Many of the big hotel and meeting- and convention-related projects under way in Texas continue to forge ahead, despite the recession. In Arlington, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, not satisfied with building just any old stadium, will in 2009 preside over the opening of the largest domed structure in the world. At over 650,000 square feet, the new stadium will have a standard capacity of 80,000 people, with the potential to host up to 100,000. And, of course, the new facility will have suites and clubs available for special events.

Fort Worth and San Antonio have new convention center hotels, and San Antonio is also in the middle of a $200 million expansion of its best know attraction, the River Walk.

Galveston continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ike last summer. The vast majority of its hotels are open and a number of city attractions are back online. And in a $7 million restoration project, more than 400,000 cubic yards of sand will be added to a stretch of Galveston beach.

But, like the rest of the country, Texas has not been immune to the effects of the current economic crisis. A number of projects have been put on hold, including the construction of a planned 1,000-room convention center hotel in downtown Austin.

Facilities Update

Austin

The 300-seat amphitheater at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin

• Abilene

  The new 340-room Westin Austin at the Domain is expected to open in June 2010. The property is part of a massive retail project that will include 14,000 square feet of meeting space anchored by Dick's Sporting Goods and Neiman Marcus.

• Dallas/Fort Worth

  The Hyatt Regency, on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, is just finishing renovations to its lobby and public areas, existing meeting rooms, and the ballroom. The hotel is also opening a new restaurant, Southwest Bistro.

• Galveston

  Construction has begun on Block 21, a project that includes a 250-room W Hotel, 25,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and a new 2,000-seat venue for the public television music show “Austin City Limits.”

• Houston

  The 122-year-old Driskill Hotel is undergoing a $4.5 million renovation to its 189 guest rooms. Custom iron beds emblazoned with the Driskill “D” logo will remain in place, but all new mattresses and bed linens are being added, as well as plasma-screen televisions. Six of the rooms are being remodeled to conform to ADA standards, while another six will feature special amenities for hearing-impaired guests.

• San Antonio

  The AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin opened in August with 297 rooms. The center has 40,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, made up of a 300-seat tiered amphitheater, a divisible ballroom that can seat 800, seven classrooms, five conference rooms, 12 breakout rooms, and two restaurants.

• Trip Tips

  The 500-room Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio unveiled 10,000 square feet of additional meeting space in January bringing the resort's total meeting space to 43,000 square feet. The new Rogers-Wiseman Pavilion, a semi-permanent venue, can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees.

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• A new Residence Inn by Marriott opened in November. The 117-room hotel is seven miles from downtown Abilene and five minutes from the Abilene Regional Airport. The all-suite hotel offers studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites, each with coffee maker, microwave oven, full-size appliances, and high-speed Internet. The hotel also has 500 square feet of meeting space for small meetings and functions for up to 30 guests.

• The Dallas City Council recently voted that Omni Hotels should run the publicly owned, $500 million convention center hotel, which could break ground later this year. The hotel will be adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. Plans call for the construction of a 1,000-room hotel with 100,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 720-car garage.

• The Gaylord Texas Resort, in Grapevine, is planning a $315 million expansion, which, when completed, will make the resort the largest in Texas. The resort now has 1,511 guest rooms and 400,000 square feet of meeting space. The expansion plan includes a 12-story hotel tower that will add 500 guest rooms, 200,000 square feet to the convention center, more parking, a new resort pool, and other recreational amenities.

• After bringing Dallas' landmark 1,606-room Anatole Hotel under its flag in 2006, Hilton Hotels launched a $30 million renovation of the mega property. Its 341,000 square feet of meeting space includes six major ballrooms, 76 meeting rooms, five boardrooms, three theaters, and the Trinity Exhibition Center.

• The historic Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa completed a $36 million renovation project in 2008 to its 170 guest rooms and suites, restaurant and bar, and 5,200-square-foot spa.

• The Renaissance Dallas Hotel has begun a multimillion-dollar renovation that will include remodeled guest rooms and the addition of more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The final phase of the renovation, scheduled to be completed in 2010, will increase meeting space to 50,000 square feet from its current 19,000 square feet and will add a 16,000-square-foot ballroom.

• The Omni Fort Worth Hotel opened in January. Located on Houston Street, across from the Fort Worth Convention Center, the new hotel has 614 rooms and 68,000 square feet of meeting space.

• A joint Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo project is scheduled to open in 2010 in Las Colinas. The Irving hotels will have separate entrances but share the same building, including some public spaces such as the fitness center and swimming pool. The Hotel Indigo will feature its signature design elements, and the Crowne Plaza will provide 8,000 square feet of meeting space.

• On Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall, 22 miles from downtown Dallas, the 231-room Hilton Bella Harbor opened in spring 2008 with 25,000 square feet of meeting space. Among its amenities is the largest hand-made, wooden vessel in North America, The Seawolf, a 50-passenger, 40-foot catamaran.