REGIONAL NEWS

LBJ Pavilion

VENUE NEWS»

Renovation News

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa has completed its renovation of its LBJ Pavilion and Chief’s Pavilion. The updates include the installment of floor-to-ceiling windows, air conditioning and heating. The LBJ Pavilion provides 6,000 square feet for events with up to 400 people. The venue showcases direct views of the Colorado River and features an oversize fireplace and a large adjoining deck. Chief’s Pavilion provides 2,000 square feet of customizable space and can host up to 210 people.

The resort also updated its 12,300-squarefoot Plantation Lawn with natural-looking AstroTurf. The update provides a more ecofriendly and durable lawn setting for meetings and events. Additional landscaping enhancements were made throughout the property including new pathways that allow easier access from guest room patios to the Riversong Lawn. In total, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa provides more than 60,000 square feet of indoor and 240,000 square feet of outdoor event space. lostpines.regency.hyatt.com

The Fairmont Dallas recently renovated its second-floor meeting room pre-function areas, hallways and the nearly 18,000-squarefoot Regency Ballroom. The Regency Ballroom is the largest meeting and event room at the hotel and now boasts an updated look with new chandeliers, carpet, curtains and paint. A frosted window treatment will be added to all of the windows, which will create a sense of modern luxury while still encouraging natural light to enter the ballroom.

Other enhancements include the addition of a technology nook to the pre-function area, with several plug-ins for charging portable electronic devices. The hotel is also replacing its current skylights with energy-efficient recessed lighting throughout the pre-function areas and hallway. Bathrooms on the second floor have also been updated with new fixtures, including energy-efficient lighting and eco-friendly faucets. fairmont.com

Fairmont Dallas

VENUE NEWS»

Social Distancing Is in Fashion

Virgin Hotels Dallas is taking an artful approach to welcome locals and visitors back while encouraging social distancing. A new installation, “Together Again: Reconnecting Through Fashion and Art,” was curated by fashion consultant Kristen Cole and features 12 mannequins styled in colorful, expressive pieces from notable fashion designers, including Christopher John Rogers, Marina Moscone, Rosie Assoulin, Gigi Burris, as well as fashion house Archive Vintage. The installation is displayed in vignettes throughout various public spaces of the hotel.

A number of new pieces of art will debut as well, including a collection of surreal fashion photographs by Manolo Campion and a bright graphic vinyl installation by Andrew Kuo, which creatively encourages social distancing. The installation will be on view throughout the summer. virginhotels.com/dallas

Now Open

The Biscuit Bar is now open in Arlington’s Champions Park. The 3,024-square-foot restaurant is the franchise’s fourth location and features a two-story covered patio with views of AT&T Stadium. In addition to delivery and takeout services, the restaurant can provide catering of its made-from-scratch biscuits— complete with sweet and savory toppings—for up to 100 people. thebiscuitbar.com

Virgin Hotels Dallas

AWARDS»

Leadership Recognition

TxDOT’s Travel Information Division has selected tourism industry veteran Mark Thompson as the winner of the 2020 “Gene Phillips Hospitality Award.” The award recognizes Thompson’s distinguished career and industry leadership, as well as his support of TxDOT’s Travel Information Centers and the state’s $80.3 billion travel industry.

Thompson is well-respected, with more than 35 years in the Texas tourism industry. He has served as the executive director of Visit Plano for 21 years, and previously headed the convention and visitors bureaus for South Padre Island and Tyler. The industry has recognized him with numerous awards, including the Texas Travel Alliance’s “Tall in Texas Award” and “Mark of Distinction,” and the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus’ “Marion Szurek Legacy Award.” He is professionally certified through Destinations International and Meeting Planners International.

The “Gene Phillips Hospitality Award” is named in honor of the late Gene Phillips, who managed Aquarena Springs in San Marcos and was an influential driving force in the emerging tourism industry during the 1970s.

PEOPLE NEWS»

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa has appointed Keith Spinden as general manager. Spinden has worked with the Hyatt Corporation for more than 32 years. He began his career in the culinary field, and his first role with the company was as a cook at Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Connecticut.

Remington Hotels has appointed Joe Masi as senior vice president of operations. Masi has more than 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including international work in Russia, China, Indonesia and Korea. Masi joins Remington Hotels from Schulte Hospitality Group, where he served as vice president of operations.

Rob Carl was named vice president of facilities and capital planning for Remington Hotels. Carl returns to Remington Hotels after serving as senior vice president for FelCor Lodging Trust and senior director, construction and planning, at Phoenix American Hospitality. Carl was vice president of purchasing and project management for Remington Hotels from 1995 until 2006.

Trisha Tatro, assistant director of the Austin Convention Center Department, has been named interim director of the department. Tatro has been assistant director since 2018 and is a member of the Austin Convention Center Department’s executive team. UNVEILING»

Art & Wellness

Hyatt Regency Austin unveiled a 100-foot mural showcasing the city’s famous urban bat colony and South Congress Bridge. The mural is located above the Texas Ballroom meeting space and spans the hotel’s second floor overlooking the atrium lobby. The hotel also introduced new graffiti columns directly outside the Texas Ballroom, which depict iconic Austin street art.

For guests who want to create their own street art, the hotel now offers an interactive graffiti wall activity where guests can become a street artist for the day. Through this hightech activity, attendees take turns putting on virtual reality goggles and use the room as their canvas while adding to their group’s creation. The final art piece can then be projected onto the meeting space’s walls during the group’s reception or event.

To complement the new interior artwork, the hotel recently enhanced its menu of wellness group activities, which includes mindfulness exercises, guided meditations and healthy snack breaks. The enhanced wellness menu features a variety of activities, including a guided gratitude scavenger hunt throughout the property and surrounding area. A few examples of scavenger hunt hints include “find something you are thankful for in nature” or “find something that you can use to make a gift for someone.” Each hint leads the group member to a station set up with items specific to the program or meeting. HyattRegencyAustin.com.