Conroe withholds $100K from Hyatt Regency Conroe and Convention Center developer

Council Member Curt Maddox said during the meeting he did not feel comfortable paying a completion fee for the hotel until the dead trees were removed and the tree sizes were taken care of.

During the July 13 City Council meeting, Council Member Harry Hardman amended the payment to defer $100,000 out of the $400,000 owed. Council Member Howard Wood seconded the amendment, which unanimously passed.

How we got here

The Hyatt Regency Conroe and Convention Center opened May 25, according to previous reporting.

• The guaranteed maximum price for the Hyatt hotel increased from $98 million to $108.57 million at opening.
• According to previous reporting, the original budget was set at $99 million.
• Council approved an additional $5.1 million cash infusion—which was needed to sustain operations—three days before the hotel opened.

“We kept meeting the budget, and I feel like to pay you a completion fee we need to fix the trees before we do anything,” Maddux said during the July 12 workshop meeting.