May 2009

IRVING — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is pleased to announce that a new leadership team has been appointed to drive the operational and marketing efforts for the new Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North, slated to open July 2009 in Irving. Paul Van Hoosier is general manager and Shannon Hopper is director of sales and marketing.

Inspired by Westin Hotels & Resorts, the new 123-room Element hotel is among the first in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings. The hotel will offer a new experience that combines eco-friendly touches with smart design, comfortable public spaces and modern amenities. Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North is owned by SAVA Holdings, LLC and managed by Aquila Lodging. It will be located in Irving at the southwest corner of Belt Line and IH-635.

“The Element brand is designed to help guests thrive by providing a whole new perspective on longer stay travel, and it is the hotel’s leaders and associates that bring the brand to life and deliver on this promise,” said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of Element Hotels. “We are excited to welcome Paul and Shannon to the Element family and look forward to continuing to build a best-in-class team at Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North.”

With over 22 years of hospitality industry experience, Van Hoosier joined the Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North hotel after serving as director of lodging for the Durango Mountain Resort in Colorado. Throughout his career, Van Hoosier served in numerous operational leadership positions, including general manager for Coach’s LLC, general manager for the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa, director of rooms for Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club, director of front office services for the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, as well as other management positions with several Westin Hotels and Resorts properties, Four Seasons Resort & Clubs, as well as the Sheraton Maui Hotel. Van Hoosier received his Master of Liberal Arts degree from Pepperdine University, his Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications from the University of Washington and holds a GMP certification from the managers program of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Hopper brings 15 years of extensive hospitality experience that includes sales and marketing and operations expertise. Prior to joining the Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North hotel, she opened both the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa and the Marriott Residence Inn Cultural District in Fort Worth, Texas, serving as director of sales and marketing. Hopper also spent a part of her career in the Pacific Northwest as director of sales and marketing for the Marriott SpringHill Suites in Seattle, Wash. Other key luxury hotels in her portfolio include the Ashton Hotel and the Four Seasons Resort and Club. Hopper received her Bachelor of Human Science degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Kelly & Lori, I wanted to thank you & your CVB for the invitation to the Byron Nelson last Friday!  We had a SPECTACULAR time and the weather was just great!

Also, I was extremely happy to hear about the entire “renaissance” of the Irving/Las Colinas area!  The new convention center, hotels, shops, transportation…it will be great info for me to share with my clients! 

Again, I greatly appreciated being a part of all the festivities (and also able to bring a guest)!  Thank you both so very much.

Regards, Diane Steele

Experient Inc.

11:42 AM Tue, May 26, 2009 Brandon Formby/Reporter   

Here’s a look at what’s on the City Council’s plate this week at its Wednesday work session and Thursday night meeting.

– Wednesday’s work session begins at 9 a.m. rather than the typical noon. Executive session items are about the single-member district lawsuit that is still waiting on a judge’s ruling and City Manager Tommy Gonzalez’s annual evaluation.

– Also on Wednesday, the council will hear a results of a study of the trees in the Heritage District, where Lubbock developer Delbert McDougal is working on a massive redevelopment project. The study is aimed at preserving trees as the area is redeveloped.

– On the regular agenda, the council is looking at leasing 2,400 parking spaces from the Urban Towers office development in Las Colinas to use for the planned city-owned entertainment center. The agenda indicates this is in lieu of building a new parking structure. Rent for the spaces will be $500,000 for the first five years and $565,704 for an additional five years after that. The lease won’t begin until the entertainment center opens or Sept. 12, 2012.

– The developer of the Water Street project in Las Colinas wants an extension of the pre-development feasibility period set to expire June 26. According to the council agenda, the reclamation of Lake Carolyn required for the project is taking longer than expected. The developer says construction of the development won’t likely begin until March of next year and wants to extend the pre-development feasibility period until then.

1:35 PM Fri, May 22, 2009 Brandon Formby/Reporter   

The Byron Nelson’s long been a back drop for business meet-and-greets
and schmoozing. No surprise considering the laid-back, sun-soaked and
drink-stocked atmosphere.

But since conventions and conferences are on the decline in this
economy, the Byron Nelson is a welcome friend to deal makers.

“I can’t tell you how many handshake deals are happening out here,”
Four Seasons PR director Angela Enright tells me. “It’s the perfect
environment. You get the broad spectrum of all these industries.”

A walk around the place with an open ear backs up her assesment. Folks
are talking about their companies, their promotions, their projects
and deadlines.

But unlike typical work days, they’re getting a tan as they do it.

4:40 PM Fri, May 22, 2009 Brandon Formby/Reporter

12:04 PM Mon, May 25, 2009 Katherine Leal Unmuth/Reporter   

The inside of the media tent looked almost like some sort of playground for (grown-up) guys. Most of the reporters I spotted inside were male, and many were enjoying the amenities. (Disclosure: as an education reporter, this was like entering a foreign country, and I immediately developed a case of culture shock).

The Salesmanship Club of Dallas and the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau rolled out all the stops (no red carpet though, the carpet was light blue). During the year, the site is the Four Seasons tennis courts.

A buffet meal was set out. Some guys even went back for seconds and thirds. Others lined up for the coffee sorbet slush.

Around the corner, one man jammed on Guitar Hero. Other reporters lounged on a white couch. They also had the option of playing on a Wii. Parker College of Chiropractic representatives gave out free back massages. Baggies of pretzels shaped as golf tees were laid out. A ping pong table (which apparently was used in a heated bout between reporters) was also there, in addition to table hockey. They also got suncreen and notebooks.

“We try to take care of all their needs,” said Karla Prine, a marketing assistant with the bureau.

National outlets like ESPN, the Golf Channel and XM Satellite Radio were there.

All media interviews with golfers were transcribed (in case any reporters missed them or perhaps were too tired to type up the quotes themselves) and categorized by day and the golfer’s name.

Oh, and a friendly reminder was posted on the exit door of the tent “No Alcohol Allowed Beyond this Point.” After I exited, I spotted four Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in super short-shorts stroll past.

It’s hard to think of what more the city could have possibly done to welcome them. Got any suggestions for next year? What do you think about this?

12:27 PM Mon, May 25, 2009 Katherine Leal Unmuth/Reporter   

Since I know nothing about golf, I also didn’t know that PGA members write the official scores in calligraphy. Then I spotted David Trout in the media tent Sunday taking his time writing in scores. Trout is a member of the Trails of Frisco Club and lives in McKinney.

“I kind of learned by trial and error,” he told me. “They offer classes and stuff for the guys who struggle with it. Everybody’s gotta look at it so it might as well look nice. This is the history of the event.”

12:31 PM Mon, May 25, 2009

Katherine Leal Unmuth/Reporter   

Players on the high school’s varsity and freshman girls soccer team were selling pretzels and lemonade along the green to fundraise for their team Sunday. They were pretty giddy about being there.

I spoke with Sylvia Rodriguez and her daughter, Avina Rodriguez, 17, a MacArthur High School student who told me that the biggest celebrity she spotted was golfer Vijay Singh of Fiji. This is their third year volunteering at the event.

Avina said that when you’re working on the green you’ve got to watch out for flying balls.

“The ball came and almost hit one of our girls. You have to watch. People say ‘duck.’”

And the people-watching is good too.

“I like the golfers’ little outfits–the colors. They look like little Easter eggs.”

I heard there were students from Irving High School at the event as well, but I didn’t see them. The Academy of Irving ISD’s parking lot was certainly used by lots of attendees, but did any students go? Students, teachers and parents–were you there?