Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine

[GarrettCarey]

Has anyone seen the news about the Opryland Resort in Grapevine? It looks like it will be pretty sweet with 1510 guest rooms and 400,000 sq. feet of convention space along with everything else. BUT, how will this affect Dallas and Fort Worth convention efforts? I guess this is similar to some of our other conversations about the suburn competition. But seriously EVERYONE is trying to get convention dollars! Is it me or does the convention mrket seem a little saturated? We shall see i guess.

[JaeTex]

Suburban competition exactly. I was a little miffed to hear news last night mention that it would likely mean more convention $ for "DFW" did not mention that it would actually mean more $ for Grapevine not Dallas or probably even Dallas area. But I guess better there than Orlando.

This will take some convention business from Dallas (don't know how it compares space-wise to Dallas Convention Center) especially if it is ever connected via DART directly to DFW airport or new airport people mover. Compared to antiseptic DT Dallas (especially convention center area) this faux Texas theme park will attract.

I think Dallas has fallen in convention market (used to be 1 or 2?) not because of any particular fault of D other than those discussed here, but because intense competition is building across nation for this business. Everyone is building expanded conv. ctrs.

Plans to expand Dallas Convention Center to Reunion a good idea? I don't know, would give Dallas tons more space but would be a huge obstacle between DT and southern areas(maybe?). I don't know exactly where Cedars and Southside on Lamar fit geographically compared to Conv.Ctr. but we should be connecting not blocking.

IMHO

[GarrettCarey]

Yeah...more competition is right! From the various articles that I have read over the months I think the consensus is that nothing beats the Dallas Convention Center itself, but DT Dallas is rather boring and lacks in nearby restaurant options. I agree. I would have to say that from a convention standpoint, DT is very boring and the choices for restaurants are too "chainy." Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville (among other areas) are great but not for your typical conventioner. Dallas has lost many of it's big conventions Las Vegas.....that is hard to compete with...ya know.

[KelleyUSA]

Let's also remember the fact that the Opryland in Grapevine is an actual hotel with convention facilities. I believe that Dallas seriously needs to have a hotel built with a connection to the convention center. WE NEED A CONVENTION HOTEL!!!! Any thoughts? Heck- I think the building of a new hotel could also spur additional development in the area.

[GarrettCarey]

YES. There are two huge parking lots on the north side of the convention center that could easily be used for a connecting convention center hotel. I am sure there is some space south of the cmplex as well.

[JaeTex]

Tourists (I take them there myself) and national TV (any sporting event in Dallas features a few shots) love the Cattle Drive statues near the Conv. Ctr. but remember when it was built the big stink put up by the Observer et. al about the fact that that was perfect land for a convention center hotel. I'm not sure but it might have even been city-owned land at the time, though I think the guy the Observer was fixated on was one of the Hunts (????).

[MustangMonkey]

In response to giving DFW more convention dollars.

Only if this Opryland brings in new conventions, will it mean more convention dollars for DFW.

Although this is pretty obvious, it needed to be said.

If it doesn’t bring in new conventions, but competes for existing conventions, it will be worse than a zero sum game (if my understanding is correct).

My understanding of the situation.
Dallas, and Ft. Worth convention centers are owned by those cities. Profits therefore go to those cites. Opryland is of corse owned by Gaylord so they will keep the profits of the convention center + profits of the hotel rooms (minus the property taxes paid to Grapevine, which are probably defered for 10-20 years)

Of course this is great news for Grapevine Texas, but who realy cares.

Is it better for this to be in Grapevine, over Orlando? I see your point in thinking so, but I not quite convinced.

It will bring more money into the state of Texas, and specifically North Texas over the short term (10-20 years) but will have negative effects long term.

