Historic hotels, modern art and wellness retreats—Texas event spaces bring gatherings to life
Everything is truly bigger in Texas.
Between the experiences and the venues themselves, Texas has a range of offerings that are simply impossible to resist.
Regardless of where you find yourself in Texas, the hospitality offerings are versatile and unparalleled while blending in local culture and Southern charm.
Smart Meetings has gathered some of the newest and greatest locations Texas has to offer for planners looking to head to the Lone Star State for their next event.
Forth Worth
Hotel Drover in Fort Worth Stockyards is located near two major airports, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport. The 200 guest rooms offer up three different Texas-style themes.
Planners looking to utilize some of the nearby team-building activities can check out the twice-daily cattle drive on Exchange Avenue, along with a championship rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum as well as live music on Muley Alley.
For a more personalized experience, guests can take part in Hotel Drover’s The Mark, a signature luggage tag branding experience. Marksmen use a traditional drover iron branding method to create a customized keepsake to bring back after the event.
Hotel Drover offers versatile event spaces as well, with over 40,000 sq. ft. planners can work with a lot. Whether it is a luncheon, board meeting, retreat or gala, planners are able to host up to 225 guests.
Waco
Hotel Herringbone, opened in April of 2024 in Waco, has more than 8,500 sq. ft. of meeting space. There is also a rooftop venue overlooking Magnolia Market at the Silos. Planners can also utilize the outdoor live music venue to craft a high-energy event. It also offers 21 guest rooms designed in the Art Deco style.
Planners can create a private dining event at the Red Herring restaurant, Lucky Buck’s rooftop bar or rent the outdoor open-air plaza and stage!
If attendees are looking to incorporate wellness into their event, Hotel Herringbone offers yoga mats along with a wellness program. (Check with the receptionist for a schedule!)
Fun fact! The venue aims to host live, free music for 360 nights at the Herringbone Plaza.
Frisco
Hall Park Hotel in Frisco, which opened in Fall of 2024, has 224 guest rooms along with 60 suites that have both kitchenettes and balconies. Hall Park Hotel was designed to accommodate concerts, films and dance performances.
Hall Park Hotel is located near The Star District and Kaleidoscope Park, as well as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
It has 23,279 sq. ft. of event space and nine event rooms. The largest space can host 450 guests.
The 16-story Omni Frisco at the Star is the official hotel of the Dallas Cowboys! It is mere steps from the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and training facility. It is also near more than 35 restaurants and shops.
There is a fitness center located on the fourth floor that is open 24/7. There, guests have access to water, fruit, towels and locker rooms. Equipment in the gym includes Peloton bikes, medicine balls, treadmills, stationary bikes, free weights and more!
The OMNI Frisco has 300 guest rooms, 24,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 16 meeting rooms.
Bryant
La Salle Hotel Bryan College Station, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Bryan reopened this fall following a revocation, offering boutique stylish guest rooms. The hotel style is also a homage to the Prohibition era, with a speakeasy lounge in The Boiler Room.
La Salle Hotel is nearby several local attractions as well as microbreweries.
There are 5,967 sq. ft. of event space, along with two breakout rooms and 55 guest rooms.
Dallas
Located only 20 minutes outside of Dallas, WorldSprings is the first outdoor mineral springs immersive experience in Texas and the largest of its kind in the United States. This $32 million resort offers guests the ability to pick from 46 outdoor soaking pools, 8 saunas and a spa!
The experience also includes soaking pools, towel service, cold plunges, hydration stations, lounge chairs and firepits!
Groups can book a cabana for up to six guests, while also receiving priority food and drink service.
WorldSprings also offers classes and events daily, including floating sound bath sessions and yoga classes.
WorldSprings is able to host corporate outings, wellness retreats and buyouts as well.
For a stylish and luxurious stay in downtown Dallas on McKenney Avenue, The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas is a perfect choice.
For an elevated dining experience, check out Fearing’s, which offers American cuisine with a Southern twist. Guests can choose from seven seating options that include a live-action kitchen, the mahogany-walled Rallesnack bar and an alfresco patio.
Guests seeking a wellness experience can partake in either the Ritz-Carlton fitness center or spa.
There is 23,941 sq. ft. of event space, 11 breakout rooms, 11 event rooms and 218 guest rooms.
Houston
The fifth permanent location of Meow Wolf has recently opened in Houston. It consists of collaborative work from local artists. Planners can schedule group visits of 15 or more.
The Theta Theater functions as a performance venue and immersive art experience, and can host 400 guests standing and 125 seated. It is perfect for dinners, presentations and performances, as well as DJ’s, bands and theatrical productions.
The Cowboix Hevvven is an immersive futuristic scene based on a honky-tonk dive bar. It can host up to 44 guests and is available to rent after regular operating hours.
For planners looking for a complete buyout, the venue can host a total of 600 guests, making it perfect for corporate events.
New to Houston, Hotel Saint Augustine opens this fall and is a ten-minute drive from the Museum District, Rice University and Hermann Park.
Saint Augustine has 71 guest rooms, a sheltered courtyard pool and is also pet friendly.
There is 3,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and two meeting rooms.
The ION District in Houston offers a multi-use workspace, which includes classrooms, office space and event space. Planners can utilize the Forum Stairs, a bleacher-style seating area located in the middle of the ground floor, which holds 250 people.
The Ion Plaza is a versatile and spacious plaza that can be utilized for networking events or live performances.
