Meeting News - May 5, 2008 - (Page 27)

Destination Insider: Texas Edited by Lori Morris lori.morris@nielsen.com Two New Hotels Coming On Within the Heart of Arlington Next month, Arlington will welcome a 149-room, full-service Holiday Inn, which will include 2,400 sf of meeting space. Strategically located five miles from DFW airport and in the heart of the city’s entertainment district, the property will be within walking distance of Glory Park, the Dallas Cowboys’ new football stadium (the team will move into its new home in 2009), and the Ballpark at Arlington, as well as a vast selection of shopping and dining. Meanwhile, in spring 2009, Concord Hospitality Enterprises will open a new 132-room Hilton Garden Inn in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The property, which broke ground in March, will offer 5,000 sf of meeting space. Famed Dallas Hotel is Dressed for Birthday Hilton Anatole unveils its final upgrades in time to celebrate its 30th anniversary The 1,606-room Hilton Anatole Hotel announced the completion of a $57-million renovation to its meeting space, public areas, and 700 of its guest rooms in March. The final phase of renovations marked the completion of a multi-year renovation project at the landmark hotel, representing a total investment of over $100 million. “As the hotel’s 30th anniversary approaches, it was time to transform the Dallas hospitality landmark,” said Marc Messina, general manager for the Anatole.“The renovations allow the hotel to evolve without losing the timeless aspect that people hold close to their hearts.” The new guest rooms feature new furnishings, including new bedding, as well as custom-designed carpeting, custom art, and large work desks with lamps and ergonomic desk chairs. “The complete design of our space is unlike anything we’ve done before,” said Tyler McDonald, director of sales and marketing for the Anatole. “We are creating the look and feel of guest rooms normally found at a luxury boutique hotel while maintaining the sizable space, functionality, and conveniences that are synonymous with the Anatole.” Additionally, the hotel spent $12.5 million updating its 333,400 sf of meeting space, including all meeting corridors, foyers, and prefunction areas. Upgrades included new custom carpets and new ceilings and wall treatments for the hotel’s Grand Ballroom, 17 breakout rooms, and 17 meeting rooms. That second phase of renovations followed a $39-million renovation project on the downtown hotel’s Atrium guest rooms, one of its ballrooms, and its spa, as well as the addition of an executive lounge. The property completed its $4.5-million, 8,300-sf Stemmons Ballroom in May 2007. In San Antonio, Omni Begins While Work Starts on the JW The brand-new, 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa broke ground in January, while March saw the debut of Omni La Mansion del Rio’s $6-million room and lobby refurbishment. The JW Marriot property, set to open in March 2010, is hoping to position San Antonio as a major golf destination by offering two 18-hole Tournament Players Club golf courses designed by Sergio Garcia, Pete Dye, and Greg Norman. In addition, the resort will offer 140,000 sf of meeting space, including a 40,000-sf ballroom, a 40,000-sf exhibit hall, a 21,000-sf junior ballroom, and 19 breakout rooms. As part of its renovation, the 338-room Omni La Mansion del Rio brought an earth-toned color scheme and new hand-carved pieces to the lobby, keeping in sync with the history of the storied hotel. The updated rooms feature new carpeting, draperies, wall finishes, and 32-inch plasma televisions. “Our goal was to update La Mansion del Rio while retaining the ambiance that has attracted guests since 1968,” said Rusty Wallace, general manager. The hotel’s meeting space was not included in the renovation, though the property features 16 meeting rooms totaling 15,000 sf, including a 3,900-sf ballroom that can accommodate groups of up to 500. www.meetingnews.com MeetingNews Q&A: Dallas’ Big Plans Dallas’ slogan says it all: “Live Large. Think Big.” With billions of dollars of investment going into revitalizing this Texas metropolis, MN spoke with Dallas’ CVB president, Phillip Jones, to learn more about these developments. It’s an amazing time in Dallas. We’re experiencing a tremendous renaissance in the city with over $12 billion worth of new development in the arts, recreation, the public spaces throughout the city, as well as all the new hotel and restaurant products that are coming on line. In a nutshell, there’s a whole new Dallas for meeting planners to experience and discover. The city council has secured land for a convention center hotel.What is the status of this project? Q A What steps is Dallas taking to attract meeting and convention groups? Part of the plan was to improve and add meeting space to the convention center; we felt we could do that by attaching it to the convention center hotel project and have at least 140,000 sf of additional meeting space as part of the attached hotel. One fell swoop, so to speak. Going forward, what challenges does Dallas face, and how will the CVB work to solve them? Q A Q A The city will be making a bid selection at the end of May or beginning of June; we hope to start construction on the hotel sometime in 2009 and open sometime in 2011. The most important thing for us is the convention center hotel development and to continue the momentum we have regarding the redevelopment of downtown Dallas. Then, we just have to get that message out, so we’re going to work really aggressively to do that. We will have the opportunity to really show off the city when we host PCMA in 2010, the Super Bowl in 2011, and ASAE in 2012. May 5, 2008 MeetingNews 27 http://www.meetingnews.com

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