Consider your out of town convention experience to Opryland DFW.
1) Land at DFW international (Relatively clean, efficient airport, simple architecture, nothing interesting, but what the hay; It's just an airport right)
2) Short drive or shuttle to Opryland (What do you see on the way? You notice that the airport is one dam big airport, exit the toll-boths and see nothing but barren treeless land and arrive at Opryland)
3) Inside Opryland (Your guess is as good as mine. I'm sure it is really big and impressive, and provides a nice sterile environment to play video game in, get boozed up, or buy something with an armadillo on it)
4)First thought: I didn't see anything on the way here, Dallas and Ft. Worth must suck.
5) Go to convention (do convention stuff ???)
6)Convention is over ( Maybe I will give this Dallas Ft. Worth place another shot. I saw allot of posters for Grapevine Mills mall and people from Dallas are allways bragging about the shopping so I'll tray that out)
7) Drive to grapevine mills, see nothing on the way except highways. Get there, OO Big, sucks, I'm going home.
:cool: Flies back to Boston, and reaffirms his reasons for never wanting to move to a sprawly Southwestern city.




Of course, I could be wrong. Some conventioneers may make ther way into Dallas or FW (mind you, fewer), but I personaly will never think things are quite right around here if an airport is the major attraction.

Dallas and Ft Worth were forced to build the airport, and it seems like the surrounding suburbs freely pick up a large portion of the benifits

[Axes]

I'm in the convention business. This really will not affect the Dallas Convention Center. The DCC is among the world's largest and competes for large shows. The Grapevine Opry will compete for minor, smaller shows.

Dallas already has several convention hotels. The Anatole is one of the leading convention hotels in the nation as is the Hyatt downtown; and the Adam's Mark is joining the fray. These are what will compete with the Opry.

The Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, and Planno CCs will face competition more so than Dallas.

However, Dallas does need a convention center hotel at the DCC. Dallas currently is the sixth largest CC market, and it will drop if it does not get a hotel.

McCormick Place is probably the most perfect CC setup although it lacks good rail access.

[Axes]

I'm in the convention business. This really will not affect the Dallas Convention Center. The DCC is among the world's largest and competes for large shows. The Grapevine Opry will compete for minor, smaller shows.

Dallas already has several convention hotels. The Anatole is one of the leading convention hotels in the nation as is the Hyatt downtown; and the Adam's Mark is joining the fray. These are what will compete with the Opry.

The Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, and Planno CCs will face competition more so than Dallas.

However, Dallas does need a convention center hotel at the DCC. Dallas currently is the sixth largest CC market, and it will drop if it does not get a hotel.

McCormick Place is probably the most perfect CC setup although it lacks good rail access.

[GarrettCarey]

Axes...I certainly hope it won't affect the Dallas convention business. But Dallas does need a hotel AT the DCC. I also think some of the revitalization efforts should focus on retail and restaurants in that area, otherwise it certain to drop in its national rankings. And yes, McCormick Place in Chicago is probably the most perfect CC setup....even though it is located pretty far south from the action of the city.

[Axes]

The Hyatt at McCormick is great. Dallas needs that desperately. The only think McCormick lacks is el access.

[heygene]

Let us not forget the development that will occur downtown: Victory is slated for 2004 which is the same time Opryland will open, the Arts District, and the mainstreet revitalization efforts. Once these things are completed neither Opryland nor any other local convention center will be able to compete. Actually, I believe having Grapevine and Irving, you can now through Richardson in the mix actually helps Dallas. Because Dallas can't host every Convention, at least these places would help keep dollars and exposure here. Do you actually think that people who will travel here to a convention in Grapevine will spend all their time in Grapevine, or Irving, or Richardson, or Plano, NO, they will come to Dallas and spend their money.

[bloodandpopcorn]

They'll acutally probably go to the nearest mall and/or spend all their money in Frisco.Why would anyone go into the city of Dallas when they can go a shorter ammount of time to big, bright, shiney malls that are packed with people until they close?

If DT and everything within Dallas' city limits, the region really doesn't have much hope. Why live in Dallas when you can have an almost urban environment, i.e. the lofts in Plano's new 'town center' or in addison square, for far cheaper than in dallas and often with more to do in the area?

The City Council needs to start seeking out major things to make Dallas get in teh headlines, nationally or at least regionally, and increase interest in the area. If people are thinking about Dallas, more will come, and then if they are in a convention somewhere else they might hit the city. But now, all they think about being in the city of Dallas is the 6th Floor Museam.