Houston, we have an event! Space Center Houston allows planners to use the backdrop of space travel. Space Center Houston is Houston’s leading attraction in science and space exploration learning. Since it first opened in 1992, it has welcomed over 26.6 million guests. The 250,000-square-foot education complex has over 400 space artifacts, as well as experiences such as NASA Tram Tours.
Planners can host their event at Space Center Houston as well. There is ample space, such as Rocket Park and Independence Plaza. There is also onsite catering as well for planners who want an all-in-one planning experience.
POST was the hub of Houston’s U.S. Mail System once upon a time. The former USPS headquarters was then transformed by Lovett Commercial into a mixed-use complex.
POST has a flexible rooftop event space, which is adjacent to a rooftop farm. Guests can take in the panoramic views of the Houston skyline.
The X Atrium cohabitats with the visually stimulating, innovatively designed staircase. Performances, art shows and dinners are great choices for this particular area.
Jordan Plaza, named after US Representative Barbara Jordan, offers a great space for outdoor events.
The Docks is the area postal trucks used as loading docks. Speakers can be installed in this space, along with an LED light wall for a DJ set to go along with your holiday celebrations.
Arlington
Arlington Convention Center & Hotel opened in 2024 and has a 266,000-square-foot convention center that is attached to the Loews Arlington Hotel, which offers 888 guest rooms. There is also a skybridge that links to Live! By Loews, which has 300 guest rooms.
The Convention Center and hotels are within walking distance of both AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
The National Medal of Honor Museum is scheduled to open on March 25, 2025, which is National Medal of Honor Day. It will function as the national institution dedicated to housing the stories of service members who became Medal of Honor recipients.
Arlington Museum of Art‘s latest exhibitions, Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume and All That Glitters: The Crown Jewels of the Walt Disney Archives, will be hosted through March 2025.
The museum is also available for rental for planners looking to host up to 440 guests.
Looking further ahead into 2026, the Indycar Grand Prix of Arlington is coming in March 2026, which is from a partnership between Indycar, the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers! Also, Arlington will be hosting nine of the matches of the FIFA World Cup in June and July 2026.
Plano
Plano’s convention center, Plano Event Center, is undergoing a $3.2 million courtyard renovation. This will expand the programmable and rentable space for outdoor events. The renovation will include shaded areas and areas for receptions, impromptu meeting space and live entertainment.
The project is scheduled to open by winter 2025.
Planners looking for some fun group activities should check out the new Fowling Warehouse that houses the original football bowling pin game. Guests throw a football at ten bowling pins until someone knocks them down, take a drink and repeat! Definitely a fun after-hours group activity to consider.
There are 71,00 sq. ft. of venue space and 50 bowling lanes, which includes the 11,000-square-foot VIP Lounge that has six lanes. Private groups can range from two to 1,200.
San Antonio
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa is located next to SeaWorld and is 20 minutes from San Antonio’s downtown Riverwalk. The resort also recently announced an enhancement with a 2.2-acre crystal lagoon.
Windflower Spa is among 300 acres of wildflowers and meadows. The spa includes a eucalyptus steam room, a dry sauna and a jetted tub. Guests also have access to a heated outdoor pool, or they can relax in hammocks among oak trees. Wildflower Spa is undergoing a renovation but will reopen in January 2025.
Irving
Irving Convention Center, located on 40 acres in the heart of Irving’s Las Colinas Urban Center, has 275,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. It is also near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The venue also has a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and 20 breakout rooms.
The convention center is also near several hotels, including the Westin Irving Convention Center Las Colinas. It contains 350 guest rooms and can accommodate a theater or banquet capacity of 1,450. The hotel also offers 47,529 sq. ft. of meeting space.
Austin
Guests visiting Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa will be greeted by a serene view of rolling hills and vistas.
Omni Barton Creek has eight restaurants and lounges available for guests, including Bob’s Steak & Chop House, Texas Spice, Velvet Joe’s Coffee House and more!
There are also four golf courses: Fazio Foothills, Fazio Canyons, Coore Crenshaw and Palmer Lakeside.
For wellness and relaxation, Mokara Spa offers massages, facials and body treatments.
There are 76,192 sq. ft. of meeting space and 493 guest rooms.
Thomas Austin is a 32-floor luxury downtown hotel with 229 spacious guest rooms and is located near Austin’s music and nightlife scene.
On warmer days, guests can visit the rooftop pool while sipping their favorite cocktails.
On the 2nd floor, there is 6,300 sq. ft. of event space. Planners can utilize the two modern ballrooms, private dining rooms, outdoor event space and three boardrooms.
Austin Convention Center (ACC) is a USGCC LEED Gold EB certified venue located in the heart of the Lone Star State’s capital.
ACC prides itself in its accessibility needs which includes ramps, scoots, automatic doors as well as mothers rooms. On the digital side of things, ACC offers wireless and wired internet access, along with network service and support. Planners can also utilize the available digital signable options.
There is 51,727 sq. ft. of meeting space. The largest room is 79,525 sq. ft. There are also 31 meeting rooms. In total there is 247,052 sq. ft. of exhibit space.
Did we mention it’s walkable? ACC is within close distance of more than 12,000 hotel guest rooms.
MICHELIN Guide Coming to Texas
It has been announced that Texas is the 11th Michelin guide destination in North America. Michelin inspectors have been eating their way through Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Stay tuned to Smart Meetings for future updates!
This article appears in the Texas supplement, “Texas Treasures: Meeting Space with Flair” in the November/December 2024 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
