CTroyMathis
27 March 2004, 06:40 PM
The windfall on the lake
Grapevine expects ripple effect from new resort
04:27 PM CST on Saturday, March 27, 2004
By MARICE RICHTER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032804dnmetgaylordmain.2733c.html
GRAPEVINE When Sylvia Helton bought a women's clothing boutique 18 months ago on Main Street in downtown Grapevine, she had no experience running a small business. But she did have hope that an economic bonanza was about to hit Grapevine.
Between her own inexperience and the economic fallout of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ms. Helton's first year in business was rocky. But she prevailed and expanded Ooh La La's space and inventory in the last few months.
Ms. Helton expects her efforts to pay dividends when the sprawling $480 million Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine opens Friday, ushering in an economic tidal wave that is expected to affect Grapevine in countless ways.
"I bought this business because I knew Gaylord was coming," Ms. Helton said. "I expanded to serve all the extra people that are supposed to come.
"Now I'm just waiting."
Gaylord Texan's reach will go way beyond Ms. Helton's shop and the other Main Street merchants. Among those expected to benefit: nearby hotels, golf courses, beauty salons, Grapevine Mills mall, Bass Pro Shops, business suppliers, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad and city coffers.
"I think of it as an onion," said John Imaizumi, senior vice president and general manager of Gaylord Texan. "When you peel a layer, you find another way someone or something in this community is going to benefit."
Grapevine city officials expect Gaylord Texan to pay more than $8 million in taxes in the first year, including about $2 million in property tax, $4 million in sales tax and $2.2 million in hotel occupancy tax.
Gaylord officials predict the resort will pump millions of dollars into the local economy in the first year, including $36 million in salaries for employees and $27 million in purchases of goods and services by the resort.
Spinoff spending
Those figures don't include the millions of dollars that tourists and conventioneers are expected to spend in local shops, restaurants and other businesses.
"The prospect of having 600,000 people a mile or two from downtown Grapevine in the next 12 months presents a great opportunity from a retail perspective," said Pat Fairchild, president of the Historic Downtown Grapevine Association and owner of the Pueblo Connection, a Southwestern art and jewelry store.
Besides merchants, city officials have spent years anticipating and preparing for Gaylord Texan's opening. The resort is expected to make Grapevine a major tourism destination and to significantly shape the city's landscape.
Grapevine officials recognized that when Gaylord first came courting about six years ago.
Gaylord Entertainment Co., based in Nashville, Tenn., was looking for sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to build a resort similar to its Opryland in Nashville.
Gaylord officials liked the location on Grapevine Lake and the proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, said Grapevine City Council member Clydene Johnson. Gaylord representatives were also drawn to the city's historical downtown and hometown feeling.
The City Council created a tax-increment financing district, known as a TIF, to pay for road and utility improvements at the Gaylord property. The TIF funnels property tax revenue from the new buildings into a fund to pay for road and utility improvements, officials said.
At a groundbreaking in June 2000, the complex was expected to be built on 77 acres, cost $400 million and open in August 2003.
Delays, higher costs
But then came Sept. 11, 2001.
The terrorist attacks stymied financing and investment across the country, leaving Gaylord officials to find another way to pay for the project. Gaylord Entertainment sold some of its other holdings to pay for the resort, officials said.
Gaylord Texan, which sits on about 150 acres of lakefront property, will be more elaborate than originally anticipated because an $11 million entertainment facility has been added.
"We've spent the last four years planning and preparing for this," said P.W. McCallum, executive director of the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are ready."
With 400,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, Gaylord Texan is expected to draw conventions of 5,000 to 10,000 people a vast difference from the sales and training meetings of 25 to 500 people traditionally held at Grapevine's Convention Center and other hotels.
Gaylord Texan's sales team has already booked about 500 groups for about 750,000 room nights during the next seven years.
The resort is expected to host about 600,000 visitors a year. Many are expected to venture off the property and into downtown Grapevine, Grapevine Mills and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World via the eight trolleys that the resort has purchased to transport guests around the city.
City officials expect that the visitors will mean more business for shops and restaurants in Grapevine, more chartered Tarantula train trips between downtown Grapevine and the Fort Worth Stockyards and more shows at the Grapevine Opry.
