Houston
Create Your Group's Own ‘My Houston' Experience
Houston is undoubtedly a diverse city and for events has endless options. "For a major American city, the variety of high-quality [meeting] properties in Houston offers a meeting planner a great deal of choice," said Greg Ortale, president/CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB).
To showcase this diversity, GHCVB officials recently launched the "My Houston" campaign. In early 2007, the GHCVB created a 12-minute documentary called "One Day in Houston" to illustrate a day in the life of Houston to potential visitors and meeting planners—as a film to showcase the "real" Houston. According to Ortale, about 25 hometown celebrities—like heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman—volunteered their time to highlight their personal stories of the city in the documentary and the spin-off print campaign that showcases an ethnically and professionally diverse selection of celebrities. "There are really so many hidden gems in this city," Ortale said. "You can literally create the experience you want in Houston."
For the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (ISA), their Houston experience was so successful it led them to select it as the permanent host for the annual ISA EXPO. Tracey Berrett-Noble, ISA convention services manager, said, "As an organizer, we find Houston to be an easy and accommodating city to work with, and our exhibitors appreciate the right-to-work status and more cost-effective exhibit service and hotel rates."
The "My Houston" campaign is just one of the major developments being launched this year, including downtown Houston's revitalization project, Discovery Green, which opened in April. The project converted 12 acres of surface parking lots in front of the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center to two new restaurants, an amphitheater, picnic areas, a jogging trail, and other green spaces for special events and recreation, Ortale said.
More than a half-dozen other high-profile projects that mix entertainment, retail and restaurants are under development around the city as well, GHCVB officials reported.
These projects will be more accessible in the coming future. In 2007, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) voted to approve the use of light rail transit lines on all five of its next rapid transit lines of the METRO Solutions program, a long-range transit plan composed of a comprehensive transportation system to be built over the next decade, according to Lindsey Brown, GHCVB director of marketing. Metro officials hope to have all five of the planned lines completed in late 2012.
Air transportation options are also improving with the addition of four new flights by Southwest to William P. Hobby Airport beginning in June.
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The airline will offer a daily service to and from San Diego and two daily flights to and from Orlando, Fla. In August, the airline will add a dailyflight to and from Oakland, Calif., and another flight to and from Denver.
Downtown/Convention Center
Downtown Houston, bounded by U.S. Interstate 45, I-10 and U.S. Hwy. 59, continues to evolve as the nucleus of the city. One of the newest developments, according to GHCVB officials, is the Houston Pavilions, slated for completion in fall 2008. It will take up four city blocks and is set to offer retail space with entertainment venues such as House of Blues performance theater and Lucky Strike bowling lanes, according to developers
William Denton and Geoffrey Jones.
Hotel developments coming online in the downtown area include a new Omni hotel, a conversion,from a Sheraton, which will feature 400-plus guest rooms and approximately 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The property is slated to open in 2009 and will be "steps" away from the Houston Pavilions project, according to the GHCVB's Brown, who also added that a full-service, 250-room Embassy Suites hotel is scheduled to open in 2010 at the Discovery Green site.
In January, another new development opened downtown: an approximately 670-space Convention District Parking garage beneath Discovery Green Park and in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB). "The new Convention District garage is another parking component that will serve the growing needs of the neighborhood surrounding the George R. Brown," said Dawn Ullrich, director of the Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department. The GRB itself celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and features nearly 1.2 million square feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space that includes seven exhibit halls, a 6,000-seat arena, 117 meeting rooms and 99,000 square feet of registration space.
Connected via skywalks to the GRB is the 1,200-room Hilton Americas - Houston, which offers 91,500 square feet of meeting space, with two of its three levels of meeting space connected to the GRB to allow easy access for convention attendees. The hotel also includes three on-site restaurants and a full-service Skyline Spa and Health Center, according to hotel spokeswoman Tere Perry. "A short ride from the Hilton Americas - Houston on the city's MetroRail light rail system are a number of world-renowned attractions," she added. A new Java Jive @1600 was recently added to the lobby area of the hotel and offers Starbucks coffee and light snacks.
Nearby, The Magnolia Hotel recently opened a new Magnolia Concierge Level on the hotel's 22nd floor, providing complimentary services and amenities to guests, according to GHCVB officials. The hotel features 314 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 960-room Hyatt Regency Houston recently announced plans for a $35 million revitalization project. According to Managing Director Steve Trent, the project will upgrade all guest rooms and add new meeting space and a Shula's America's Steak House—the first of its kind in Texas. "The project is essentially a rebirth of this iconic downtown hotel," Trent said. The project is slated for completion in late October. Part of the project will include the transformation of 30 guest rooms into nine meeting rooms.
The 350-room Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown, also a mile from the GRB, recently completed a three-month, $4.5 million renovation of its guest rooms and corridors, fitness center, meeting space and front entrance, according to Saundra Goldman, general manager. "Our spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and a comfortable work area will continue to appeal to business travelers and meeting attendees alike," Goldman added. The hotel features 18,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.
Uptown/Galleria
Located west of downtown, Uptown is a shopping district with more than 5 million square feet of retail space and 1,000 retail stores, including the fourth largest U.S. mall, The Galleria.
