la Frontera In the News

Austin Business Journal

Best Real Estate Deals of 2000

March 30 - April 5, 2001

Full service to a community

Austin Marriott North in Round Rock offers room for travelers, space for community affairs

by Melinda West Seifert, Special To The Austin Business Journal

Winegardner and Hammons Inc. of Cincinnati, one of the premier full-service hotel development companies in the country, is the force behind the first full-service hotel to be built in Round Rock. At 202,000 square feet, the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock is also one of only two full-service hotels built in the Austin area in the past 14 years.

Cindy Swift, national sales director of business development with Winegard-ner and Hammons, says location is the key to the company's history of successful developments, and the new hotel is no exception.

The Austin Marriott North in Round Rock is the company's seventh Marriott. All have been focused in areas of emerging markets and airport locations.

The hotel is a neighbor to Dell Computer Corp., the Dell Diamond, Abbott Laboratories, Farmer's Insurance regional headquarters, and is convenient to Motorola Inc., IBM Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and many other leading local companies.

Construction of the project started a little more than a year ago, according to Swift.

Because of the new hotel's proximity to major employers, Kyle Covington, Austin Marriott North's general manager, says it will open doors for large company and community activities in Round Rock and North Austin that could not previously be accommodated without leaving Round Rock.

While the hotel won't open officially until May 14, it has already accepted $2.3 million in advance bookings.

Located in La Frontera, a 328-acre master planned, mixed-use center at the intersection of I-35 and Hester's Crossing Road, the Austin Marriott North is one of the development's major anchors. It offers what Covington calls an upscale design in a premier location.

"Even more than the structure itself, the detail in the quality of service, the quality of people and what this means to its long term success reflects the type of well-run organization La Frontera wants to be associated with," says Dan Listrom, president of First Regional Properties Inc., an exclusive listing broker for La Frontera.

Don Martin, La Frontera partner, says the full service hotel with ballroom, meeting facilities, full restaurant and catering facilities will be a boost not only to his development, but also the city of Round Rock and Williamson County. The hotel will employ around 150 people.

As an example of community involvement, Covington says Austin Marriott North will work with Round Rock High School to provide internships for students who want to train in the hospitality industry.

The new hotel will provide a place for the Round Rock community to celebrate corporate and athletic events as well as local weddings and receptions.

The hotel features a total of 14,000 square feet of meeting space, a 7,480 square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 700 people for receptions and can be divided into six sections and 1,800 square feet of atrium space for prefunctions and receptions.

There are eight executive boardrooms, a 24-hour business center and 295 guest rooms. All meeting facilities are wired for videoconferencing and have multiple telephone and modem capabilities.

Of the guest rooms, 200 are designed as "The Room That Works," a Marriott concept that features a large console table, mobile writing desk and adjustable ergonomic chair. Concierge level rooms account for 75 of the guest rooms. All guest rooms feature two telephones, two telephone lines, guest voice mail and multiple data ports.

Swift stresses the enthusiasm with which the City of Round Rock and La Frontera embraced the full-service hotel concept was important to the decision to build.

"It's a synergistic enthusiasm that grows with each participant," Swift says.

Looking forward to what the new hotel will bring to the community, both financially through employment and revenue as well as through its participation in community events, Swift expects this sense of enthusiasm only to grow.

Melinda West Seifert is a Dripping Springs-based free-lance writer.