Buildings of Distinction
Already home to museum facilities designed by Tadao Ando, Legoretta + Legoretta, and Philip Johnson, Fort Worth's Cultural District soon will claim another architectural gem. Construction begins this summer on additional facilities for the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The new branch is going up just west of the current museum, which is a product of architect Louis I. Kahn. The $125 million expansion, set to open in 2013, will nearly double the museum's gallery space. The Kimbell's extensive treasures cover the gamut of art history and include pieces by the likes of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Cézanne, Gainsborough, Matisse and Picasso, along with pre-Colombian works from Africa, Asia, Greece, Egypt, Rome Mesopotamia and New Zealand. (817) 332-8451;
kimbellart.org Fort Worth
Local Update: Ground was broken last December on a $48 million facility to house the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, a cultural and scientific center for conservation. Three areas are planned where groups will be able to gather: a classroom that will hold 20, an open-air terrace accommodating 100 for a reception and 50 for a dinner, and a common area that will host dinners for 120. Completion is set for early 2011.
Meeting Hotels: The city's main properties include the 614-room Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 504-room Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 430-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; www.fortworthconventioncenter.com
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: A signature drink with some bite, the Jalapeño Cucumber Margarita is one of the specialties at Lonesome Dove Bistro, chef Tim Love's Fort Worth outpost. Also on the drink menu is the Organic Margarita, made of organic tequila, organic agave nectar and fresh fruit juices. For a fabulous night out, couple the cocktails with singular seasonal dishes (one menu in July offered ostrich nachos and flounder en papillote with spring radishes, chilis and summer squash). The restaurant hosts groups of up to 400 people. (817) 740-8810; lonesomedovebistro.com
CVB Services: Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, (817) 336-8791 or (800) 433-5747; fortworth.com
Did You Know?
El Paso consistently ranks as one of the safest U.S. cities with fewer than 500,000 residents.
El Paso
Local Update:Six major airlines serve El Paso International Airport with 60 flights a day. Southwest Airlines is the primary carrier.
The 210-room Doubletree El Paso Downtown City Center opened in April 2009 with six meeting rooms.
Meeting Hotels: El Paso has two full-service properties downtown, the 359-room Camino Real Hotel and the 210-room Doubletree El Paso Downtown City Center.
Convention Center: Judson F. Williams Convention Center; exhibit space, 80,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 17. (915) 534-0601; elpasocvb.com
Airport Transit: El Paso International Airport, six miles from downtown. Transfer cost to downtown by taxi, $15-$20; all downtown hotels offer free shuttle service
Taxes: Room tax, 7.25%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15.5%
Group Venue: New in town is the Plaza Theatre Philanthropy Annex, offering several venues for events. Among them is the Philanthropy Theatre, which seats up to 191 people. On the annex's roof, the Alcantar Sky Garden, decorated with stunning Italian tiles and ornate fountains, accommodates 223 for a reception and up to 130 for a seated dinner. (915) 534-0609; theplazatheatre.org
CVB Services: El Paso Convention & Visitors Bureau, (915) 534-0601 or (800) 351-6024; elpasocvb.com
San Antonio
Local Update: An $8 million renovation turned a Radisson property into the Doubletree Hotel San Antonio Downtown. All 250 guest rooms now have LCD TVs and MP3-compatible clock radios. Floor-to-ceiling windows brighten up the 9,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes two ballrooms. The property's new dining spot is the Ventanas Bistro & Wine Bar.
The 285-room Embassy Suites on the River Walk will open in October with 11,600 square feet of meeting space.
Opening in the fall is the 1,280-seat Pearl Amphitheatre on the newly extended River Walk. The stage is set in the San Antonio River, with seating on the banks.
San Antonio International Airport will open new facilities in November, including eight new gates at Terminal B.
Meeting Hotels: With more than 42,000 guest rooms, city hotels include the 1,003-room Grand Hyatt San Antonio, 1,001-room Marriott Rivercenter, 632-room Hyatt Regency Riverwalk, 507-room Marriott Riverwalk, 482-room Hilton Palacio del Rio, 473-room Westin Riverwalk, 410-room Crowne Plaza Riverwalk, 397-room Holiday Inn Select Airport, 386-room Hilton Airport, 352-room St. Anthony Wyndham Historic Hotel, 350-room La Quinta Inn & Suites San Antonio Convention Center and 338-room Omni La Mansion del Rio.
Just outside of town are the 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, 508-room Westin La Cantera Resort, 500-room Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa, and 227-room Hilton San Antonio Hill Country Hotel and Spa.
Convention Center: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center; exhibit space, 440,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 63; (877) 504-8895; www.sanantonio.gov/convfac
Alamodome; exhibit space, 160,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 16; (800) 884-3663; alamodome.com
Airport Transit: San Antonio International Airport, eight miles from downtown. Transfer cost to downtown area by taxi, $15-$20; by shuttle, $18
Taxes: Room tax, 16.75%; sales tax, 8.125%; total tax on hotel rooms, 16.75%
Group Venue: New in town is Morgan's Wonderland, a wheelchair-accessible fun park with rides, playgrounds, gardens, an eight-acre fishing lake and an 18,000-square-foot events center. Also on the grounds is a 575-seat amphitheater. (210) 637-3434; morganswonderland.com
Saunter into the former residence of the captain of the Spanish Presidio, called the Spanish Governor's Palace. Fresh off a $775,000 renovation, the venue, built in the 1700s, reopened in May and hosts events for up to 130. (210) 224-0601; www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/parks_plazas/governorspalace.aspx
CVB Services: San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, (210) 207-6700 or (866) 517-7771; visitsan
antonio.com