And over the long run, Gaylord Texan could mean even grander changes for Grapevine.
Working artists
"We expect to see a lot more upscale shops and uniquely themed restaurants move in," Mr. McCallum said. "We'll probably see more art galleries, perhaps with working artists."
Undoubtedly, downtown Grapevine will grow, officials said. City officials are talking to developers about building a mixed-use development downtown that will contain loft apartments, retail shops and commercial office space in downtown.
Vacant land on the outskirts of downtown is expected to be bought, and more upscale hotels built, to handle the overflow of conventioneers.
"There is an avalanche of possibilities for the downtown area," said Mayor William D. Tate. "I imagine we'll see a lot of it play out with the opening of Gaylord. This is a very exciting time for us."
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Complex embodies Texana
04:32 PM CST on Saturday, March 27, 2004
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032804dnmetgaylordtheme.223c7.html
GRAPEVINE The Rio Grande runs through it, Sam Houston has his own room, and a lone star looms large above winding pathways cut between lush landscaping. The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine is aptly named, as its recurring theme boasts undeniable Lone Star influence.
"The primary goal was to try and create Texas vernacular so the guests, when they come to this area, really feel they are experiencing everything about Texas," said Brenda Geoghagan, Gaylord Texan's senior director of interior design and purchasing.
The hotel's designers, architects and landscape architects delved deep into Texas history, culture and lore during the planning process. Most work for companies based in other states. The resort's parent company, Gaylord Entertainment, is based in Nashville, Tenn.
To get a feel for Texas, a team toured the state with Bob Phillips, who hosts Texas Country Reporter. The TV show travels the state's back roads to bring viewers glimpses of Texas life and personality.
Mark Weaver is a partner in Hnedak Bobo Group, the chief architecture firm for Gaylord Texan. Mr. Weaver said the trip inspired the team with ideas.
"From that, we came up with a concept of the biggest ranch in Texas," Mr. Weaver said. "That's what the Gaylord guys wanted this to be."
They wove through several regions and cities, including the Hill Country, Luckenbach, Austin, San Antonio and West Texas.
"We were just trying to create that Texas design experience and pay homage to all the different regions," Ms. Geoghagan said.
State of mind
The resort's three atriums Hill Country, Lone Star and Riverwalk represent different times and geography. Mission Plaza in the Lone Star Atrium, with its Alamo-like facade, resembles the stucco structures that still dot the state's landscape.
"That was supposed to express the early colonization days when Texas was a country unto itself," Ms. Geoghagan said.
An 80-foot gold star tops the atrium's 2-inch-thick glass roof. A bell tower stands tall above a terrace, which overlooks the Rio Grande replica. Mosaic tables line the waterfront in the Riverwalk Atrium.
Stone fountains and fireplaces dot the property. Stars are everywhere in the carpet, on the balconies and above doorways. There's the Yellow Rose Ballroom and the Old Hickory steakhouse. Boardrooms are modeled after the state Capitol.
But the design teams didn't just want to replicate Texas elements. They wanted to tell a story.
"The oil derrick column pays homage to the industry that made Texas great at the turn of the century," Ms. Geoghagan said.
The river re-creation runs throughout the property and winds its way through the three atriums.
Ms. Geoghagan said the aquatic features signify the importance of water in supporting livestock and crops.
Living the legends
Nine upgraded suites are namesakes of Texas legends.
The Davy Crockett suite features raccoon skin pillows. Jim Bowie, known as a riverboat gambler, has a map of the mighty Mississippi River hanging in his suite.
"We've collected books that tell the history of the suite we're emulating," Ms. Geoghagan said. "Hopefully, by the time guests leave, they'll have an appreciation for that particular hero."
The regular guest rooms feature three design schemes, coordinated with their location on the property.
Hill Country rooms flaunt rustic colors accented with copper and bronze metals.
Riverwalk rooms feature more vibrant colors set against gold granite. Their red tones are supposed to imitate Texas sunsets. Lone Star rooms re-create the homes of ranch owners with marbled entryways and bathrooms.
Ms. Geoghagan hopes the attention to detail creates a distinct Lone Star experience for visitors.
"I hope they walk away with a sense that we were able to capture under one roof some of the architecture features that are significant to Texas," she said.
