Austin
A Music City That's Finding A Rhythm Of Its Own
By Selena ChavisA progressive metropolitan atmosphere coupled with a vibrant and expansive music scene has created a one-of-a-kind appeal for meeting groups in Austin, say local hospitality professionals. A city alive with entertainment options, Austin caters to a diverse audience of visitors from music fans and art lovers to history buffs and sports fans.
"We create that unique experience many cities would love to have," said Roy Benear, senior vice president of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). "[Groups] see a bounce in their attendance when they come to Austin. The number we hear tends to be a 10 to 15 percent increase. That's pretty substantial."
A bounce in attendance is exactly what the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) realized when it held its 63rd National Conference in Austin last year. "Attendance saw a 17 percent jump from the previous year, topping out at nearly 5,300 attendees," said Bethany Blue Chirico, director of conferences and meetings. "Every event held as part of the national conference also saw increased attendance, including the closing social event despite it being held on a Saturday night during a University of Texas football home game weekend."
Requiring 15,000 square feet of function space, along with general session space, ballroom space and breakout rooms, NACAC held its event at the
Austin Convention Center and used 20 hotels in the downtown district and other areas of the city for its overnight accommodations.
The center, which is 881,400 gross square feet and covers six city blocks, contains five exhibit halls, providing 246,097 square feet of column-free space, along with 54 meeting rooms and two ballrooms. Benear said the facility is "one of the top centers in the country as far as technology goes."
Encompassing 26,000 hotels in the metropolitan area and 5,500 within in walking distance of the convention center, the city has a solid meetings infrastructure but is continuing to expand options for groups due to increased demand, Benear noted.
A major focal point of upcoming development and expansion is the planned Marriott Hotel Complex recently announced by White Lodging Services Corporation. Located two blocks from the convention center, the $185 million development will include two Marriott-branded hotels and add 1,000 rooms to the downtown hotel inventory. "That in itself is going to have a huge impact on us," Benear said.
A 31-story, 850-room Marriott will serve as a convention center hotel, and an 11-story, 150-room JW Marriott will round out the project. Combined, the properties will house 50,000 square feet of function space. According to Benear, construction is expected to begin in early 2008 with completion slated for 2010.
Also scheduled for groundbreaking in 2008 is the 21C Museum Hotel, a boutique property that will showcase a world-class art collection, upscale restaurant and artists' lofts, according to hotel officials. "Our goal is to blend a love of art, Texas-styled comfort and 21st century technology into a property that is uniquely Austin," said Steve Wilson, chairman of Art Commerce Entertainment Unlimited and one of the development's partners. "The driver here is art, in all its forms—contemporary art by emerging and acclaimed regional and international artists; architecture of the finest caliber; and cuisine by true culinary artisans."
Offering direct trolley service to the convention center, the 160-room Seaholm Plaza Hotel is slated for completion in 2010. The project is part of a planned redevelopment of the 7.8-acre Seaholm site in the burgeoning Seaholm neighborhood. "This hotel will play a crucial role in the rebirth of the Seaholm site, and it will be designed to complement the adjacent historic structure," said Jeff Trigger, principal and founder of La Corsha Hospitality, the company overseeing construction and management of the project. "The hotel will be true to Austin's warm and friendly nature while combining Art Deco architecture with modern touches of elegance." The hotel will also house restaurants, a lounge, a pavilion and meeting space.
Several other properties are in the works or under construction, including the 250-room W Austin Hotel and Residences, which will be part of the $225 million Block 21 project that's set to open in 2009 and include a new Austin Children's Museum facility, a nightclub co-owned by Willie Nelson and street-level retail, according to the CVB. Other properties on tap for the upcoming three years include the 290-room Hotel Van Zandt, the 130-room Twelve Domain, and the 14-room Hotel St. Cecilia. Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants will manage the Hotel Van Zandt, which is slated to offer 12,000 square feet of meeting space.
As part of what destination officials call "the Austin renaissance," many of the city's signature properties have undergone or have plans for renovation efforts.
The 463-room Renaissance Austin Hotel will soon become Austin's largest in-house meeting facility once the addition of 7,000 additional square feet of meeting space is completed this summer. The expansion will bring the total meeting space to 67,000 square feet. "The opportunities for this premier new meeting space are endless for the elegant types of events and catered functions we will be able to create for local events and for the high-end meeting planner," said General Manager Rob Gillette. The property also recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2007 creating a "high-tech, high-touch" feel for guests. New additions include "@ustinbytes" Internet café.
Slated for completion by the end of the year, an extensive renovation is under way at the 303-room Barton Creek Resort and Spa, said Paul McCormick, vice president and managing partner. The scope of the project includes renovated guest rooms, meeting space, lobby bar and grill. "It is exciting to be able to offer a new guest room product to our guests," McCormick said. "It only adds to the appeal of the Barton Creek that our leisure guests have come to love, and will exceed the expectations of today's business traveler with a luxurious ‘home-away-from-home' ambiance." The resort offers 43,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 150-seat amphitheater.
The 448-room Hyatt Regency Austin is a Four-Diamond property located on Lady Bird Lake. It is currently in the midst of a $17 million renovation of its public space. According to Melissa Massito, director of sales and marketing, the renovation will include the hotel's fitness center, entrance, lobby and 23,000 square feet of meeting space.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 8.25 percent
· Hotel Tax: 15 percent
Transportation: The Capital Metro System provides 4,000 stops throughout Central Texas. Fares cost 50 cents. |
The 189-room Radisson Hotel Austin North completed a renovation project in late 2006 and recently came under new management, according to Director of Sales and Marketing Sue Ann Baker, who said the property is undergoing continued improvements through additions like new furniture, Sleep Number beds, new door locks, remodeled pool area and courtyard, and wireless Internet access. The property houses 15,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 8,000-square-foot ballroom.
According to Tim Chegin, director of sales and marketing at the 313-room Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark, the property has implemented a new program that offers customized meeting services with themed offerings. The property contains 13 meeting rooms that span 13,600 square feet and is slated to renovate its poolside rooms in 2009.
According to Public Relations Manager Ron Dusek, the 800-room Hilton Austin is "a dream hotel for their technology-savvy clients" as all guest rooms and meeting rooms feature the latest in wireless high-speed Internet capabilities. The property is the largest hotel in Austin and is adjacent to the convention center. It features 60,000 square feet of meeting space, including the largest ballroom in the city at 28,000 square feet.
Additional meeting hotels include 349-room Horseshoe Bay Resort Marriott, a Four-Diamond property housing 51,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Austin, which offers 293 newly renovated guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.
