Southwest rolls out distinct mix of activities for group adventures

By Marc Boisclair

The Southwest-Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma-is an amalgam of contradictions: rugged, lush, arid, remote, urban, flat, hilly and unique. “There’s no place else in the country like this area,” says Kimberly Freer, director of travel industry sales for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. “You can come here during any season and everything’s accessible: golf, hiking, hot air ballooning, horseback riding, spa treatments or just hanging out by the pool.”

That enthusiasm is echoed across these four states. “You’ve got a little bit of everything in Texas, which appeals to a lot of groups,” says Ashlee Van Blarcom, tourism sales manager for the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Grapevine has small town charm; Dallas is 180 degrees different; and then there’s Fort Worth and the whole cowboy, cattle-drive aspect.”
The Southwest also rolls out an inviting road map when it comes to post-meeting pursuits. New Mexico, for example, features an entire cuisine based around its marvelous green chilies, while Oklahoma offers visitors more genuine cowboy/cowgirl history and culture than anywhere else in the country.

There’s also a Baby Boomeresque charm about this part of the country. “It represents something in many attendees’ own pop culture past and they want to experience it personally,” says Freer. What better way, then, to relive memories of the popular TV shows “Route 6″ or “Dallas” (South Fork Ranch), than by meeting in the places that inspired them?

HOSPITALITY NEWS
In New Mexico, the historic La Posada de Albuquerque expects to reopen this spring following a $30 million rehab. The Radisson Hotel Albuquerque has wrapped up a $20 million renovation of its 312 guestrooms and meeting space. The Albuquerque Hilton Hotel is undergoing a $14 million “greenovation” project that will incorporate energy and water conservation amid a contemporary Western décor. Just south of Albuquerque, the Isleta Casino & Resort has opened a 200-room hotel that also sports a themed spa, Asian bistro, family center and nightclub. Meanwhile, the Sheraton Uptown has completed a $25 million renovation of its 295 guestrooms and meeting space. Later this spring, groups can plan a fission/fusion theme party at the new $13 million National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

Downtown Phoenix has been transformed by a trio of recent major developments. After five years and three stages, the Phoenix Convention Center $600 million makeover and expansion is done. Highlights of the new facility include nearly 900,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space, three ballrooms, $3.2 million worth of public art and green-friendly touches such as solar panels and a water-harvesting garden. The center also arrives with a new meetings property: the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. In December, Arizona’s capital also unveiled Phase 1 of its $1.4 billion METRO light-rail system, which will eventually makes tracks across 20 miles of the Valley of the Sun.

In neighboring Scottsdale, Resort Suites Scottsdale has been renovated and re-launched as the XONA Resort Suites, with 431 guest units (many with kitchens), a pool, a restaurant and meeting space. The W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences is now open with 224 guestrooms, three bars and a 21,000-sq.-ft. pool/recreation area adjacent to the Bliss Spa.

Tulsa’s $165 million BOK Center, a Cesar Pelli-designed, multi-purpose event and entertainment facility, opened last summer. Just across the street, the Tulsa Convention Center is undergoing a $50.5 million expansion and renovation that will add a 30,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and more than 52,000 square feet of new space by early 2010.

Austin’s hopping with new and renovated venues, including the Long Center for the Performing Arts, Mexican-American Cultural Center and Bass Concert Hall/University of Texas Performing Arts Center. Plans also call for a 31-story, 850-room Marriott convention center hotel and an 11-story, 150-room J.W. Marriott.

San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum has unveiled its new Stieren Center, part of a recent $50.8 million expansion and renovation. A new 1,000-room Grand Hyatt Hotel has opened, while the 1,000-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is expected some time in 2010. Work continues on the final phase of the $275 million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts (opera, musical theater, classical theater and ballet) with completion expected this coming October. The new, $65 million wing of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History also plans an October opening.

SPECIAL PLACES
Having seen (and marveled at) Germany’s historic castles during World War I, Oklahoman Bill Blecha returned home and eventually built his own version: Castle Falls. These days Blecha’s former homestead, set on five lush acres just outside Oklahoma City, includes an authentic German restaurant (Keller at Castle Falls) and romantic space aplenty for private parties. castlefalls.com

SPECIAL PLACES
Come September, 226-acre Fair Park Dallas plays host to-surprise-the world’s largest state fair, led by 52-foot Big Tex, the ultimate meet-n’-greeter. Venues run from intimate (the 130-seat Margo Jones Theater) to raucous, as in the iconic, 71,000-seat Cotton Bowl, plus an outdoor amphitheater, planetarium, IMAX theater, aquarium and eight museums. fairpark.org

VALUE ADD

The Las Cruces (NM) CVB offers more than three dozen money-saving coupons for hotels, restaurants, recreation and area attractions.
Before heading to Houston, check in with the Houston CVB’s to find out what the locals have to say on everything from museums and clothing stores to the opera and kid-friendly restaurants.
For $15 the Tucson Attractions Passport can provide up to $400 in return discounts and 2-for-1 savings on Southern Arizona museums, attractions and recreation. visittucson.org/visitor/attractions/passport

CONTACT INFO:
ARIZONA
Greater Phoenix CVB
phoenixcvb.com

Scottsdale CVB
scottsdalecvb.com

Tucson CVB
visittucson.org

Flagstaff CVB
flagstaffarizona.org

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque CVB
itsatrip.org

Las Cruces CVB
lascrucescvb.org

Santa Fe CVB
itsatrip.org

TEXAS
Austin CVB
austintexas.org

Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
visithoustontexas.com

San Antonio CVB
sanantoniocvb.com

Dallas CVB
dallascvb.com

Fort Worth CVB
fortworth.com