Omni Fort Worth Hotel

Luxury High-Rise Hotel Celebrates Grand Opening

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 12, 2009) " The years of anticipation have proven to be well worth the wait as the luxurious Omni Fort Worth Hotel celebrates its ceremonial opening today. The hotel epitomizes the city of cowboys and culture. Wrapped in glass and sculpted from native stone and rich hardwoods, the 614-room hotel was constructed with a unique design and style that draws upon Fort Worths cultural roots and bold Texas flavor to create an unforgettable atmosphere. The stunning new property not only rebrands the skyline but serves as the unofficial living room of Fort Worth. Inside and out, the hotel is quintessential Western Chic, with a comfortable elegance that characterizes the public spaces, amenities and restaurants as well as the meeting and guest rooms. Big even by legendary "Lone Star" standards, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel features almost 68,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Equally appealing is the new hotels proximity to other attractions, as it sits directly across from the Fort Worth Convention Center and lies within easy walking distance of the citys thriving cultural centers, restaurants and nightlife. Today the Omni Fort Worth Hotel celebrated a truly grand opening with a ceremony and champagne reception, unbolting the doors to the hotel via an oversized Western-themed belt buckle. In a special program, Robert Rowling, Chairman, TRT Holdings; Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief; Ed Netzhammer, General Manager, Omni Fort Worth Hotel; and former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams addressed a crowd that included community leaders, Omni associates and many other attendees and guests involved with the opening of the hotel.

This is an exciting day for Omni Hotels and the city of Fort Worth, said Ed Netzhammer, general manager of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. Since breaking ground on the hotel, we have formed tremendous partnerships within the community and have watched a wonderful relationship blossom between this remarkable city and the hotel.

The Omni Fort Worth Hotel has changed the downtown skyline forever, said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. While there has been so much growth in Fort Worth, our capacity to support the demand for convention business has finally been fulfilled. Omni is an unbelievable partner that has built one of its greatest hotels right here in Fort Worth. We look forward to many successful years working with their team.

In honor of the hotels opening and as a gesture of community appreciation, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel is offering a Worth the Wait guest package exclusively for Texas residents. The package includes deluxe accommodations at $99 per night, available only on Friday or Saturday nights. The offer begins Saturday, January 31st and is valid through Saturday, February 28th, 2009 for a select number of guest rooms.

From the ground up, the hotel has celebrated many milestones. Major landmark dates for the property include:
Aug. 21, 2006: Omni Hotels breaks ground in Fort Worth on a convention center luxury hotel.
Feb. 27, 2007: Omni Hotels names the first two associates for the new Omni Fort Worth Hotel: Ed Netzhammer, general manager, and Larry Auth, director of sales and marketing.
June 8, 2007: Omni Fort Worth Hotel begins offering $50,000 in meeting incentives as part of meeting planners sweepstakes.
July 12, 2007: Omni Hotels announces the grand opening of the 1301 Throckmorton sales center for the 89-unit residential development that will sit above the Omni Fort Worth Hotel.
April 9, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel is named the exclusive catering partner of the Fort Worth Convention Center.
April 28, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel is topped off, and the 89 luxury residences at 1301 Throckmorton begin to take shape atop the hotel.
June 24, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel introduces a revolutionary new gratuity system empowering meeting organizers to compensate food and beverage teams based on the level of service provided versus the standard practice of a built-in percent gratuity.
July 11, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel and the internationally acclaimed Kimbell Art Museum finalize a partnership giving the museum gift shop a second home at the new luxury hotel.
Aug. 13, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel and the residences at 1301 Throckmorton celebrate the topping off of the entire structure.
Oct. 2, 2008: Omni Fort Worth Hotel finalizes a pioneering agreement to purchase one of the very first stylish, more eco-friendly 2009 Escalade Hybrids for its guest transportation and as part of its sustainability initiatives.
Jan. 12, 2009: Omni Fort Worth Hotel celebrates its grand opening with ribbon cutting ceremony and champagne reception.

The opening of the Fort Worth property is another milestone in a period of aggressive strategic growth for Omni Hotels. In November 2008, Omni Hotels announced that the brand was recommended by the City of Dallas Economic Development Committee to become the operator for the 1,000-room Dallas Convention Center Hotel, slated to open in 2012. Earlier this month, Omni also became the long-term operator of the renowned Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa located in Pennsylvanias scenic Cumberland Valley.

For reservations at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, guests can call 1-800-THE-OMNI or visit www.omnihotels.com.

