New • In New Midway, between Dallas and Fort Worth, Opryland Hotel Texas broke ground this past summer for a 1,508-room hotel and convention center. When it opens in August 2003, the hotel will feature an atrium covering four acres of indoor gardens, Texas-themed restaurants, shops, and more than 400,000 square feet of event space.
New • In Richardson, heart of the North Dalllas “Telecom Corridor,” the Renaissance Richardson Hotel is slated to open in May. The 337-room luxury property is adjacent to the Richardson Performing Arts and Corporate Presentation Center, scheduled to open in 2002. The property will have 30,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 12,400-square-foot ballroom, and rooms will be equipped with CAIS high-speed Internet access.
Expanded • The Wyndham Anatole in Dallas will expand its largest ballroom from 28,400 square feet to approximately 40,000 square feet and add a spa as part of a new 20-year managment agreement. The projects are expected to be completed in December.
New • In Austin, demolition began in October to make room for an 800-room convention hotel being developed by Hilton Hotels and Landmark Organization across from the convention center's new expansion. Construction is expected to take 32 months.
New • A new Marriott Hotel and conference center, 600 new homes, and a Jack Nicklaus golf course are planned for Horseshoe Bay — the first new development in a decade at the upscale resort, which is located about 40 miles northwest of Austin. Construction is expected to start in May on a 350-room hotel and adjoining 35,000-square-foot conference center that are expected to open in July 2002. Owned by Horseshoe Bay Resort Inc., the facilities will be managed by Marriott Corp.
New • Marriott's SpringHill Suites Austin Airport/South opened in December with 152 mini-suites. Rooms include two phone lines with personal voice mail and data ports.
New • Theresa Greer is the owner of San Antonio's newest historic luxury hotel, the Havana Riverwalk Inn, which opened in spring 1999 in the Havana Building, a Mediterranean Revival structure dating to 1914. The Havana's 27 rooms — no two of which are alike — range from 180 to 617 square feet. Meeting space is limited.
New • Construction began this past summer on Carlson Park Hill Country, a 27-acre development near San Antonio that will include a 230-room Radisson Resort, 108 condominiums, and 74 townhouses.
New • A developer and an architect have been selected for Houston's new downtown convention center hotel, which will add 1,200 rooms to the city by 2003.
New • The Holiday Inn Northwest San Antonio coverted to a full-service Marriott in December. The San Antonio Marriott Northwest has 296 rooms and 9,000 square feet of meeting space.