[heygene]

I can agree with some of the things you say "BloodandPopcorn", I wrote on another post "Does Dallas need a new destination" I do agree that Dallas needs more, but also their is a reason why more people visit the city of Dallas more than any other city in Texas, NorthPark Mall and the Gallaria are 2 of the most visited places in the metroplex getting 17 and 16 million customers respectively. Other cities (inthe area) have tried to duplicate what Dallas has done and they can't. Have you been to the lofts in Plano, it's a ghost town. Stonebriar, Grapevine Mills, The shops at Willowbend are newer fancier Malls, but they can't hold a candle to Northpark and the Gallaria. People come to this area for one reason and one reason only. To come to Dallas. And if more area cities are building more convention centers, that's good, it means more people will come to Dallas.

[KelleyUSA]

I totally agree! People will find their way to Dallas- just for curiosity more than anything. Now- once they get here they may find out that Dallas doesn't really have much- but I firmly believe they'll still make the drive from Grapevine or Plano etc... Example- I recently attended a convention in Tempe, AZ.. One night we decided to make the drive into Phoenix just to see what the downtown was like (not that much better than Dallas)!! People will find their way to Big D no matter where the convention is!

[Axes]

Have you guys been under a rock? There definitely is not more to do in Plano than Dallas.

[heygene]

That's right!! Can you imagine someone flying across the country to go to a convention in Irving, or Plano, and not take the 15 to 20 minute drive to Dallas. That's just crazy.

[GarrettCarey]

Axes...you said earlier that you were in the convention business. Can you detail some of the DCC specs? Also, are there any other plans for the DCC for expansion or improvement that we are not aware of? thanks

[cjyoung]

I see the same things that happened to Detroit happening to Dallas. There is over 30 million square feet of vacant office space (more than all the space in downtown) in the Dallas MSA. All the new stuff is being built north of LBJ. Do you really think those buildings will be abandoned before DT?

Why would you need a new convention center hotel when the Hyatt is so close and the Adam's Mark and the Anatole have very convenient shuddle service?

Comments in this thread mirror some of the arrogrance that I saw in a forum for downtown Baltimore in which members felt that Charlotte wasn't a competitor. Yet, Charlotte is experiencing tremendous growth and Baltimore is going in the opposite direction and holds the distinction of being the heroin capital of the US.

Dallas will not only face an increasing amount of competition locally, but will face the same fate as Detroit if it doesn't change its attitude about growth.

[Axes]

Sorry, but I don't really have any specs on the DCC. I'm sure they're constantly planning expansion though, most places do.

[CTroyMathis]

Some photos of construction from here:
http://steelwayintl.com/current%20projects%202.htm

http://steelwayintl.com/images/Current_Projects/Opry/opry5.jpg
http://steelwayintl.com/images/Current_Projects/Opry/opry%204.jpg
http://steelwayintl.com/images/Current_Projects/Opry/opry2.jpg
http://steelwayintl.com/images/Current_Projects/Opry/opry%205.jpg
http://steelwayintl.com/images/Current_Projects/Opry/opry%206.jpg

And some much better/newer ones at this location (obviously):
http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordoprylandtexas/design/photos.cfm

Their sketches that've been online for quite some time:
http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordoprylandtexas/design/sketches.cfm

[gc]

I went to a wedding nearby the other weekend and this thing is HUGE! My only problem is this.......it is near NOTHING. When you go to a convention or whatever....typically you want to leave the site to see/do other things. Unless you know you way around the DFW...you are not going anywhere...except Grapevine Mills Mall....wow...not!

[evdallas]

I think the point is that everything you "need" is in the hotel. Its like Disneyland.

[dallastophoenix]

i agree, evdallas. it is suppose to have everything... also, imagine the other retail/restaurants/businesses this will spur out there. i attended fellowship church out there across from grapevine mills mall - before there was a mall... it has exploded in growth out there ever since...

[psukhu]

At least there will eventually be a light rail station near by.

The DFW light rail station should be only a few miles away. Maybe they will even have a free shuttle from Opryland to the DFW light rail station. Then again, they might try to keep the visitors in Opryland to spend more money...

[DallasTexan]

God, that "thing" makes me barf.

Get that piece of Nashville trash out of Dallas.

Do whatever you can to stop it's construction... Burn it, protest... whatever... ugh.

[evdallas]

haha, honestly as much as I think it sucks, its fits in well with grapevine, don't you think? ie Grapevine Mills. As long as its not in Dallas.

