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  #41  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 3:16 PM
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A writer for the S.A. Business Journal sees the proposed Austin convention center as a threat to S.A. I prefer to view it as healthy competition.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...ion-could.html
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  #42  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 4:15 PM
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It seems San Antonio is freaking out about Austin a lot these days. It's as if we just suddenly appeared out of nowhere on their horizon..

And what's with this whole "people like to go to Austin because we have more direct flights" as one of their city officials put it. Why do we have more direct flights in the first place? Because there is demand.. I mean seriously if there wasn't the demand and the need for those flights we wouldn't have any more than SA. Airlines don't just say hey let's start a new direct flight out of "so and so city" and see if it will be successful! That's like renting a house to people who have no money to pay rent. They first research the market to see the viability before they make a decision. Sure it's a two way street, the city has pushed for more direct flights and sure, sometimes a route doesn't always work out in the end but to imply that basically if we didn't have more direct routes not many people would come here is just ridiculous and patronizing. We seemed to have had plenty of people wanting to come here when we didn't have as many flights.

Reality check....People come here because they like the city and they want to visit. Larger conventions have been wanting to come to Austin for years but we just didn't have the space they needed. That much is evident as the JW Marriott was under construction several conventions that havent been here before began booking. They didn't book just because "oh hey! Austin has a 1,012 room JW Marriott now and a lot more ballroom space, let's book there because you know..... they have it now so why not"
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  #43  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 5:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Jdawgboy View Post
It seems San Antonio is freaking out about Austin a lot these days. It's as if we just suddenly appeared out of nowhere on their horizon..

And what's with this whole "people like to go to Austin because we have more direct flights" as one of their city officials put it. Why do we have more direct flights in the first place? Because there is demand.. I mean seriously if there wasn't the demand and the need for those flights we wouldn't have any more than SA. Airlines don't just say hey let's start a new direct flight out of "so and so city" and see if it will be successful! That's like renting a house to people who have no money to pay rent. They first research the market to see the viability before they make a decision. Sure it's a two way street, the city has pushed for more direct flights and sure, sometimes a route doesn't always work out in the end but to imply that basically if we didn't have more direct routes not many people would come here is just ridiculous and patronizing. We seemed to have had plenty of people wanting to come here when we didn't have as many flights.

Reality check....People come here because they like the city and they want to visit. Larger conventions have been wanting to come to Austin for years but we just didn't have the space they needed. That much is evident as the JW Marriott was under construction several conventions that havent been here before began booking. They didn't book just because "oh hey! Austin has a 1,012 room JW Marriott now and a lot more ballroom space, let's book there because you know..... they have it now so why not"
SA acts like Austin is stealing all their passengers. In reality only a small amount use ABIA instead of SA.

http://tpr.org/post/growing-pains-co...her-key-cities

San Antonio’s airport director told city council members Wednesday that a net 300,000 passengers who used to fly out of the San Antonio International Airport are now driving to Austin for flights.
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  #44  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 6:10 PM
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Yea I saw that. I know we are kinda moving off topic as far as specifically convention center news but the two do go hand in hand since convention goers fly to get here.

Your right as well about it not being a big difference by any means. Honestly for people who live in New Braunfels or Seguin ABIA is just as easily accessible if not moreso especially for Seguin since SH130 ends there. Time wise it's probably the same if not even quicker to get to ABIA.

Most conventions typically choose cities based on their attendees preferences. Many take polls and surveys. So our convention industry is growing because people want to come here which means there's a lot of demand for the convention center to expand. Conventions will only go to cities that provide the space and amenities they need, so even if the majority of their attendees want to come to Austin, if we don't have the space at that time then they won't come here. Conversely if we have the space and amenities that doesn't mean that other conventions will choose us. They will go where their attendees would like to go.
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  #45  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 7:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawgboy View Post
It seems San Antonio is freaking out about Austin a lot these days. It's as if we just suddenly appeared out of nowhere on their horizon..

And what's with this whole "people like to go to Austin because we have more direct flights" as one of their city officials put it. Why do we have more direct flights in the first place? Because there is demand.. I mean seriously if there wasn't the demand and the need for those flights we wouldn't have any more than SA. Airlines don't just say hey let's start a new direct flight out of "so and so city" and see if it will be successful! That's like renting a house to people who have no money to pay rent. They first research the market to see the viability before they make a decision. Sure it's a two way street, the city has pushed for more direct flights and sure, sometimes a route doesn't always work out in the end but to imply that basically if we didn't have more direct routes not many people would come here is just ridiculous and patronizing. We seemed to have had plenty of people wanting to come here when we didn't have as many flights.

