While many destinations are trying to just survive the economic storm, Fort Worth is seemingly bucking the trend with record convention bookings, buoyed by the city's first-ever anchor hotel, the 614-room Omni Fort Worth.
Across the street from the Fort Worth Convention Center, and to be minted by an official grand opening later this month, the Omni has been in operation since Jan. 17. The hotel joins the 431-room Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel & Spa, which reflagged last summer one block away, to push room inventory in the convention center's immediate vicinity over the 1,000-room threshold that attracts national group attention.
In years past, some 70 percent of Fort Worth's group business had come from within the state, according to Larry Auth, the Omni's sales and marketing director, but the city has been increasing its national exposure upon the Omni and Sheraton developments. Association bookings from Washington, DC, have jumped 20 percent in the last two years, Auth said, and he cited the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau's record-shattering 258,000 future convention room nights booked in fiscal-year 2008 (October to October).
"We didn't have a quality hotel product in the past, but now we have a bright downtown [package], and [groups] are catching hold," said Auth. The Fort Worth Convention Center has 253,226 sf of exhibit space, a 28,160-sf ballroom, and a 13,500-seat arena.
The 350-staff Omni, with 68,000 sf of meeting space—and which exclusively handles the convention center's F&B with a separate staff of 75—caps off a downtown hotel transformation after Fort Worth for years endured convention hotel development problems. The delays lasted through last year, when both the Omni and Sheraton had to push back their opening dates.
Now the Omni has about 75,000 room nights booked for 2009 thus far, most of the business from first time Fort Worth groups, and it has bookings as far out as 2016 and 2017. Auth expects up to 550 rooms to be occupied on peak nights and summertime to be busiest, when it is filled by regional and religious groups. Despite the economy, "the rest of the year is shaping up really nice," he said.
Not only is the Omni eyeing state and national association business, it intends to be a hub for corporate and government meetings. Fort Worth is home to the U.S. Department of Treasury's engraving and printing bureau, a major armed forces base, Pier 1 Imports, pharma giant Alcon, RadioShack, and aerospace companies.
For convention breakouts and corporate affairs, 60,000 sf of meeting space, including an 18,788-sf ballroom, is on the Omni's second floor, while the third floor has 8,000 sf of meeting rooms. In addition, a rooftop garden has 10,000 sf of usable group space.
According to Auth, groups and planners have been wowed esthetically by the Omni's Western chic of natural stone and rich hardwoods, which proliferate the property. Guest rooms feature touches like saddle-blanket throws and saddle-stitched pillows. Auth also noted favorable planner feedback on the hotel's layout and natural light in the meeting facilities.
The hotel has a Bob's Steak & Chop House, an all-day casual restaurant, a Starbucks, both wine and sports bars, a fitness center, and a full-service spa.
Originally published March 9, 2009