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Garfield Traub Opens the 303-room Overton Hotel
 and Conference Center in Lubbock, Texas


The $66 million Project a Case Study of Public/Private Partnership


(September 15, 2009) – Garfield Traub Development, a real estate development services firm, announced today the completion and grand opening of the 303-room Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock, Texas.
 
The facility is expected to be a driving engine of development and economic growth for Lubbock for years to come. With more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space, the Overton Hotel and Conference Center is poised to attract state and regional conferences to Lubbock. The hotel is part of Overton Park District, the largest privately funded redevelopment project in the United States, based on acreage. 
 
The Overton Hotel and Conference Center is a public/private partnership with the City of Lubbock, owner/operator 1859 Historic Hotels Ltd, and developer Garfield Traub, who led the project. Other project team members include DLR Group as design architect and MEP engineer; Turner Construction Company and Lee Lewis Contractors as general contractors; Loewen Design Group as interior designer; and AMD Engineering as civil engineer.
 
“From the beginning, we envisioned a world-class hotel and conference center for Lubbock,” said Steve Moffett, president of Garfield Traub’s Hospitality Division. “The overwhelming positive response from City officials, Texas Tech University, and citizens indicates that we have exceeded the community’s expectations. This is a model example of how a public/private partnership should work to benefit all involved.”
 
“In addition to building such a fabulous new hotel and conference center, we have recruited an excellent team to serve our guests,” said General Manager Hunter Carmichael, “and it is exciting to see them working so well together. We have spent months in planning, construction, outfitting and training, and now we have hit the ground running with an excellent facility and staff providing the level of service modern business, conference and leisure travelers expect in an upscale facility.”
 
At 15 stories, the hotel overlooks the adjacent Texas Tech University campus and Jones AT&T Stadium. The connection to the University is evident on the second floor, where a classroom for the Restaurant/Hotel & Institutional Management (RHIM) program prepares students for careers in the industry.
 
A short walk from retail stores, the Texas Tech campus, and other nearby attractions, DLR Group designed the hotel and conference center to accommodate both pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the simplest manner.
 
“DLR Group designers located parking adjacent to the conference center to enhance the streetscape and pedestrian experience leading to the hotel. The exterior architecture incorporates a glass pillar illuminating the nightscape,” said Ken Martin, AIA, Principal with DLR Group. “Once inside, guests are greeted by a stunning lobby with 22-foot-high ceilings.”
 
Amenities for the $66-million hotel and conference center include a business center, fitness center, restaurant, bar and outdoor pool. The hotel bar and lounge area serves as a hub of activity, situated between the hotel lobby and conference center.
 
An exquisite 11,250-square foot ballroom is connected to the hotel and located at street level to allow for ground-level courtyard access. The second level meeting rooms and executive boardrooms are accessed by a grand staircase connecting them to the ballroom level and hotel.
 
In addition to improving the local economy by attracting guests to major events, meetings and conferences, the facility has boosted Lubbock’s employment outlook by hiring some 150 permanent employees. That is in addition to the hundreds who worked on the facility’s construction.
 
The innovative capital plan structured by Garfield Traub for the development included private debt and equity, City bonds, naming rights, room licenses, and nonprofit foundation grants. The City will lease the publicly-owned conference center on a long-term basis to the hotel owner, who will operate the entire property seamlessly. 
 
“This public/private partnership has produced the finest hotel and conference center in Lubbock and the region,” Moffett said.
 
Call (806) 776-7000 for hotel reservations and information, visit www.overtonhotel.com or email [email protected]. Email [email protected] for information about planning a conference or event at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center.
 
ABOUT 1859 HISTORIC HOTELS
1859 Historic Hotels has owned and operated hotels for nearly 100 years. The company portfolio includes over 2,500 guest rooms nationwide, in hotels ranging from a small 4-Diamond mountain resort to a state-of-the-art big-city conference center to an urban airport hotel to several restored historic landmarks. Based in Galveston, Texas, 1859 Historic Hotels takes its name from the year in which its oldest hotel, The Historic Menger, was built next to the Alamo in San Antonio.
      Other properties include:
      ∙     The Crockett Hotel, San Antonio
      ∙     The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, Colorado
      ∙     South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, on Clear Lake between Houston and Galveston, Texas
      ∙     The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky
      ∙     The Hilton Houston Hobby Airport
      ∙     Inn at the Waterpark in Galveston
      ∙     Fredericksburg Hospitality House, Fredericksburg, Virginia
      ∙     Inn of the Hills Resort and Conference Center, Kerrville, Texas
      ∙     Y.O. Ranch Resort and Conference Center, Kerrville, Texas
      ∙     Williamsburg Hospitality House, Williamsburg, Virginia
      ∙     Mountain Lake Resort, in southwestern Virginia
 
One key to the company’s century of success has been its philosophy of allowing the unique character of each property to shine through. Through its operation of a diverse collection of properties, 1859 Historic Properties has learned there is no “cookie cutter” solution to hotel management; instead, the market dictates how a property meets the needs of its guests.
 
ABOUT TURNER
Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in all major segments of the building construction field. During 2008, Turner completed $10 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, Turner Construction Company is a subsidiary of the Turner Corporation located in Dallas, TX. For more information, visit Turner's website at http://www.turnerconstruction.com/dallas
 
ABOUT DLR GROUP
DLR Group is a nationally recognized, integrated design firm with 15 offices nationwide. Design is the driving force behind our architecture, engineering, planning, and interiors practice. DLR Group’s philosophy is to listen to clients, create exciting design that fulfills the client’s goals, and deliver on the promise of quality, integrity and sustainability. For more information contact DLR Group at 1-877-DLR Group or www.dlrgroup.com.
 
ABOUT GARFIELD TRAUB DEVELOPMENT
Garfield Traub is a national development services provider focusing exclusively on public and public/private developments.  The company uses innovative and cost-effective financing solutions tailored to the requirements of public sector clients. Garfield Traub employs a “turnkey” delivery method that minimizes client risk and administrative burden, maximizes transparency and accountability, and enables “fast track” delivery of high quality facilities months or even years ahead of when otherwise thought possible. Garfield Traub and its executives have developed more than 30 million square feet of all property types nationally and abroad, and have financed more than $11 billion in debt and equity. The experience of Garfield Traub’s management team includes the development, financing and/or asset management of more than 40 hotels comprising more than 16,000 guestrooms, 1.3 million square feet of function space, and $2.5 billion of debt and equity under both private, public/private and public nonprofit ownership structures. For more information, please visit www.garfieldtraub.com.
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Contact:

Allison Lowe
PR Support for Garfield Traub Development
 www.garfieldtraub.com
972-499-6631 (work)
214-392-5445 (cell)

[email protected]


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Also See: Garfield Traub Development Unveils Downtown Tucson Hotel Design; Much Yet to be Determined for 525 room Publicly Owned Hotel / March 2009
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