$200M in hotel updates spurs Grapevine tourism

Along with the Grand Hyatt DFW, five other hotels in Grapevine are scheduled to be built or undergo renovations and expansions. An application for a new AC Hotel by Marriott was also presented to Grapevine City Council May 20, which was passed during the June 17 meeting.

Cvent, a platform for meeting and event planners, recently named Grapevine the 20th-best meeting destination in North America due to the 1 million square feet of meeting space, 20 hotels and more than 11,000 hotel rooms, all within 15 minutes of the historic downtown area.

“Given the substantial economic benefits that meetings and events provide to local communities, it is more important than ever for convention and visitors bureaus and destination management companies to champion their regions, engage planners early and prioritize [proposal] responses to attract more group business,” said Bharet Malhotra, Cvent’s executive vice president.

The details

Grapevine employs a total hotel occupancy tax of 13% for guests staying at one of the city’s hotels—7% is for the city and 6% is for the state.

Occupancy taxes come from room rentals, according to the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association. They are added onto the bill with other fees, like cleanings or extra guests.

The funds are used by the Grapevine Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Advisory Board, which are hoteliers, restaurateurs, merchants and citizens, Schrack said. They oversee

the city’s marketing programs via a selected subcommittee.

Certain criteria is used to develop programs to promote the city as an overnight destination by showcasing all Grapevine has to offer, including events and attractions. They are reviewed by the city’s chief marketing officer and chief financial officer, then go through the City Council process.

“The tourism industry does so much for the community, and I think that’s why the community embraces it so much,” Schrack said.

The Grand Hyatt DFW’s $34 million budget is for updating guest rooms, meeting spaces, event spaces, the lobby, the restaurant, the lounge and the bar. Hotel Vin will add 121 rooms, a spa, an outdoor pool and an enlarged private event space for $72 million, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The $54 million Gaylord Texan project will undergo a 20% expansion to room count and meeting space, according to previous reporting. The hotel and convention center currently has 1,814 hotel rooms and 500,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel’s website states.

Great Wolf Lodge officials renovated the lobby, updated restaurants and added amenities such as Duckpin Bowling at a cost of $40 million. Work was completed in February, according to previous reporting.

A construction cost and timeline for the Hampton by Hilton/Hilton2Suites hotels haven’t been announced, but the hotel will be five stories with 201 rooms, said Garin Giacomarro, Grapevine’s director of economic development.

“Once we [know the start date] and it’s public, we’ll make sure everyone knows,” he said. “We’re really excited about that [hotel].”

What's next?

North Texas visitors are expected to increase next summer with AT&T Stadium in Arlington hosting nine 2026 FIFA World Cup games, signaling the need for more hotel space.

“People can come out of the airport, get to their hotel in 10 minutes and enjoy Grapevine,” Schrack said. “If they need to go to Kansas, Atlanta or [other World Cup locations], they can make Grapevine their home base and head to DFW Airport quickly.”