[Kelley USA]

I attend Fellowship Church as well- and I happen to like the hotel. I think it's in a perfect location and a big boom for Grapevine. And I disagree- there are things to do around the hotel- you have the lake, 2 great public golf courses (including the Dallas Cowboys course), Grapevine Main Street including the Tarantula Train, Grapevine Mills with the ESPN Skatepark, AMC 30, Rainforest Cafe and a Dr Pepper Star Center, & tons of restaurants nearby... These are all things that will appeal to families!

The hotel itself will have 4 or 5 restaurants including a steakhouse, a southwestern restaurant developed by Stephen Pyles. Apparently the appeal has been great thus far as they have already booked many conventions...

[dallastophoenix]

i agree. i think it's a great addition to the metroplex. of course, if it was being built in DTD, we would all be applauding it...

[mikedsjr]

Opryland's opening is going to be with a Christian marraige conference.

WOOHOO!!!!

Anyone attending? I might be.

[DallasTexan]

Marriage Conference?

How Nashville.

[mikedsjr]

FYI. There was a Marraige Conference at the AAC not too long ago.

[DallasTexan]

The SBC holds seminars here in Nashville (their world HQ) that teaches new wives to be submissive to their husbands. *barf*

[mikedsjr]

I'd rather stay on track. I just wanted to mention that what the first user of the new Opryland was. Far as i know its Independent Christian Organization putting it on. But i might be there for the opening. Not sure yet. I'll do what my wife wants to do on this.

[evdallas]

Gaylord changes name of Grapevine resort
Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET) on Wednesday announced that the company's Opryland Texas hotel and resort being built in Grapevine is changing its name to reflect even more of a Texas flavor.


Opryland Texas will now be known as the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine. Gaylord Texan will open in April.

The name of the $515 million resort is being changed to reflect a more Texas flavor and theme and to differentiate the Grapevine property from the company's flagship Gaylord Opryland Nashville.

"Our company earned its industry stripes in Nashville with our signature Opryland property," Gaylord Entertainment President and CEO Colin Reed said. "We are confident that this hotel -- one of the few of this magnitude being built in America during these unsettled times for the hospitality industry -- will become one of the nation's great destination icons just like its sister property in Nashville."

Gaylord Texan is the third resort built under the Gaylord Hotels brand. The 1,511-room property will feature five restaurants, 400,000 square feet of meeting space for conventions and other amenities.

[evdallas]

Gaylord Texan ... um....

[CTroyMathis]

Dallas-Fort Worth Convention Centers Await Impact of New Rival

http://www.miami.com/images/common/spacer.gif
By David Wethe, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8242891.htm
http://www.miami.com/images/common/spacer.gif

<!-- begin body-content -->Mar. 21--GRAPEVINE, Texas - Come April 2, a Texas-sized showdown begins.

Just about every major convention center and hotel manager in the area is bracing for a turbulent year after the grand opening of the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine.

Some concede inevitable losses to Gaylord early on, vowing to lure back any lost business over time. Others say they hope the resort will elevate the Metroplex to a new level in the travel business and give it more prominence.

"I think they're gonna be the big bull in the rodeo arena," said Steven G. Foster, managing partner of Circle R Ranch in Grapevine, one of the nearby attractions aiming to feed off of excess Gaylord business. "Go to any industry meeting these days and the hot topic is Gaylord. They're a huge factor that will refocus attention on the Dallas-Fort Worth area."

Even before the first guests check in, the sprawling property will claim top-shelf status as the second-largest convention center in North Texas -- bigger than the newly expanded centers in Fort Worth and Arlington -- and the region's third-largest hotel. Gaylord officials say the Texan is the largest hotel convention center in the state.

Some competitors are already feeling the impact.

The Cyberathlete Professional League, a large group of 4,000 video-game players from around the world, is moving its largest annual conference 22 miles west from the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas to the Texan.

Angel Munoz, founder and president of the Irving-based league, said his group simply outgrew its space at the Hyatt, where it had met for five years.

Including spectators, Munoz said attendance is expected to be about 9,000, which would be 18 times larger than the 500 at its first event at the Hyatt in 1998. The Texan has more than 1,500 rooms.

