The new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & SpA will help bolster San Antonio’s reputation as a meeting destination for national and global organizations. The 1,002 luxurious guest rooms and more than 140,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space have captured the imagination of meeting and event planners from across the country.
The event calendar at the resort continues to fill as groups flock to take advantage of the property’s two PGA TOUR TPC golf courses, the 26,000-square-foot, world-class Lantana spa, the 6-acre River Bluff Water Experience that includes a 1,100-foot long lazy river and 650-foot rapid river ride and seven restaurants and lounges.
The resort, with its global reputation and national sales force, is designed to appreciate the importance of hosting memorable events for local groups, non-profit organizations and brides and grooms.
The special amenities of the property also appealed to Angela Padilla. She and her fiancé Josh Clark will celebrate their wedding at the resort in April. Both fell in love with the Sunday house and the role it played for families in the 19th century as a gathering place for family and friends.
“We knew we wanted to have the wedding and reception in the same place and we didn’t want to get married in a ballroom,” Padilla says. “When we toured it we knew it was perfect. And we have all the amenities of the hotel. We have so many guests coming in and they will all have something to do. There’s the water park for the kids, the spa for the girls and the sports bar for the guys. It’s perfect.”
The Friends of the Ronald McDonald House Charities has also booked the resort for its first ever Chair-ity Event on April 10. The organization is having celebrities decorate a chair, which will then be auctioned off at the event.
“We have been eagerly awaiting the opening of this beautiful facility,” says Event Chairman Dawn Coleman. “When it was time to look for a place to host our brand new event, this brand new facility was the first one to come to mind. The staff has made great suggestions for how we can maximize our food and beverage ideas within our fundraiser budget. We know that in addition to attending our event, our patrons will be excited to see and experience the new JW Marriott San Antonio.”
The 600-acre property on the city’s North Side sprung from the hills, surrounded by live oak and limestone. Its design and amenities – from the locally quarried stone to the metal roofs, blown glass art ceiling and wood entryways – hearken to the Hill Country that surrounds it and gives it its name.
Despite lying within the boundaries of a city of more than 2 million residents, visitors feel world’s away from the urban environs. The site encompasses picturesque rolling hills, meandering creeks and live oak trees. It makes for an appealing retreat for locals who have been eager to explore what they’ve only been able to view from a distance.
“We are a destination property and we pride ourselves in being able to accommodate national organizations that need to hold large, productive meetings,” says Petro Lemmen, director of catering sales. “But we also appeal to people who have dreams for a special event, be it a wedding, gala or reunion. Every day we have the opportunity to make our customers’ special event dreams a reality.”
Lemmen joined the resort in October having spent more than 30 years with Marriott. He has amassed extensive knowledge of catering and event management, working at properties including the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, Amsterdam Marriott Hotel and the Orlando World Center Resort. Most recently Lemmen was director of catering at the Marriott Rivercenter and Riverwalk hotels in downtown San Antonio.
He has seen first hand how San Antonians love to escape the routine of their lives, enjoying a gala event or celebrating the wedding of a loved one. Marriott’s downtown hotels have become staples of the local social scene. Lemmen intends to do the same for the newest JW Marriott property.
His key counterpart is Greg Higdon, senior catering sales manager. He has been with Marriott for 13 years and most recently was the director of catering at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz. He is also a Marriott certified wedding planner, which gives him extensive experience in planning and executing custom events of every size, style and budget.
“We have a well-deserved reputation as a brand for business meetings and conferences,” Higdon says. “But we also know how to present more intimate affairs and this property with its natural beauty and sophisticated design will make those special occasions even more memorable.”
The resort has ballrooms as large as 40,000 square feet that can be reconfigured for more intimate events. There is also a traditional Hill Country Sunday House that has 900 square feet of dining or entertainment space. It is separate from the hotel, accented with limestone walls, a metal roof, wood floors, a fireplace and windows looking out on a spectacular Hill Country vista.
There are also several outdoor venue options from 8,000 to 30,000 square feet that can host unforgettable experiences. They include a 23,000-square-foot lawn just outside the conference center which is an ideal space for meeting receptions. Located in the heart of the resort is a 30,000-square-foot lawn accented by limestone waterfalls, fireplaces and spectacular views of the rolling hills and the first hole of the AT&T Canyons course.
For brides and grooms wanting a memorable nuptial site, there is a special wedding pavilion which is a stone patio framed by majestic oak trees, fountains and stunning views of the 18th hole of the AT&T Oaks course.
“The resort’s unique location and world-class amenities make this the ideal location for all types of special events,” says Director of Marketing Mike Kass “We can accommodate a meeting with 3,000 attendees that includes break-out space and trade show exhibits.
“And we can host a memorable event for a few dozen people with special menus, decorations and an ambiance that makes you feel like you’re the only ones here. Our staff provides our guests with superior attention to detail and the ultimate in personalized event planning services.”