Reality check....People come here because they like the city and they want to visit. Larger conventions have been wanting to come to Austin for years but we just didn't have the space they needed. That much is evident as the JW Marriott was under construction several conventions that havent been here before began booking. They didn't book just because "oh hey! Austin has a 1,012 room JW Marriott now and a lot more ballroom space, let's book there because you know..... they have it now so why not"
They have good reason to. Up until the 2000s, SA was largely without serious competition as Austin lacked amenities and competitive edge. We're now at a point where Austin's becoming the bigger kid on the block and it's finally getting people in SA's attention.
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  #46  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2015, 10:17 PM
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They have good reason to. Up until the 2000s, SA was largely without serious competition as Austin lacked amenities and competitive edge. We're now at a point where Austin's becoming the bigger kid on the block and it's finally getting people in SA's attention.
Well the attitudes seem patronizing and tone of the articles still try to brush us off despite being a "threat".

They should have known a long time ago that we would catch up. As I told an old friend back in the early 2000s who lived in SA, I half jokingly mentioned how you look at your side mirrors and the warning at the bottom of the mirror saying Objects are closer than they appear.
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  #47  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2015, 3:30 PM
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The Phase III with no hotel is silly, I mean really its great to have the hotel with the new CC. But what they should do is have not one hotel on either the north or the south but BOTH. Two hotels one at each end. That would really up the rooms and make the hotel highly convenient to the CC.
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  #48  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2015, 5:01 PM
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A first: Austin beats San Antonio's hotel business

W. Scott Bailey
Reporter/Project Coordinator
San Antonio Business Journal


It was not a good second quarter for San Antonio’s hotel industry. Fewer rooms were booked and overall revenues declined.

But the more troubling news for San Antonio is that, for the first time, according to industry tracker Source Strategies Inc., the Austin area passed up the Alamo City, generating more hotel revenue than a market so heavily dependent on the tourism sector.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...-business.html
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  #49  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2015, 8:07 PM
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I'm not sure this is necessarily a bad thing for San Antonio. On the face of it it does seem so, but you have to remember that Austin and San Antonio both offer something very different when it comes to entertainment. San Antonio does things in a more intimate way that draws a lot of people to witness something historic and grand, while Austin does big festivals. I don't think that San Antonio's wonder is being one-upped, I just think that Austin is getting the kind of attractions that draw more people simply because that's the nature of them - that they draw a lot of people even in a short time.
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  #50  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2015, 8:34 PM
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see a trend? ...The trend will be complete in the next 15 years.

Austin passes SA in GDP
Austin airport traffic passes SA
Austin hotel revenue passes SA
Soon Austin hotel number passes SA
Soon Austin metro population passes SA

Oh yeah... no city vs city stuff. Please delete this post upon reading.
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  #51  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2015, 8:37 PM
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I'm not sure this is necessarily a bad thing for San Antonio. On the face of it it does seem so, but you have to remember that Austin and San Antonio both offer something very different when it comes to entertainment. San Antonio does things in a more intimate way that draws a lot of people to witness something historic and grand, while Austin does big festivals. I don't think that San Antonio's wonder is being one-upped, I just think that Austin is getting the kind of attractions that draw more people simply because that's the nature of them - that they draw a lot of people even in a short time.
I agree, I think each city has its own unique qualities. I don't think it should be considered as some sort of doomed relegation to second place because It's not about that.
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  #52  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2015, 2:00 PM
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Originally Posted by ivanwolf View Post
The Phase III with no hotel is silly, I mean really its great to have the hotel with the new CC. But what they should do is have not one hotel on either the north or the south but BOTH. Two hotels one at each end. That would really up the rooms and make the hotel highly convenient to the CC.
As I was saying above, this could very well happen. White Lodging announced their hotel (which would be at the south end of this site) only last month. The expansion proposal probably had the hotel as a part of their suggestion before that. They could go with the version that puts it on the north end of the proposed expansion and we could effectively end up with two hotel towers.
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  #53  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2015, 3:07 AM
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I'm a big fan of that idea. It's a better use for the space and the hotels would be used even when conventions weren't happening, bringing more life (and business) to the area.
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  #54  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2015, 3:42 AM
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Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas View Post
...Austin and San Antonio both offer something very different when it comes to entertainment. San Antonio does things in a more intimate way that draws a lot of people to witness something historic and grand, while Austin does big festivals. I don't think that San Antonio's wonder is being one-upped, I just think that Austin is getting the kind of attractions that draw more people simply because that's the nature of them - that they draw a lot of people even in a short time.
Yes!!! I just wrote my first comment on the San Antonio forum, and it was basically about this same idea, that each city is unique and they're not in direct competition. As I said in that comment, I originally came to Texas to see both San Antonio and Austin, not one or the other. They're so close to each other that they can each benefit from the other's success, yet they're distinct enough that they don't cannibalize each other's business.