Steve Vissotzky, general manager of the Hyatt Regency, said he doesn't necessarily consider the situation a loss. His hotel will retain one of the league's smaller conferences of 4,000 attendees.

"It was just way too difficult to squeeze them in," Vissotzky said.

"It probably made sense for them to gain a relationship out there."

Early response The Wyndham Anatole hotel in Dallas, the area's second-largest, didn't wait for the Texan to open before reacting.

Tom Faust, vice president of sales and marketing for the Anatole, said that the Grapevine resort was a factor in Wyndham's decision to do a $39 million expansion and renovation.

"Certainly we want to put our best foot forward," Faust said. "We want to make sure the hotel stays contemporary and fresh."

Faust said he expects Gaylord's entry on the local scene to both help and hurt his hotel at first: It will bring new business to the area but also steal some of his customers.

Officials for Gaylord Entertainment Co., the Texan's publicly traded parent, announced in a recent analyst conference call that of the 118 large groups booked for 2004 and beyond in Grapevine, 90 have not been to the Metroplex in the past three years. This, the company said, shows that it's bringing new business to the area.

Bob McPherrin, Gaylord's vice president of sales and marketing, conceded that some of these groups might not be new customers for the Metroplex, they just haven't been here in the past three years.

Some industry experts say that Gaylord has to bring new visitors to the Metroplex.

"The fact of the matter is, they have to do that or they're not going to be successful -- they know that," said Greg Crown, vice president of PKF Consulting in Dallas. "They can't cannibalize Dallas."

Metroplex hotels have recently been averaging a 56 percent occupancy rate, a figure that is expected to improve in 2004, Crown said. Any new meetings and conventions that Gaylord attracts will only help that number grow, he said.

One of the Gaylord resort's big attractions is its location near Lake Grapevine and Grapevine Mills mall, which was a factor in shifting the video-gamers conference there, Munoz said.

"This is still a vacation for thousands of people worldwide," he said. "We're excited about bringing people that have been going to downtown Dallas. There was nothing to do there."

Dallas hoteliers say that argument can be tough to counter.

"I can't create a lake downtown," said Michael Spamer, general manager of Adam's Mark Hotel Dallas, the largest hotel in North Texas.

Spamer added that although he'd love to have a lake to lure clients, there are plenty of groups out there who aren't looking for that kind of setting, groups that his hotel will appeal to.

"Some meetings prefer more of the downtown location," he said. "It just depends what kind of a convention it is."

Risky tax plan Dallas hoteliers, who have been suffering from a downturn in business travel for the past few years, also face another hurdle: The city is considering raising its 13 percent tax on hotel rooms to 18 percent -- which would be the highest in the nation -- in order to pay for a new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. Fort Worth's room tax is 15 percent, and Grapevine's is 12 percent.

One corporate group -- Mary Kay Inc. -- has already threatened to bolt if Dallas goes through with the increase.

Doug Harman, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it's up to each city to promote its own unique traits and attractions. For example, he said, "There is no Kimbell or Amon Carter Museum that is ever going to exist in Gaylord. You can't replicate everything here."

David B. Hall, president and chief operating officer of the Dallas-based cosmetics company, said in a Dec. 4 letter to the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau that an 18 percent hotel tax would cause the company to relocate its 4,500-person conference from Dallas County to the Texan.

Conventions that end up at the Texan aren't likely to spread their money around to other area cities while they're here, said Arthur Gallego, vice president of LaForce & Stevens, a marketing and public relations firm in New York. Gallego has consulted for several hotel properties, including W Hotels and Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

"What they are creating is a juggernaut that is going to create no competition," he said. "I am not sure spillover is part of their plans. For conventioneers, having a self-contained environment is critical. It's one-stop shopping."

The distance from Grapevine to Fort Worth or Dallas means those cities will miss some dollars, Harman said.

"It is not going to be easy to get from Gaylord to any other place," he said. "A small percentage of people will go beyond the hotel.

Only time will tell what that percentage will be."

Linda DiMario, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she is confident that visitors will find a way to get out and explore.

"I've learned from experience that discerning travelers understand there's usually more to their confines than just the hotel," said DiMario. "I think ultimately the ability of that resort to take its place in the Metroplex will serve it best in the long run."