About The Omni Fort Worth Hotel
The breathtaking Omni Fort Worth Hotel offers an original taste of Texas hospitality. Standing across from the Fort Worth Convention Center, the hotel is within walking distance of the citys burgeoning cultural centers, restaurants and nightlife, and offers a casual yet sophisticated style and a personality that is as gracious and dynamic as Fort Worth itself. The Omni Fort Worth Hotel consists of 614 guest rooms and suites featuring exceptional natural linens, saddle-blanket throws and stitched pillows. The luxury hotel also boasts fine culinary selections including the renowned Bobs Steak & Chop House, Wine Thief wine bar, Whisky & Rye sports lounge and Cast Iron Restaurant for a casual dining experience.

Included among the hotels 68,000 square feet of meeting and event space are 29 meeting rooms including the grand Texas Ballroom, which alone encompasses 18,788 square feet. The hotel also houses 6,500 square feet of useable outdoor space and access to the Fort Worth Convention Center meeting space, which includes entry to the stunning Fort Worth Water Gardens. Other highlights include 20,000 square feet of landscaped roof-top space, a full-service fitness center, Wi-Fi access, a Kimbell Art Museum Shop and the acclaimed Mokara Spa.

About 1301 Throckmorton Omni Residences
The residences at 1301 Throckmorton truly take hospitality to new heights. Residents of the 89 luxury units being built atop the Omni Fort Worth Hotel will enjoy the ease and convenience of all hotel services and an array of luxurious dining options. Bobs Steak & Chop House, Wine Thief wine bar and a full-service Starbucks will be on-site and easily accessible to residents. The residences will offer stunning views of the Fort Worth skyline, as well as the private residence rooftop pool and terrace. Sculpted from native stone, rich hardwoods and wrapped in glass, the residences will create a rustic yet refined feel. Each residence was designed by Faulkner Design Group and every detail was taken into consideration to ensure a complete luxury experience with a Fort Worth flare.

About Omni Hotels
Omni Hotels creates compelling, memorable guest experiences at 43 luxury hotels and resorts in leading business gateways and leisure destinations across North America. From exceptional golf and spa retreats to dynamic business settings, each location features four-diamond services, including award-winning signature restaurants, Wi-Fi connectivity and unique fitness options. Omnis mission for total customer service is further supported by its Power of One program that empowers associates to make on-the-spot decisions to meet or exceed guest expectations. Guests can locate hotels and book accommodations by visiting www.omnihotels.com or by calling 1-800-THE-OMNI.

Omni Hotels contact:
Caryn Kboudi
ckboudi@omnihotels.com; 972-871-5625

Weber Shandwick contact:
Brandon Smulyan
bsmulyan@webershandwick.com, 469-375-0258

By Andrea Ahles, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TexasMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News

January 11, 2009 - After more than a decade of studies, proposals and a public petition, the city is finally getting its convention-center hotel.

The 614-room Omni Fort Worth, directly across Houston Street from the Fort Worth Convention Center, will open its doors Monday with its first guests expected Saturday.

"We have crafted a beautiful facility that Fort Worth can be very, very proud of, that will be a strong partner to our existing hotels and certainly one more jewel in our crown," Mayor Mike Moncrief said.

With a garden on the roof above its grand ballroom and an outdoor swimming pool on the third floor, the Omni aims to impress meeting planners with its Texas decor and upscale features. There are four restaurants on the first floor, a museum store with merchandise from the Kimbell Art Museum and a $1 million, three-story stone wall with staircases and escalators surrounding it.

Moncrief and other local leaders admit that it wasn't easy to get the Omni built.

An attempt to build a publicly owned hotel, much like the one currently being debated in Dallas, was abandoned after a petition drive to force the issue to a public vote. And once the city struck a tax-abatement deal with Omni Hotels, the Irving-based luxury-hotel chain came back to council members to ask for more money as costs on the hotel skyrocketed.

But with a final tax-incentive deal capped at $89 million and a construction price tag of $230 million, the Omni Fort Worth is now ready for business and, despite the economic downturn, is already bringing new conventions to the city.

"Every day we're looking at conventions that wouldn't have come to Fort Worth without having a headquarters hotel," said Omni Fort Worth General Manager Ed Netzhammer, adding that it wants to welcome locals through its doors, too. "I want this hotel to be the living room for the community."

Back in 1996

Local leaders began looking at the feasibility of a convention center hotel 13 years ago. Amid complaints that conventiongoers were eschewing Fort Worth because it didn't have a convention center hotel, the city began studying whether it needed to build a hotel adjacent to the convention center.

The council eventually decided that a city-owned and operated convention hotel was the best course of action. By 2002, the city had developed a plan to sell $160 million in certificates of obligation, which are similar to bonds, to pay for the hotel's construction. But the plan immediately drew criticism from other hotel operators and from some leaders who feared that the city would not make enough from the hotel to pay for the bonds.