Development projects in Uptown include BLVD Place, which will encompass 21 acres of Galleria area land and will become a mixed-use site for retail and condominiums, as well as a 225-room luxury hotel, according to Wulf and Co., which owns the project. Other developments in the area include a $40 million, 152-room aloft hotel, GHCVB's Brown said. The hotel will be next door to the 11-story Prosperity Bank building. The aloft's Houston debut is scheduled for the first quarter of 2009.
Uptown's Hotel Derek recently introduced the Derek 10 Amenity Package, which is available complimentary to groups of 10 or more when reserving meeting space. The package includes amenities ranging from a complimentary "Stress Break" to a complimentary room per 40 rooms occupied per night. The hotel offers 10,000 square feet of event space and 314 guest rooms.
Reliant Park/Texas Medical Park
Located in the southern part of the city are the Reliant Park and Texas Medical Park areas. With nearly 600 events annually and 350 acres of land, Reliant Park is one of Houston's largest venues with the 125,000-square-foot Reliant Stadium, the 1.4 million-square-foot Reliant Center, the 249,000-square-foot Reliant Arena and the 70,000-seat Reliant Astrodome. The facility recently unveiled a new, interactive website.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 8.5 percent
· Hotel Tax: 17 percent
· Transportation: The City of Houston has authorized a flat taxi fare of $6 for all trips in the downtown area. Airport fares to parts of the city average $50. |
The Houston Grand Plaza Hotel, which will soon become a Crowne Plaza property, offers 650 guest rooms and nearly 60,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Christopher Plata, sales assistant, who said the property is continuing a renovation that includes guest room upgrades, a new lobby and renovated meeting space.
The Texas Medical Center consists of 46 member institutions, making it the largest medical complex in the world. It includes 13 hospitals, two medical schools, four nursing schools and a school of dentistry. One of the largest hotel facilities in the medical center area is the 386-room Houston Marriott Medical Center Hotel with 1,600 square feet of meeting space.
Just north of the Medical Center district is the Museum District, which is home to 18 museums, 11 that are free to the public.
One of the newest additions to the district is Hotel ZaZa, which debuted in June 2007 at the site of the former Warwick Hotel. The 315-room property features more than 17,000 square feet of meeting space, the Monarch restaurant and ZaSpa. "Hotel ZaZa's theatrical backdrop and creative staff will set the stage for any affair to remember," said hotel spokeswoman Kelle Jackson.
Greater West Houston
Greater West Houston has three main centers of activity: the Energy Corridor, Memorial City and Westchase.
Midway Companies unveiled plans last year for a mixed-use development located in the Memorial area called CITYCENTRE, according to Sandra Porter, project spokeswoman. Located on the site of the former Town and Country Mall, CITY-CENTRE will include 400,000 square feet of upscale retail, restaurants and entertainment, a 140,000- square-foot urban fitness facility, a 217-room luxury hotel and more. Most of the properties are slated to open by the end of 2008.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced plans to open three hotels as part of the Memorial City Project, a mixed-use community that will offer the 250-room The Westin Houston, Memorial City; the 155-room Sheraton Houston, Memorial City; and the 170-room Four Points by Sheraton Houston, Memorial City, a conversion from a Radisson, according to Starwood officials. All projects are slated to open in phases before the first quarter of 2009. "Starwood is excited to bring three of its renowned brands to the highly anticipated Memorial City project and the vibrant West Houston area," said Raymond "Rip" Gellein, president, Global Development Group.
The 400-room Omni Houston Hotel Westside has been awarded Four-Diamond recognition for two consecutive years, according to Diann Mitchell, CSE, director of sales and marketing, who said the hotel now offers Omni's Sensational Meetings program. "With Omni's Sensational Meetings program, we completely customize the environment surrounding your meeting to appeal to your senses," Mitchell said. "Whatever your meeting purpose, we'll work closely with you to make your event more conducive to your goals, enabling attendees to be more productive." The next phase of the program is the introduction of new banquet menu options based on researched flavors and textures developed, in part, by The Culinary Institute of America.
The 344-room Crowne Plaza Houston West, formerly the Holiday Inn Select Houston West, is undertaking a $4.4 million renovation that will include an upgrade of the 32 club floor guest rooms and an additional private lounge. Guests traveling with children will be booked in separate floors from business travelers, Brown said.
North Houston
The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center recently announced a $50 million transformation and expansion project that will include the addition of 158 guest rooms to its existing 440, a lazy river, a new entrance and a fine-dining steakhouse. "This is a project that truly will transform a Texas legend into a world-class resort experience," said Dan Leverett, vice president of the commercial division for The Woodlands Development Company. An estimated completion date is set for late 2009. The resort features about 60,000 square feet of meeting space.
Other facilities include the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center, featuring 22,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Del Lago Golf Resort and Conference Center, featuring 60,000 square feet of meeting space and 358 guest rooms.
Bay Area
"Bay Area Houston has a corporate meeting venue for every size group and budget, including such unique facilities as Space Center Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk." said Jamie Napoli, Bay Area Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) spokeswoman.
The region stretches between Houston and the beaches of Galveston and, according to Napoli, touches more than 35 miles of waterfront. Meeting venues in the area include the Kemah Boardwalk, which has a 2,234-square-foot aquarium; Space Center Houston, an 18,000-square-foot facility that can create a customized event; and Star Fleet Entertainment Yachts, which offers space for groups of up to 375 people.
South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center is currently undergoing a renovation of all public spaces and guest rooms, according to Wray Lindersmith, director of marketing. The resort features 30,000 square feet of meeting space and 240 guest rooms.