Gaylord's McPherrin has talked about being a good Metroplex teammate by setting up guest shuttles throughout North Texas.

Some Gaylord competitors said they are looking on the bright side when it comes to their new neighbor.

"A rising tide raises all ships," said Tom Smith, general manager of the Hyatt Regency DFW hotel at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. "Everyone is going to give them a try in the beginning. That is certainly a risk and a concern, but not one we have for the long run."

Foster, who served a year as the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter president of Meeting Planners International and now helps run Circle R Ranch, agrees, while noting that the new resort's impact is likely to be far-reaching.

He hopes the Gaylord Texan is so successful, he said, that it forces city leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth to follow through with plans to build large hotels next to their recently expanded convention centers.

"I think that they are going to really force a paradigm shift in the meetings industry," Foster said. "Both Dallas and Fort Worth won't have to look too far down the road and say we've had that success in the past and we want that in the future."

Staff Writer Elena Morrison contributed to this report.

TOP FIVES

Top Five Hotels in the Metroplex ranked by number of rooms:

1. Adam's Mark Hotel Dallas 1,840 guest rooms

2. Wyndham Anatole 1,620 guest rooms

3. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Grapevine Lake 1,511 guest rooms

4. Hyatt Regency Dallas 1,112 rooms 5. Hyatt Regency DFW 811 rooms

Top Five Convention Centers in the Metroplex ranked by meeting space:

1. Dallas Convention Center 1 million square feet

2. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine 400,000 square feet

3. Wyndham Anatole 341,000 square feet

4. Fort Worth Convention Center 253,226 square feet

5. Adam's Mark Hotel Dallas 230,000 square feet

[Foucault]

One of the Gaylord resort's big attractions is its location near Lake Grapevine and Grapevine Mills mall
I bet corporation execs just glance at the brochure with NEAR LAKE GRAPEVINE! on it in big bold letters and decide to hold their conventions there. And being near an outlet mall is an attraction? It's a nice mall, sure, but outlet malls and malls in general are extremely common. It just doesn't make sense that you would travel all the way to Dallas for a convention, then, for your tourist activty you prefer Grapevine Mills over everything Dallas has to offer (think Sixth Floor)! That's simply nonsensical. Especially with the crime problem they've got:

Warrant issued for security guard in connection with robbery
08:51 PM CST on Saturday, March 20, 2004
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News

A security guard working at Grapevine Mills mall may have found a new profession early Saturday morning – robber – police say.

Raymond David Newsome, 32, escorted an armored car courier through the mall before dawn on a cash pickup and then left with the cash, police said. Mr. Newsome was still at large, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.


Grapevine Police Department
Raymond David Newsome David R. Munselle, 72, a courier for Laser Security Response Inc. of Fort Worth, was packing a Ruger semiautomatic pistol when he greeted Mr. Newsome, a lieutenant with Valor Security Services, a mall protection firm based in Georgia.

They made their rounds through the mall, at 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, picking up deposits. They were exiting through a freight tunnel when Mr. Newsome, a 6-1, 225-pound man, bashed Mr. Munselle on the head several times and robbed him of the deposit bag and gun, police said. Officials would not say how much was taken.


Mr. Munselle recognized his assailant as "the lieutenant who always escorts me." Mr. Newsome was videotaped on security cameras driving away from the mall in his Jeep Grand Cherokee just before 5 a.m. after the robbery, Grapevine police Sgt. Todd Dearing said.

"When they called me this morning, I thought, 'Oh, you're kidding,' " Sgt. Dearing said. "It is an interesting turn of events."

Sgt. Dearing and six Grapevine police detectives helped search for Mr. Newsome, who apparently set his vehicle on fire and left it in Flower Mound near Grapevine Lake.

Officers responding to a report of a vehicle fire about 5:30 a.m. in the 2400 block of Lakeside Parkway near the dam found the burning Jeep and Mr. Newsome's uniform shirt and belt on the road.


Nico, Darby and Rex – Grapevine police K-9 unit German shepherds – searched for hours, along with a Fort Worth police helicopter and law enforcement officers, but could not find Mr. Newsome.

