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Dallas Convention Center; exhibit space, 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
Golfers both new and seasoned can score points at TopGolf Dallas, a driving range made for events. Square off as teams or individuals and aim for targets close by or far off. The facility welcomes groups of up to 1,000 people. (214) 341-9600; topgolf.com/dallas
Contact
Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1000; visitdallas.com
State of the Art
• Currently on exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art is "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece."
dallasmuseumofart.org
• The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will present "México Inside Out: Themes in Art Since 1990" beginning this September.
themodern.org
• The University of Texas' Blanton Museum of Art in Austin currently features "Lifelike," commonplace items made of unusual materials and in odd sizes, such as Jonathan Seliger's "Heartland," pictured above.
blantonmuseum.orgCoal Minding
Texas Monthly magazine celebrates all things barbecue in its TMBBQ blog (
tmbbq.com). The periodical hosts a festival in Nov. 3 in Austin, inviting top BBQ joints to share their fare.
bit.ly/12ZFbqBAUSTIN
Local Update
Construction continues on the 1,012-room JW Marriott Austin, set to open in 2015 near the Austin Convention Center. The property will have 112,000 square feet of meeting space, including two ballrooms spanning 30,000 and 23,000 square feet, respectively, and 23,000 square feet of exhibit space. Plans call for a full-service restaurant and more.
The hammers also are flying at the site of the new 1,000-room Fairmont Austin, also debuting in 2015. The property, within walking distance of the convention center, will offer 70,000 square feet of meeting space.
Hyatt Hotels Corp. has acquired the 189-room Driskill Hotel for $85 million. The property, whose name will not change, is undergoing an $8 million renovation. Built in 1886 and a particular favorite of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Driskill offers 18,000 square feet of meeting space.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has purchased and renamed the Barton Creek Resort & Spa, one of Austin's top properties. The newly reflagged, 318-room Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa features four top-notch golf courses, two restaurants and approximately 43,000 square feet of meeting space.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and White Lodging Services Corp. plan to open a second Westin property in the city in spring 2015. Ground will be broken on the 326-room Westin Austin Downtown this year. Near the Austin Convention Center, the hotel will include some 13,500 square feet of meeting space.
Ground is set to be broken in October on a Hotel ZaZa, the third property in the upscale boutique chain. To open in 2015, the hotel will have 160 guest rooms and an as yet undetermined amount of meeting space.
Meeting Hotels
Among the many downtown properties in the city are the 800-room Hilton Austin, 492-room Renaissance Austin Hotel and 448-room Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown.
Just outside of town in Bastrop is the 491-room Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa.
To find and compare hotels and send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Austin Convention Center; total exhibit space, 246,052 square feet; total number of meeting rooms, 54; (512) 404-4000; fax: (512) 404-4220; austinconventioncenter.com
Airport Transit
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, about eight miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $20; by shuttle, $18; by bus, $1.
Taxes
Room tax, 9%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on rooms, 15%
Group Venue
Let attendees compete in a feverish round of air hockey at Pinballz Arcade. Groups of up to 500 are welcome to play a host of games. (512) 420-8458; pinballzarcade.com
Contact
Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 926-2282; austintexas.org
A Little Shut-Eye
A Minute Suites Nap Center has opened in DFW Airport's Terminal D. Rates for the nine rooms start at $34 for one hour and $8.50 for every extra 15 minutes, topping out at a flat $125 per night. Showers are available.
FORT WORTH
Local Update
The Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau's new meetings website, MeetinFortWorth.com, features a wide range of full-service hotels, unique venues and dining options. The site also includes 3-D tours, floor plans for the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Will Rogers Memorial Center, sample itineraries and testimonials.
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 a more complete listing of Fort Worth hotels, and to send RFPs, visit 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
End a long day of meetings by letting attendees party out at the Coyote Drive-In. Groups can take over the place, bring in a band and some food trucks, or just sit back for a first-run double feature (the drive-in has its own food outlet, the Coyote Canteen). The outdoor theater holds up to 5,000 people. (817) 717-7767; coyotedrive-in.com
Contact
Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, (817) 336-8791 or (800) 433-5747; fortworth.com