Grapevine expects ripple effect from new resort
04:27 PM CST on Saturday, March 27, 2004
By MARICE RICHTER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032804dnmetgaylordmain.2733c.html
GRAPEVINE When Sylvia Helton bought a women's clothing boutique 18 months ago on Main Street in downtown Grapevine, she had no experience running a small business. But she did have hope that an economic bonanza was about to hit Grapevine.
Between her own inexperience and the economic fallout of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ms. Helton's first year in business was rocky. But she prevailed and expanded Ooh La La's space and inventory in the last few months.
Ms. Helton expects her efforts to pay dividends when the sprawling $480 million Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine opens Friday, ushering in an economic tidal wave that is expected to affect Grapevine in countless ways.
"I bought this business because I knew Gaylord was coming," Ms. Helton said. "I expanded to serve all the extra people that are supposed to come.
"Now I'm just waiting."
Gaylord Texan's reach will go way beyond Ms. Helton's shop and the other Main Street merchants. Among those expected to benefit: nearby hotels, golf courses, beauty salons, Grapevine Mills mall, Bass Pro Shops, business suppliers, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad and city coffers.
"I think of it as an onion," said John Imaizumi, senior vice president and general manager of Gaylord Texan. "When you peel a layer, you find another way someone or something in this community is going to benefit."
Grapevine city officials expect Gaylord Texan to pay more than $8 million in taxes in the first year, including about $2 million in property tax, $4 million in sales tax and $2.2 million in hotel occupancy tax.
Gaylord officials predict the resort will pump millions of dollars into the local economy in the first year, including $36 million in salaries for employees and $27 million in purchases of goods and services by the resort.
Spinoff spending
Those figures don't include the millions of dollars that tourists and conventioneers are expected to spend in local shops, restaurants and other businesses.
"The prospect of having 600,000 people a mile or two from downtown Grapevine in the next 12 months presents a great opportunity from a retail perspective," said Pat Fairchild, president of the Historic Downtown Grapevine Association and owner of the Pueblo Connection, a Southwestern art and jewelry store.
Besides merchants, city officials have spent years anticipating and preparing for Gaylord Texan's opening. The resort is expected to make Grapevine a major tourism destination and to significantly shape the city's landscape.
Grapevine officials recognized that when Gaylord first came courting about six years ago.
Gaylord Entertainment Co., based in Nashville, Tenn., was looking for sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to build a resort similar to its Opryland in Nashville.
Gaylord officials liked the location on Grapevine Lake and the proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, said Grapevine City Council member Clydene Johnson. Gaylord representatives were also drawn to the city's historical downtown and hometown feeling.
The City Council created a tax-increment financing district, known as a TIF, to pay for road and utility improvements at the Gaylord property. The TIF funnels property tax revenue from the new buildings into a fund to pay for road and utility improvements, officials said.
At a groundbreaking in June 2000, the complex was expected to be built on 77 acres, cost $400 million and open in August 2003.
Delays, higher costs
But then came Sept. 11, 2001.
The terrorist attacks stymied financing and investment across the country, leaving Gaylord officials to find another way to pay for the project. Gaylord Entertainment sold some of its other holdings to pay for the resort, officials said.
Gaylord Texan, which sits on about 150 acres of lakefront property, will be more elaborate than originally anticipated because an $11 million entertainment facility has been added.
"We've spent the last four years planning and preparing for this," said P.W. McCallum, executive director of the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are ready."
With 400,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, Gaylord Texan is expected to draw conventions of 5,000 to 10,000 people a vast difference from the sales and training meetings of 25 to 500 people traditionally held at Grapevine's Convention Center and other hotels.
Gaylord Texan's sales team has already booked about 500 groups for about 750,000 room nights during the next seven years.
The resort is expected to host about 600,000 visitors a year. Many are expected to venture off the property and into downtown Grapevine, Grapevine Mills and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World via the eight trolleys that the resort has purchased to transport guests around the city.
City officials expect that the visitors will mean more business for shops and restaurants in Grapevine, more chartered Tarantula train trips between downtown Grapevine and the Fort Worth Stockyards and more shows at the Grapevine Opry.
