BY JESSICA SHORTEN
The impact
exceed the originally budgeted revenue of $8.92 million—an increase from 2022 collections, which totaled $8.61 million. HOT collections are spent toward additional tourism and marketing eorts for the township, which then work to boost sales tax collections from shopping and dining. “It’s really been a great opportunity for us to expand what our idea is of dining and then to really start creating some customized solutions,” Eddins said.
to stay an extra night to enjoy a variety of profes- sionally prepared food. “We were kind of brainstorming with my chef at the hotel and [said] … what if we did a Sunday prix xe menu like they do during [Houston] Restau- rant Week, and we oer it every Sunday, and we call it Sunday supper,” Gohagan said. HOT collections for the township are still rising following a pandemic-related decline, according to the most recent report provided to the town- ship Jan. 25. Collections for 2023 are expected to
By promoting restaurants and dining ventures, CVB board chair Brad Bailey said the project could also help hotel occupancy outside of large tourism events, such as the Ironman triathlon in April and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion concert series, which typically runs from May to October. Jennifer Gohagan, general manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Con- vention Center, said the hotel is also looking to capitalize on food-focused tourism by creating a once-a-week specialty menu to encourage guests
What they’re saying
“We’ve got a great base of residents and businesses in the area that do support our restaurants. So the more that we help them, the better it gets
“How we get [visitors to The Woodlands] to stay overnight? Because that’s what it’s all about. So I think there’s a ton
“We want to immerse people in the experience of being in The Woodlands. You’re not just having a meal, you’re having an experience; you’re having that occasion.” ELIZABETH EDDINS,
that we can do with this.” JENNIFER GOHAGAN, GENERAL MANAGER, THE WOODLANDS WATERWAY MARRIOTT HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER
and more in tandem with our hotels and how we can sell that and the experience that [hotels] have as well.” BRAD BAILEY, BOARD MEMBER, THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VISIT THE WOODLANDS
Stay tuned
No rm timeline or costs have been established by the CVB for the restaurant initiative. However, projects associated with Dining The Woodlands will be brought before the CVB board for approval as needed, Eddins said. The next CVB meeting is Feb. 21. With the new mixed-beverage tax, an additional stream of revenue will now be available to use for marketing and tourism eorts in The Woodlands. An additional component to HB 5311 created an economic development zone for hotels within the township, and ocials said negotiations with hotels are ongoing as of press time. Visit The Woodlands President Nick Wolda said there is no established time frame for when the hotel portion of HB 5311 will become eective, which could generate an additional $2 million in revenue for the township based on scal impact analysis from the Texas Legislature. The original deadline for hotels to sign on was Feb. 1, but the
Guests sampled local restaurant fare during the annual 2024 Taste of the Town event Jan. 25.
CASSANDRA JENKINSCOMMUNITY IMPACT
venue for restaurants to nd new customers. About 40 local restaurants oered samples of their cuisine at the event, which is presented by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
timeframe has been extended with no clear nal date, Wolda said. Meanwhile, events such as Taste of the Town, which took place Jan. 25, continue to oer a
43
THE WOODLANDS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook