DENTON
October 2017
Business
CHRONICLE
www.dentonbusinesschronicle.com
New hotel and convention center already exceeding expectations
Ahead of the game By Jenna Duncan
O
n each hotel room door of the 11th floor of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center, there’s a checklist to keep track of what has been installed.
While the televisions aren’t mounted and the headboards lean against the walls without mattresses, everything will be in place soon. And officials hope that in six weeks the first guests of the hotel will be able to spend the night in any of the 318 rooms. Denton’s first hotel and convention center will host its first event the first week of December, said Todd Muilenburg, director of sales for the hotel. To date, it has booked roughly $2.7 million worth of business, with events as far out as 2024. The goal is to have $4 million in conventions annually, said Jeff Pritts, the hotel’s general manager. “It will take us three to four years to get there,” Pritts said. “When we reach that goal, every person that
comes to this market, we have them for a day, then they’re going to be downtown, they’re going to be in Rayzor Ranch. They’re going to be spending their money in Denton. It will be a huge economic impact. Once we’re full staffed, probably by summer, we’ll be 10th-largest private employer in Denton.” The project has been 10 years in the making, with different developers, brands and pieces of property discussed. Kim Phillips, vice president of the Denton Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she remembers rumblings about wanting a convention center when she started on the job 15 years ago. Numerous state associations are
ABOVE — The Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center, scheduled to host its first event the first week of December, features modern ceiling and lighting designs. Officials hope to book $4 million in conventions annually. Jeff Woo
LEFT — This artist’s rendering shows the waterfall planned for the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center. Courtesy art
HOTEL | CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Drone photos help home sellers stand out By Holden Lewis | NerdWallet
By Jenna Duncan | Staff Writer Hanabi Ramen & Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant with locations in Fort Worth and Carrollton, is expected to open in Denton by the end of the year. The specialty ramen shop will take over 501 W. Hickory St., the
space that formerly held New York Pizza & Pasta and Smiling Moose Deli. Denton has a new chiropractic office: Axis Chiropractic at 1809 Hinkle Drive, Suite 100. Led by DUNCAN | CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Drone photography is taking off as a tool for selling and renting homes. More than ever, real estate professionals rely on the unmanned flying machines to set their listings apart from the competition. Up until now, drone photos and videos frequently showed up on listings for mansions and properties in spectacular locations. But soon they’ll be showing up in listings for middle-class homes, too. Given today’s fierce real estate markets, some experts say drones are just the thing to rise above the competition.
Giving a property more buzz
“Any time you want to differentiate your property from the competition, DRONES | CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee
Christopher Brown, co-owner of Next New Homes Group, uses his multi-rotor helicopter drone to take video of a home in Sacramento, Calif. If you’re especially proud of your home’s architecture, your expansive property or your surrounding neighborhood, you can’t list your home without the help of a drone.