The Omni Dallas Hotel is a 23-story, 1001-room hotel at the Convention Center District in Dallas, Texas.[1] The $500 million hotel is owned by the City of Dallas, managed by Omni Hotels & Resorts and is attached directly to the Dallas Convention Center. Visitdallas is contracted by the City to attract conventions to the Dallas Convention Center and increase tourism to fill rooms at the Omni Dallas Hotel although serious doubts about its effectiveness were raised in January 2019 after the release of an audit.[2]
| Omni Dallas Hotel | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Hotel |
| Location | Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 32°46′32″N 96°48′15″W / 32.775542°N 96.804047°W |
| Opening | November 11, 2011 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 282 feet (86 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | 5G Studio Collaborative with BOKA Powell (architect of record) |
| Developer | Matthews Southwest |
History
editThe Omni Dallas Hotel was originally announced in February 2009. On June 19, 2009, the Dallas City Council approved an ordinance to authorize the sale of $514 million in Build America Bonds to finance the construction of the hotel, which was built to generate revenue for the adjacent Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.[3][4] Groundbreaking occurred on September 15, 2009.[5] The building was topped out on October 21, 2010.[6] The hotel formally opened on November 11, 2011.
Description
editThe building is notable for its LED lighting on the exterior facade. The building is covered in more than 2,200 protective tubes, each of which houses three 3-foot-long LED fixtures. Altogether, the strips measure about 4 miles long.[7] The LEDs are occasionally programmed to display dynamic lighting patterns - from a Jawbreaker maze to advertisements for the Dallas Cowboys. The lights are programmed to run during two intervals, once from sunset to 2 a.m. and again from 5:30 a.m. to sunrise. The colors and lighting are sometimes coordinated with the lighting of the nearby Bank of America Plaza.[8]
The hotel features several restaurants and bars along with a gift shop offering products from local artists.
References
edit- ^ "Omni Dallas Hotel Outlines Sustainability Plans" (Press release). Omni Hotels & Resorts. April 19, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- ^ "Audit of VisitDallas" (PDF). City of Dallas. City of Dallas. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- ^ Press Release (June 19, 2009). "Dallas City Council Approves Ordinance to Authorize Sale of Bonds to Build Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel". Omni Hotels & Resorts. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Wilonsky, Robert (January 21, 2014). "With $659 million in debt service, downtown's Omni Hotel likely to remain Dallas-owned for years". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Austin, BJ (September 15, 2009). "Dallas Groundbreaking Launches Convention Center Hotel". KERA. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- ^ Merten, Sam (October 22, 2010). "At Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel's Topping Out Ceremony, Mayor Leppert Declares: "This Isn't the Dallas of J.R. Anymore"". Unfair Park. Dallas Observer. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- ^ Cirelli, Mike. "Bright lights, big city". Dallas Morning News. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Nielson, Christiana (July 2016). "How Downtown Dallas Buildings Light Up Your Life". D Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2020.