Dec. 23, 2011--The 145-room Hilton Garden Inn near Airway and Interstate 10 in East Central El Paso opened Monday.

The hotel is operated by Texas Western Hospitality Management of Dallas, which also operates the114-room Homewood Suites by Hilton next door. It opened in April 2008.

The new hotel's manager is Adrian Perez.

Texas Western likes the airport area because hotels have performed well in that area for a long time, a Texas Western official said in the summer when the hotel was under construction.

The Hilton Garden Inn is one of several new hotels that have opened in El Paso in the past two years. Even with the hotel additions, El Paso's occupancy rates and hotel revenues have remained strong, show data from STR, a Tennessee company which tracks hotel data worldwide.

El Paso County's occupancy rate through November averaged 68.2 percent, up 2.6 percentage points from the same period last year, STR's latest data show.

Hotel revenues increased 6.8 percent through November from a year ago to $148.5 million, STR reported.

The new Hilton Garden Inn features a glass-enclosed pavilion lobby with a lounge area that has a fireplace and television. Every room has a 32-inch high-definition TV, and in-room "hospitality center" with a mini fridge, microwave oven, and coffee maker, Texas Western reported.

The hotel has a fitness center with cardiovascular and strength-training equipment, a swimming pool and whirlpool.

The hotel has four meeting rooms with more than 2,800 square

feet of flexible space. It also has an on-site guest laundry facility.

Vic Kolenc may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6421.

Details -- The Hilton Garden Inn at Airway and I-10 is the second one in El Paso.

-- The first one, a 153-room hotel located on the University of Texas at El Paso campus, opened in December 2006.

-- The one at UTEP is owned by TVO North America of El Paso.

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