And over the long run, Gaylord Texan could mean even grander changes for Grapevine.
Working artists
"We expect to see a lot more upscale shops and uniquely themed restaurants move in," Mr. McCallum said. "We'll probably see more art galleries, perhaps with working artists."
Undoubtedly, downtown Grapevine will grow, officials said. City officials are talking to developers about building a mixed-use development downtown that will contain loft apartments, retail shops and commercial office space in downtown.
Vacant land on the outskirts of downtown is expected to be bought, and more upscale hotels built, to handle the overflow of conventioneers.
"There is an avalanche of possibilities for the downtown area," said Mayor William D. Tate. "I imagine we'll see a lot of it play out with the opening of Gaylord. This is a very exciting time for us."
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Complex embodies Texana
04:32 PM CST on Saturday, March 27, 2004
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032804dnmetgaylordtheme.223c7.html
GRAPEVINE The Rio Grande runs through it, Sam Houston has his own room, and a lone star looms large above winding pathways cut between lush landscaping. The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine is aptly named, as its recurring theme boasts undeniable Lone Star influence.
"The primary goal was to try and create Texas vernacular so the guests, when they come to this area, really feel they are experiencing everything about Texas," said Brenda Geoghagan, Gaylord Texan's senior director of interior design and purchasing.
The hotel's designers, architects and landscape architects delved deep into Texas history, culture and lore during the planning process. Most work for companies based in other states. The resort's parent company, Gaylord Entertainment, is based in Nashville, Tenn.
To get a feel for Texas, a team toured the state with Bob Phillips, who hosts Texas Country Reporter. The TV show travels the state's back roads to bring viewers glimpses of Texas life and personality.
Mark Weaver is a partner in Hnedak Bobo Group, the chief architecture firm for Gaylord Texan. Mr. Weaver said the trip inspired the team with ideas.
"From that, we came up with a concept of the biggest ranch in Texas," Mr. Weaver said. "That's what the Gaylord guys wanted this to be."
They wove through several regions and cities, including the Hill Country, Luckenbach, Austin, San Antonio and West Texas.
"We were just trying to create that Texas design experience and pay homage to all the different regions," Ms. Geoghagan said.
State of mind
The resort's three atriums Hill Country, Lone Star and Riverwalk represent different times and geography. Mission Plaza in the Lone Star Atrium, with its Alamo-like facade, resembles the stucco structures that still dot the state's landscape.
"That was supposed to express the early colonization days when Texas was a country unto itself," Ms. Geoghagan said.
An 80-foot gold star tops the atrium's 2-inch-thick glass roof. A bell tower stands tall above a terrace, which overlooks the Rio Grande replica. Mosaic tables line the waterfront in the Riverwalk Atrium.
Stone fountains and fireplaces dot the property. Stars are everywhere in the carpet, on the balconies and above doorways. There's the Yellow Rose Ballroom and the Old Hickory steakhouse. Boardrooms are modeled after the state Capitol.
But the design teams didn't just want to replicate Texas elements. They wanted to tell a story.
"The oil derrick column pays homage to the industry that made Texas great at the turn of the century," Ms. Geoghagan said.
The river re-creation runs throughout the property and winds its way through the three atriums.
Ms. Geoghagan said the aquatic features signify the importance of water in supporting livestock and crops.
Living the legends
Nine upgraded suites are namesakes of Texas legends.
The Davy Crockett suite features raccoon skin pillows. Jim Bowie, known as a riverboat gambler, has a map of the mighty Mississippi River hanging in his suite.
"We've collected books that tell the history of the suite we're emulating," Ms. Geoghagan said. "Hopefully, by the time guests leave, they'll have an appreciation for that particular hero."
The regular guest rooms feature three design schemes, coordinated with their location on the property.
Hill Country rooms flaunt rustic colors accented with copper and bronze metals.
Riverwalk rooms feature more vibrant colors set against gold granite. Their red tones are supposed to imitate Texas sunsets. Lone Star rooms re-create the homes of ranch owners with marbled entryways and bathrooms.
Ms. Geoghagan hopes the attention to detail creates a distinct Lone Star experience for visitors.
"I hope they walk away with a sense that we were able to capture under one roof some of the architecture features that are significant to Texas," she said.