It Was Twenty Years Ago Today . . .

Or, Uptown, Omni, and Lancaster Can't Come Quickly Enough.

Twenty years ago, Grapevine consisted of Main Street, a McDonald's, and a couple of old air- freight warehouses. Today there are dozens of new restaurants, new office buildings and what is becoming DFW's top tourist and destination resort, the Gaylord Texan. Thanks to the DFW Airport tax revenues, a forward-looking mayor and city council, Grapevine has become a city not only competing for business development but winning and winning often. The Star Telegram reported today that another 1500 rooms will be built in 4 hotels along Lake Grapevine adding to the already 1500 rooms at the Gaylord Texan. The Gaylord is attracting conventions to Grapevine, some of which had previously come to Fort Worth or Arlington. Fort Worth has 11,000 available hotel rooms citywide but only 2,000 downtown. And nothing even close in category to the Gaylord. Uptown and the lake being planned near the Radio Shack headquarters could be a magnet for resort type accommodations. Without our three new developments, Lancaster Boulevard in south downtown, the new Omni hotel, and Uptown, we will soon be third or fourth in DFW's tourist and convention business. The new Cowboys Stadium is a well deserved coup for Arlington and will attract thousands of visitors to the area, with hotels to accommodate those visitors to follow. Fort Worth has the natural resources to develop similar convention and resort hotels, the demand is out there, the big three new developments are a good start.
For the Record, the Gaylord in Grapevine:
400,000 sq. ft. meeting space
1501 rooms, including 124 luxury suites
25,000 sq. ft. spa
8 restaurants, cafes, bars