His last known address was in Arlington, but he may have moved recently. Police issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of aggravated robbery, and the airports were notified, Sgt. Dearing said.

Representatives of both security companies declined to comment Saturday, and their supervisors did not return calls.

Mr. Munselle, who joined the Fort Worth company six months ago, was treated for head lacerations at Baylor Medical Center at Grapevine and was recovering at home Saturday. He declined to be interviewed, citing company policy.

"He's fine, but he's got a headache," said Janet Munselle, his wife.

E-mail gkovach@dallasnews.com

Now, I'm not saying that when you're trapped in Grapevine, it's incredibly strange to go to Grapevine Mills (though I would suffer the ride DT), it's that things like Grapevine Mills and Grapevine Lake are considered attractions in Grapevine and the Dallas CVB is concerned about Gaylord stealing conventions. We must really need the Richards Group. And fast.

[gc]

Gaylord will share the wealth
By Bud Kennedy - Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/8254955.htm

Now let me get this right.

A new resort and convention hotel is going to bring 400,000 guests a year to Lake Grapevine.

And some folks think that's bad for North Texas?

The April 2 opening of Gaylord Hotels' $515 million resort on the south shore of Lake Grapevine has a few folks worrying. They're afraid the guests in those 1,511 rooms will never leave a hotel with its own artificial Texas Hill Country and San Antonio Riverwalk.

Nonsense, says Mark Thompson, the tourism director in Plano and the former chairman of a regional tourism council.

"I've talked to umpteen meeting planners who never considered Texas before, and they're coming now," he said.

"And every convention I've ever seen has at least one 'night out.' "

The primary concern seems to be from Dallas, where the downtown convention center and hotels are suddenly confronted with their first real competition. Fort Worth, with a medium-sized convention center and 1980s hotels, is not yet in the same ballpark.

The Dallas Morning News said in a not-very-reassuring editorial last week that the opening of the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine "shouldn't be seen as some sort of death knell for tourism in Dallas."

Downtown Dallas hotels were already less than half full last year, the newspaper reported.

But Gaylord Hotels officials have been quoted as saying that 80 percent of their 750,000 advance room reservations involve groups that have never come to North Texas before.

They could have come to Dallas or Fort Worth. They haven't.

Now the Gaylord Texan will bring them as close as Grapevine.

If 400,000 hotel guests a year come to Grapevine, I'd bet some new visitors will make it all the way to Dallas or Fort Worth.

Fort Worth is banking they'll want to see a Texas cattle drive. From his office in Plano, Thompson agreed.

"They'll be on that train to the Stockyards," he said, referring to the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, a city-owned tourist steam train now based in historic downtown Grapevine.

If hotel guests spend only one "night out," Fort Worth and the Billy Bob's Texas nightclub might be a likely destination, he said. Grapevine has a long history of sharing promotions with the historic Stockyards and now also shares the train.

The No. 1 way visitors spend a "night out" is shopping, he said. That's how Plano hopes to draw Gaylord guests.

Arlington has amusement parks and, arguably, big-league baseball.

Dallas has the historical appeal of the Sixth Floor Museum and pro sports events with the Mavericks, Stars and maybe soon the Cowboys.

But Dallas was having its problems as a tourist attraction before the first dirt was ever turned for the Gaylord Texan.

The Web is now the most popular source of travel information, and some widely read recent visitors have not posted favorable comments about Big D.

On California-based www.VirtualTourist.com, frequent writer "Keeweechic" wrote: "Dallas is very much a business city, not really a tourist destination and I wouldn't make a special trip there for sightseeing.

"There [are] a lot of wonderful museums and galleries, but the downtown area is all about architecture and design. If you have the time, head out of Dallas to East Texas. ... Fort Worth is also a great side trip for not only the cultural attractions but the feel of the West."

On a blog -- an online diary -- a writer who identifies herself as an Alberta, Canada, woman named "Sharbean" was more direct:

"As far as I can tell, Dallas is one gigantic freeway with strip malls on either side. And there seemed to be a pattern to the strip malls that I only began to crack towards the end of our stay [Home Depot-Staples-PetsMart combination, car lot, restaurants, gas station-fast food combination, repeat].

"I have never seen so much cement, cars and lack of trees in a city. ... To be fair, we were only in the north of Dallas which was very much one big harsh urban existence.