I don't see any reason for there to be envy or rivalry between the cities. They're far too unique for that. And there's a very serious danger in seeing each other as direct competition, which is that such a mentality can easily lead to inappropriate (dare I say moronic?) responses that detract from each city's unique appeal. Should San Antonio strive to dot its downtown with skinny metallic residential and office skyscrapers and attract massive pop culture festivals? I think not. Should Austin curtail development along Shoal and Waller creeks in order to preserve an intimate, warm, cozy feeling along the lines of the Riverwalk? Good luck.

I probably haven't stated that very well but i think most of us can plainly see that each city has unique strengths and weaknesses, and we're not so much direct competitors for tourism dollars as we are partners in a region that can attract visitors to either or both cities in such a way that we're not seeing the other as a threat to our identity and prosperity.
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  #55  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2015, 5:07 AM
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In some ways, I see it like Dallas - Fort Worth. I know the comparison has been made and some folks are on either side of the camp, but the bottom line is that Dallas and Fort Worth both benefit from the success of the other - as do a plethora of other cities in the DFW region (largely, if not completely, because of the success of Dallas and Fort Worth). Both are impressive cities in their own right, but together they're a huge, unstoppable force economically and they're growing in urbanism (at least in some areas, while others seem complacent to continue sprawling north to Oklahoma). That said, Austin and San Antonio can have a similarly beneficial relationship if they work together to make the region great. Both cities are going to develop in their own unique ways - which is good and right - and they shouldn't worry so much about that. Dallas and Fort Worth are radically different, in my opinion, as are Austin and San Antonio. However, the region's health and future depends on the success of both cities - whether they eventually form a metroplex-like relationship or not. Conventions are plenty, as are tourists. I don't think we need to get too worried about either city dying out because of the success of the other.
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  #56  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2015, 1:02 PM
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They are drilling on Block 8 this morning. The drilling rig is in the parking lot for the Bates Motel (SXSW reference.)
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  #57  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 2:38 AM
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Any news on a proposed timeline? Or has one been announced and I just missed it?
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  #58  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 9:53 PM
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City Council could vote on Austin Convention Center master plan Oct. 15

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A long-range master plan that outlines recommendations for expanding Austin Convention Center comes before City Council on Oct. 15 for potential approval.
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  #59  
Old Posted Oct 15, 2015, 1:23 PM
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Not wanting to be outdone by the Fairmont (apparently), the Hilton is proposing an 88 feet log aerial walkway connecting to the convention center:

"Jones|Carter is submitting this project for review by the AULCC. This exhibit is for the design of a walkway spanning between the Hilton Hotel and The Austin Convention Center between Travis County Parcels Nos: 525245 and 191560. Utility locations in this area are needed to place columns and foundations for the walkway. The project will include construction of an 88-ft aerial walkway between the Hilton Hotel and the Austin Convention Center."


ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/2015/151029/
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  #60  
Old Posted Oct 15, 2015, 3:31 PM
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Not wanting to be outdone by the Fairmont (apparently), the Hilton is proposing an 88 feet log aerial walkway connecting to the convention center:

"Jones|Carter is submitting this project for review by the AULCC. This exhibit is for the design of a walkway spanning between the Hilton Hotel and The Austin Convention Center between Travis County Parcels Nos: 525245 and 191560. Utility locations in this area are needed to place columns and foundations for the walkway. The project will include construction of an 88-ft aerial walkway between the Hilton Hotel and the Austin Convention Center."


ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/2015/151029/
Maybe they can redo the Hilton's facade while they are at it. Way too much hideous brown and tan stucco.
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