Thanks to a "yes" vote last month by the Austin City Council, construction is set to move forward next year on a new convention-style hotel in Austin, Texas, the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau recently announced. The hotel, a Marriott Marquis, will be located just three blocks from the Austin Convention Center, where it will boat 1,003 guest rooms and 103,000 square feet of meeting space, making it the city's largest hotel.
"The city has maintained relative stability through trying economic times, which indicates to us that we're well-positioned to add inventory," said Austin CVB President and CEO Bob Lander. "The demand is not only there, but it's diverse. It comes from convention groups, leisure travelers and independent business travelers. We need this hotel to continue to offer a first-rate visitor experience."
Construction on the new hotel is slated to begin in early 2012 and will take approximately 32 months to complete, according to the property's developer, White Lodging Services Corp. of Merrillville, Ind., which has been planning a convention hotel for Austin since 2006 but had to delay its plans in 2008 due to the recession. Since then, the Austin CVB has been tracking the groups that were interested in Austin — but had to meet elsewhere due to insufficient hotel product.
"In the last several years, Austin has gained more prominence in the convention market, and this hotel allows us to further extend our reach to larger and more corporate, medical, government and association business. It's the right time to reach these new markets, too. Convention planners are seeking new destinations that can offer unique experiences. This property gives attendees easy access to our live music scene, burgeoning food culture, our history and landmarks, and ineffably welcoming personality."
The Austin hotel is only the seventh Marriott hotel to bear the prestigious "Marquis" moniker, bestowed by Marriott onto only its largest and most upscale meetings hotels. It joins existing Marriott Marquis properties in Atlanta, New York, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco, and one that's currently under development in Washington, D.C.