Hyatt House will bring an additional rooms and , square feet of meeting room space when they open, Mayner said. The hotels are currently under construction. Brown said one outcome of the Big Idea Group could be to nd a way to open up more convention space in The Woodlands even if new hotels do not come onto the tax rolls immediately. “At some point, conventions, like any other business, they grow,” he said. “If we added another [ ,]- , square feet, we [would attract] a whole new range of conventions. That in itself could attract tons of hotel tax for the residents.” Entertainment is also a draw for the area. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion attracts popular artists and can boost hotel bookings and regional tourism, Domenick said. In May, The Woodlands Township signed a memorandum of understand- ing with the Pavilion to explore the development of another performing arts center on its property. Aside from a conceptual drawing, no plans have been developed yet for the project, township o cials said, although a study commissioned by the town- ship indicated a facility could cost million to million to construct. Ashley Gravois, the public relations and education manager for the Pavil- ion, said a new venue would help advance the Pavilion’s mission of pre- senting performing arts and outreach programs to the community. “It is the goal of both organizations to work together toward enhancing arts amenities in the community, and this agreement is the next step in achieving that goal,” Gravois said. REGIONAL TRENDS Outside of The Woodlands, Shenan- doah also has a number of hotels. Despite consisting of only . square miles, Shenandoah currently has
HOTEL DEVELOPMENT In August, The Woodlands Water- way Marriott is completing million in renovations for the convention cen- ter, including new carpet, paint, furni- ture, bathroom xtures and updates to the skybridge. Meanwhile, a new hotel could be on the horizon in Hughes Landing, where acres are still developable, but the details are still uncon rmed, accord- ing to Howard Hughes Corp., which develops the site. “An additional hotel in Hughes Landing is a possibility in the future, but there are no current plans to con- struct anything,” said Jim Carman, the senior vice president of commercial development. Although Howard Hughes Corp. has not formalized plans for an additional hotel, its existing locations—TheWood- lands Resort, Westin and Embassy Suites—are also eyeing improvements, said Wendi Gelfound, area director of marketing for the Howard Hughes Corp. hospitality division. "IF WE ADDED ANOTHER [ 5,000]-20,000 SQUARE FEET, WE [WOULD ATTRACT] A WHOLE NEW RANGE OF CONVENTIONS. THAT IN ITSELF COULD ATTRACT TONS OF HOTEL TAX FOR THE RESIDENTS." TheWestin opened a new restaurant, Sorriso Modern Italian Kitchen, as well as the Como Social Club early this year. Also, The Woodlands Resort created a new customer service program and trained more than employees this year, she said. Hotel development continues else- where in the region, with three new hotels planned in Shenandoah, driv- ing competition in The Woodlands area. The Alo Hotel, Even Hotel and —JOHN BROWN, THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau formed in 2006, and since 2016 it has conduct- ed business under the name Visit the Woodlands. The bureau is a marketing organization that promotes The Woodlands as a tourism destination to attract hotel and sales tax revenue.
ITS EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED ON:
Meeting and conventions
Leisure and business travel
Tourism and economic development
Group event servicing
Hospitality and advocacy
IN 2019, VTW has branched out in its approach to promoting the area, with strategies such as:
Advertising in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
Attending the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals in Austin
SOURCE:VISITTHEWOODLANDS/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
said. Shenandoah is beginning prepa- rations for its second year hosting the NCAA Stagg Bowl in December, which Mayner said brought more than , visitors to the city in . Mayner estimated the city made a return on its investment of to for each dollar it spent on the event through sales to visitors. The city and its CVB also redesigned their websites to be more user friendly and attractive this year. Mayner said he believes marketing e orts have been e ective in bringing new visitors to Shenandoah. Wolda said despite industrywide challenges, he believes the region is ripe for tourism interest in the future if it plans carefully and nds the right mix of attractions and amenities. “What [are] the key di erentials that The Woodlands has ve, , years from now that are going to keep us relevant and bringing the tourism dol- lars here?” Wolda said. “You’ve got to always be creating and doing.”
hotels, not including the three under construction. Mayner said he believes the city’s location is ideal for attracting visitors, whether that is for an event or for med- ical treatment at nearby hospitals. “We have a unique situation,” Mayner said. “We have hotels; we have a variety of shopping options; we’re nearly at restaurants in the city. For a city of our size … that’s pretty unique and surprising.” Similar to The Woodlands, Mayner said the city’s hotel tax revenue was down .% compared to the same time last year as of the May report, with a total of . million generated. He said this year may result in fewer gains than other recent years. “Earlier this year, our bureau attended a luncheon where Jorge Franz, senior vice president of tourism for Visit Houston, was speaker, and he mentioned a soening [or] reduction in what they were projecting for this year,” Mayner said. The city’s ability to draw conven- tions to its hotels as well as events positions it to gain tourism revenue, he
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The Woodlands edition • August 2019
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