Photo by White LodgingSeveral projects in downtown Austin have announced steps forward this week, and one of the larger projects—the JW Marriott Austin hotel planned for the block of Second and Third streets and Brazos Street and Congress Avenue—was announced to have 19,000 rooms booked three years ahead of the project's completion.
Steve Genovesi, senior vice president of sales for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the additional 1,200 rooms the hotel will bring to the urban core in Austin make a huge difference in the CVB's ability to sell Austin to large groups and conventions.
"Many times there was a lot of positive perception about the city, and many times it just came down to this core element of having another large hotel," Genovesi said. "We have had a pretty strong list of clients for quite some time now who have eagerly expressed interest if we were ever able to secure another large hotel ... Now we're able to go back and engage with those clients."
Jay Spurr, director of sales and marketing for JW Marriott Austin, agreed.
