The City of San Marcos, Texas and John Q. Hammons Hotels Begin Construction of $21 million Conference Center and $50 million Embassy Suites Hotel / February 2007

Hotel Online Special Report

The City of San Marcos, Texas and John Q. Hammons Hotels Begin
Construction of $21 million Conference Center and $50 million
Embassy Suites Hotel

January 31, 2007 - The City of San Marcos and John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC broke ground today on a new $21 million city conference center and $50 million Embassy Suites Hotel ® at I-35 and McCarty Lane. The hotel will be owned by Mr. John Q. Hammons and managed by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC, the nation’s leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites. The conference center will be owned by the city and managed by the company.

With an anticipated opening in October 2008, the 10-story, upscale, full-service hotel and 77,300-gross-square-foot conference center will be the first of their kind in San Marcos. The facilities will accommodate a wide range of conferences—from auto and boat shows to high tech exhibitions, graduations, special events, and business meetings of all sizes.

The hotel and conference center will also be easily accessible from Texas State University, which boasts a student population of 27,500. The university’s growth and stability as an economic engine for the area is what first attracted Mr. Hammons to the San Marcos community.

“The conference center-hotel will fast become the gathering place at the epicenter of the I-35 corridor,” said San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “San Marcos is the third most popular tourist destination in Texas due to the success of our outlet malls. This project will advance our economic tourism strategy and will bring many people to San Marcos. The Embassy Suites Hotel and our Conference Center will have a phenomenal impact on our city and this region.”

“We’re proud to announce the addition of an upscale hotel and conference center to the burgeoning city of San Marcos. The exceptional facilities will complement the state’s major attractions to draw even more business and leisure travelers,” said Mr. Robert Fugazi, regional vice president of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC.

Speakers at the event included City Manager Dan O’Leary, Mayor Susan Narvaiz, Mr. Fugazi, and John Martin, vice president of Flintco, General Contractor.

Project Highlights

Developer: Mr. John Q. Hammons
Architect: Lohmeyer-Russell Architects, P.C.
Program Manager: Broaddus and Associates
General Contractor: Flintco, Inc.

Amenities of the Embassy Suites Hotel will include:

283 suites, including two presidential suites and two hospitality suites
Fully staffed resort-style spa with massage and treatment rooms
Fitness rooms
Heated outdoor pool and heated spa
Full-service restaurant, coffee shop and atrium bar
Business center
10-story, open atrium with skylight, dramatic water feature and extensive interior plantscaping
Glass-backed elevators overlooking atrium and water feature
Complimentary breakfast and daily manager’s afternoon reception for hotel guests

Conference Center Amenities include:

77,300 gross square feet and 40,000 net square feet meeting space with flexible configurations to range from a 28,000-square-foot grand ballroom and 7,000-square-foot junior ballroom to 19 meeting rooms
Junior ballroom accesses a 4,000-square-foot outdoor veranda
Kitchen and catering center
State-of-the-art, high-tech capacity to accommodate high-end audiovisual needs
Main ballroom floor layout accommodates electrical needs of tradeshow booths
Power accommodations provided on northeast corner of facility to accommodate outdoor needs such as concerts, expos and conference mobile displays
Custom-designed chandeliers throughout facility
Main ballroom features higher than average, 26-foot ceilings

Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC is the nation’s leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites, including: Embassy Suites Hotels, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Holiday Inn and Courtyard by Marriott brands. With 72 hotels strategically located near demand generators, such as state capitals, universities, airports, corporate headquarters or office parks in secondary and tertiary markets, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts’ properties are dominant in their markets. Over the course of his impressive career in the hotel business, Mr. Hammons has developed 184 hotels. For more information about John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC, please visit the company’s Web site at www.jqhhotels.com.

Contact:

Scott Tarwater
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC
(417) 873-3591
scott.tarwater@jqh.com

Melissa Millecam
City of San Marcos
(512) 393-8105
millecam_melissa@ci.san-marcos.tx.us

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Also See:

City of San Marcos and John Q. Hammons Move Site of Proposed $40 million Embassy Suites; Economics Behind the Change in Location / March 2005

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