A group formed, Citizens for Taxpayers Rights, partially funded by the then-Radisson Plaza hotel, now the Hilton Fort Worth, and drew enough signatures on a petition to force the issue to a public vote. At that point, the council scrapped the plan and set up a citizens committee to evaluate what the city should do.

After six years, the plan was back to the drawing board.

Deal struck with Omni

After months of hearings, a decision was made to go back to private developers for proposals. Nine different firms approached the city to build a luxury hotel, and within six months, the council had agreed to negotiate a deal with Irving-based Omni Hotels.

A contract was hammered out that gave Omni $48.5 million in tax rebates and refunds from the city, county and state, including $6 million for a parking garage. Less than a year later, the Omni was asking for more incentives as the cost of the project had risen 28 percent to $115 million.

The final deal, made in 2006, gave Omni several tax rebates and incentives that are capped at $89 million. To date, the city has paid Omni a $6.3 million construction grant for an underground garage and will pay the hotel an additional $2.3 million when it opens, all from existing hotel-occupancy tax funds.

The hotel will also receive rebates on its city, state and county sales, hotel and property taxes for various lengths of time up to 18 years or until the cap is reached.

"The general-fund dollars -- none of that has gone into this project," said Kirk Slaughter, director of public facilities and events for the city. "But this project will bring in new spending into this community, which will bring in new sales taxes."

Bringing new business

Although a paying guest has yet to stay overnight at the new Omni Fort Worth, hotel staff has been steadily lining up business for 2009.

Larry Auth, Omni director of sales and marketing, said the hotel has secured 71,000 definite booked-room nights for this year and is closing in on its goal of 100,000.

The first group coming in is VHA, a healthcare management firm in Irving, which will give the hotel its first sold-out night Jan. 21. And the hotel announced last week that the AFC football champions will stay at the Omni Fort Worth during Super Bowl week in 2011.

The addition of the Omni and a renovated Sheraton Fort Worth give the city a more attractive hotel package within walking distance of the convention center, said Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau Chief Executive David Dubois.

"We have booked two national association groups in the last six months based upon our new hotel package," Dubois said, adding that about 75 to 80 percent of the Omni's business consists of new groups that have never been to Fort Worth.

Appeasing the critics

One-time critics of a city-funded hotel are pleased to see the amount of investment that the Omni has put into the project and are glad that new convention bookings are coming into the city. However, they caution that it is still too early to call the hotel a success.

"It's a positive addition to the city, far preferable than having the city own it themselves," said Steve Hollern, the former Tarrant County Republican Party chairman and head of Citizens for Taxpayers Rights. "I have high hopes that it will bring in more convention-center business, but that is something we will just have to wait and see."

Former Fort Worth Councilman Clyde Picht, who had opposed a city-funded hotel, said he, too, will watch and wait before declaring it a success. The current economic straits may hurt efforts to fill rooms for conventions.

"I think the question in everybody's mind right now is how many people are going to come to conventions," Picht said. "How many conventions will be held in the economic times we're facing?"

Looking ahead

If the Omni is successful in bringing new convention business to the area, however, local leaders may consider expanding the convention center by tearing down the 10,000-seat arena, dubbed by some as "The Flying Saucer," on the convention center's north side.

"I think everyone would agree that while the domed arena has hosted everyone from Elvis to Hannah Montana and in between, I think that the time will come in the not-too-distant future where we will need to evaluate how we best use that space," Moncrief said.

When the ribbon is cut Monday afternoon, the city will finally be able to say it has a headquarters hotel to complement the $75 million it spent renovating the convention center.

"They are putting on the ground something that is uniquely Fort Worth without being Cowtown hokey," said state Senator-elect Wendy Davis, who represented the downtown district on the council at the time the deal was passed.

"It is something we are going to be very proud of."

This article includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

Omni at a glance

Price range for staying in a hotel room at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel: Weekend Rates begin at $189 for deluxe accommodations and go up to $349.

614 -- Number of rooms

25 -- Number of suites

Two -- Number of ballrooms with 29 meeting rooms; the Texas Ballroom at 18,788 square feet is the second largest in Fort Worth; the convention-center ballroom is 28,000 square feet.

1,200 -- Number of workers who constructed the Omni

$240 million -- Final cost of the project

320 -- Number of parking spaces for the hotel

770,000 -- Number of square feet in the hotel portion

More than 1,000 -- Number of televisions in the hotel

None -- Number of logs that can be placed in the lobby fireplace at one time. (It is gas.)


Source: Omni Fort Worth

ANDREA AHLES, 817-548-5523

-----

To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.