South Texas Plains
Meetings.VisitSanAntonio.com; @MeetInSA
“San Antonio is known for having one of America’s most walkable convention center districts, thanks in large part to the River Walk, which connects the convention center with hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions, and outdoor areas,” says Mario Bass, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Visit San Antonio. “The walkability eliminates the need for mass transportation and provides more options for event planners.”
Henry B. González Convention Center in downtown San Antonio has 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 86,500 square feet of column-free multipurpose space, more than 70 meeting rooms, and a 54,000-square-foot ballroom—the state’s largest. Nearby Civic Park, a new development, includes several acres of parkland, water features, and a great lawn area accommodating up to 15,000 people.
Adjacent to the convention center, the 1,000-plus-room Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk boasts 115,000 square feet of meeting space with a capacity of 2,300 theater style in its largest space. The 630-room Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk has 37,000 square feet of event space across seven areas, and the 1,000-room San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk has 70,136 square feet of flexible meeting space.
Boutique hotels with meeting amenities include the 277-room St. Anthony Hotel, featuring 23,772 square feet of meeting space; Hotel Contessa, with 10,000 square feet of event space; and the 213-room Hotel Valencia, with 7,000 square feet of meeting space.
Options outside of downtown include JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, which has more than 267,000 square feet of meeting space with a capacity of 6,300 people. Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa, a 25-minute drive northwest of the convention center, has 502 guest rooms, 100,000 square feet of event space, and a capacity of 1,200 people in its largest space.
New hotel additions include the 347-room Kimpton Santo. A combination of new-build and adaptive reuse of an 1850s schoolhouse, the hotel features 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom. The new Four Star InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk near the convention center has 390 guest rooms and 18,000 square feet of event space across 11 meeting rooms. It accommodates more than 900 people in its largest space.
The new Pullman Market at Pearl features 40,000 square feet of full-service restaurants, artisan butchers, and other components. The creative culinary arts attraction also offers several unique teambuilding classes, including flower arranging, wine and beer tastings, and ceviche making.
