What we reported

Destination hotel Kalahari Resorts is expected to break ground in Round Rock in 2018. Along with the $350 million hotel, Kalahari will also feature a water park and convention center. Development will also begin on Ruby Hotel, a boutique hotel planned for downtown Round Rock.

The latest

As of September the city of Round Rock has 3,000 hotel rooms. City Chief Financial Officer Susan Morgan noted this kind of hotel activity is unusual for a city that lacks a large university campus or sports complex. Morgan said at a December city council meeting that a number of hotel projects are still planned for the future and will add more hotel rooms to the city. Collections from the Hotel Occupancy Tax are up 2 percent over the previous year.

What’s next

A planning and zoning public hearing for Kalahari will be held early in 2018 followed by a City Council vote for zoning. A Tru by Hilton hotel is being constructed by the Round Rock Sports Complex and is planned for completion in July 2018. Round Rock’s first boutique hotel, the Ruby, is planned for a space downtown and will take eight months to construct. A DoubleTree Hotel will break ground by Bass Pro Shops in mid-2018 and a Marriott Aloft hotel is being built south of Hwy. 45 and west of A.W. Grimes.

This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of Top 10 stories to follow in 2018 here.