Prevue July-August 2017 - 55

Texas is Hot!
A wealth of openings, expansions & cultural revivals redefine the
Lone Star State. By Jessie Fetterling

W

With several openings, expansions and
cultural revivals in the past of couple years,
Texas is hotter than ever for meetings
looking to combine culture with new and
Texas-sized meeting facilities. Cities that
catered to business are now expanding
their cultural horizons and vice versa,
guaranteeing meeting planners a plethora of
new experiences.
"Texas is one of the main influencers
of culture in the southwestern United
States," says Visit Dallas CEO Phillip
Jones. "Our cities are thriving destinations
with significant sports, arts, culinary and
shopping experiences."
If you haven't planned any meetings or
incentives in Texas in recent years, you're
missing out.

Alamodome, which hosts major sporting
events, concerts and trade shows. The
Alamodome's renovation will feature more
outdoor event space, including a beer
garden, an 18,600-sf East and West
concourse expansion and a new 24,000-sf
multiuse space.
Both major event venues are situated
along the culturally infused River Walk.
Adjacent to the convention center is the
1,003-room Grand Hyatt San Antonio
that has its own 115,000 sf of meeting
space available for groups. While the nearby
shops and restaurants lining the River
Walk provide a taste of southern Texas,
the hotel's Bar Rojo offers a wide variety
of flavors-brisket to tacos-matched by
cocktails made with Mexican tequilas and
South American rums.

SAN ANTONIO
Last year ushered in the $325 million
expansion to San Antonio's Henry B.
Gonzalez Convention Center, and later
this year will bring a roughly $50 million
renovation of the connected 65,000-seat

DALLAS
Visit Dallas revamped its website last
year to include a search-by-neighborhood
option, reminding meeting planners that
Dallas is much more than one big central

business district. To say Dallas has come
into its own as a cultural destination is an
understatement, and its big-city offerings
without the coastal congestion are just the
beginning of its appeal.
The Dallas Arts District earned The
Michelin Green Guide's coveted three-star
rating last year, along with its popular Dallas
Museum of Art. Just north of the district,
Uptown offers some of the trendiest hotels
on the scene as of late: the art-filled Hotel
ZaZa Dallas and Le Meridien Dallas, The
Stoneleigh. The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas also
brings in some of the city's Mexican heritage
with its very own resident "guacamologist"
who creates delicious guacamole every night.
Continuing north into North Dallas is
the elite neighborhood of Highland Park,
home to expansive mansions that set
the stage for "The Real Housewives of
Dallas." Groups can meet at the 198-room
Highland Dallas - a Curio Collection
by Hilton, where historic mid-century
architecture blends in with modern culture.
Its approach to the wellness trend, also

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue July-August 2017
