By: Amy Durham | From: Meetings + Events
Texas venues and hotels are in high demand. You can drive through most Texas cities and see the boom for yourself. From Amarillo south to Galveston and El Paso east to Houston, new hotels and renovated venues are popping up everywhere you look. Of course, you can also look at the numbers and see just how many new spaces are on the horizon.
Dallas led the nation at the end of the third quarter last year with 194 hotel construction projects, and Austin came in fifth in the country with 119 projects, according to the “Q3 2024 U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report” from Lodging Econometrics. Those two cities alone totaled nearly 37,000 new rooms. Both cities had record numbers of active projects, as well as construction set to begin in the following 12 months. The Fort Worth-Arlington area also announced multiple new projects last year.
The continued construction and renovation boom is thanks in large part to the meeting and convention industry’s comeback nationwide. With additional corporate travel funds available and an interest in bleisure travel on the rise, the outlook for business travel in the U.S. is bright, according to the “2024 Economic Impact Trends Report” by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Business travel spending in the U.S. is expected to reach $472 billion when the final numbers come in for last year, which is 13.4% above the previous record high set in 2019.
But the new and revitalized properties are not your grandmother’s venues. “Everyone is over dark, drab meeting rooms and ballrooms,” says planner Sarabeth Quattlebaum, founder of Sarabeth Events in Dallas. “We’re sourcing hotels or properties full of natural light and that have indoor/outdoor capabilities for unique breaks.” When it comes to the construction pipeline, that means innovative design and flexible spaces. Read on to hear about some of the hottest projects in a dozen Texas cities.
Rich in culture and year-round events, San Antonio is an appealing destination for attendees. “Visitors can experience our world-class museums, feel the energy at our many attractions, enjoy the incredible restaurants, and step back in time in places that have shaped our beautiful city,” says Mario Bass, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Visit San Antonio.
New hotels include the 347-room Kimpton Santo featuring 13,000 square feet of event space with a historic atmosphere, and the InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk, An IHG Hotel, with 390 rooms and 18,000 square feet of meeting space alongside spectacular views from the 21-story building. Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection, and Sol Cypress, San Antonio, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, both completed renovations earlier this year. The historic 312-room Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk has begun a $50 million renovation to guest rooms and its 25,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The 200-room Monarch San Antonio, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton portfolio, is coming to the downtown area next year and will bring 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Adjacent to Morgan’s Wonderland accessible theme park, Morgan’s Hotel also will open in 2026 for travelers with disabilities, going beyond the standard requirements outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act and offering amenities such as wider hallways and larger guest rooms to accommodate all ages and capacities.