"I was told that during the early part of the last century the two cities -- Dallas and Fort Worth ... chose to go in opposite directions.

"Dallas wanted to move away from the cowboy image. Fort Worth embraced [its] heritage and played upon the cowboy theme as a tourist destination. ... I think the winner in this was Fort Worth."

Thanks, Sharbean.

Come back and see Grapevine and the Gaylord Texan.

And come see Fort Worth on your night oout.

[rantanamo]

Ouch Sharbean, ouch.

[dallastophoenix]

"Dallas wanted to move away from the cowboy image. Fort Worth embraced [its] heritage and played upon the cowboy theme as a tourist destination. ... I think the winner in this was Fort Worth."

Yes, it looks as though ft. worth did make it ONCE on this list... way to go!

Most Popular Metroplex Attractions from the DBJ - Ranked by number of visitors in 2003

1. NorthPark Center
2. Galleria Dallas
3. Grapevine Mills
4. Sundance Square
5. Fair Park

[tamtagon]

"The primary concern seems to be from Dallas, where the downtown convention center and hotels are suddenly confronted with their first real competition"

Keep it real. Maybe it has been the lack of local competition which led the downtown hotels/convention center to fall behind in the national scene. Complacency seems to circulate freely among business and political leaders in Dallas.

[aceplace]

One problem I can see is the lack of information provided to visitors. Yes, I know, there are plenty of pamphlets in the visitor's centers, but people like Sharbean are not getting the message. What's wrong with the messengers? Better find out.

Also, what is the real market for tourism in the city? The same people who would normally visit Cancun? No. The market is regional... the people who are willing to drive out of the Tulsas and Little Rocks in order to eat in better restaurants and see a world-class opera. Or a major league sport.

Mostly, Dallas should stop whining about not being another Las Vegas or another Disney World. And start meticulously defining the things here that are worth seeing.

People, I get onto travel forums occasionally and write pieces about what to do in Dallas. Many people are faced with 9 hour layovers in DFW and want to get out... I can write some copy that makes them salivate... If I, a mere antisocial computer geek, can to those things, why can't others?

[gc]

So true ace so true....

[Foucault]

Sharbean clearly never left Grapevine.

[bloodandpopcorn]

Sharbean clearly never left Grapevine.
Hahah! So true! He should head downtown to the Nasher, then to an art film or production at Theater Three. If he attempted to say the same after that, I'd have him locked up.

I think maybe the country is gettign a bit nostalgic for the Western image with songs like "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" -- but remember, the majority of well off, travelling citizens of America still have a strong dislike for the West (and a downright loathing for Country). Or maybe I just spend too much time in the North.

[psukhu]

This probably happens often. People come to visit Dallas, but they really never come south of Northwest Highway. They judge the city as a giant suburb.

Many of our own metro residents don't know what's in uptown. These people are likely to not direct visitors towards the urban core.

By 2010, this shouldn't be the case. There will be enough density and attractions downtown (and the 2 mile radius around it) that our own residents should know that all visitors need to make a stop there. (the addition two more rail lines funneling people downtown should also help)

----------------

I work for a tech company near DFW airport. The employees live all over DFW. Most of them have never been anywhere in the urban core, except for maybe the West End and the AAC. They have no idea about Uptown.

I try everyday to educate our own DFW residents. :)

[Quiz03]

Channel 8 should run a series about what there is to do in Dallas that isn't that widely known. Maybe kooky things most people don't know about. Pictures of people having fun. The way to make this area more of a tourist destination is word of mouth through the residents who live here and their friends.

One idea downtown could use would be the whole area has free parking just for one day. Try to get people to come downtown, if they come once, a few will want to come back and drag some others along with them.

[dallastophoenix]

One idea downtown could use would be the whole area has free parking just for one day. Try to get people to come downtown, if they come once, a few will want to come back and drag some others along with them.

the mayor of denver got rid of pay parking in the cities core. this has really helped to attract people to go downtown...

[aceplace]

Get rid of pay parking? I like that idea. That would seriously undercut the economy of leaving land unused except for parking, in the hopes that its value would rise someday. No more revenues for parking means no revenue flow to pay property tax.