Guests searching for conference centers that provide outstanding service and exceptional amenities should look no further than this cultivated list of luxury hotels. From San Antonio to Lubbock, they offer unique spaces that make for truly memorable meetings.

 

Overton Hotel & Conference Center – Lubbock

The Overton Hotel & Conference Center offers Lubbock locals and visitors a stunning array of options for business meetings. The only AAA Four-Diamond hotel in West Texas, the Overton Hotel effortlessly combines comfort with elegance for a relaxing and productive stay. The hotel is conveniently located by Marsha Sharp Freeway within easy walking distance of Texas Tech University

“Our location is prime, and Overton has close relationships with both the academic side and the athletic side of the university,” Director of Sales and Marketing Shannon Baker said. “Additionally, Overton is the exclusive hotel partner of Texas Tech Athletics and [is the] official Lubbock hotel of the Texas Tech Alumni Association.”

A staple of Lubbock, the hotel staff pride themselves on building long-lasting relationships with their clients. “Many of them are like family,” Baker said. “Some have stayed with us since opening ten years ago for every home football game. We offer the best, most personable service of any hotel around!” Their commitment to providing excellent service for their guests extends to their conference center, as well.

Designed by meeting and conference professionals, the premier meeting space includes an over-11,000-square-foot ballroom and exhibit area, four smaller meeting rooms, two executive board rooms, and pre-function areas. Key amenities include sound-proof walls, recently upgraded audiovisual equipment with screens and projectors in each room, wired and wireless internet access, and banquet and catering services. “The conference space is very versatile and we’ve done events from 10 to over 600 guests,” Baker said. The conference center can entertain groups of up to 1,200 people.

“Our groups return because of our service and unique catering options,” she said. “We have a lot of repeat business, and it is important to mix it up each time the group returns.” In keeping with their “out-of-the-box” style, as deemed by Baker, Executive Chef Douglas Noxon’s dishes are enhanced by sourcing items such as beef, herbs, cheese, and mushrooms from local farmers.

This landmark of Downtown Lubbock extends West Texas hospitality to all guests. “Our staff go above and beyond to ensure no detail is overlooked,” Baker said. “The sales and catering team here is one of the best I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been in the business for 20 years.”Luxury amenities, fine dining, proximity to Texas Tech University, and true West Texas hospitality mark this hotel as a premier destination for meeting and event needs.

 

Hotel Emma – San Antonio

This boutique hotel located at the historic Pearl Brewery in San Antonio is exceptional in every way. It is most definitely for those looking for something eye-catching and much more personalized than the big box conference hotels. Hotel Emma also boasts one of the best chefs in San Antonio, John Brand, and a new pastry chef who hails from France. This still fairly new hotel artfully repurposed elements from the once brewery into the hotel’s décor, creating a wholly original look and feel, which makes for a memorable meeting of any kind.

The meeting spaces total over 6,000 square feet of space, including distinctive outdoor spaces as well. One of the most popular rooms is called the Elephant Cellar. With tall ceilings and 3,250 square feet of space, it can accommodate 200 guests. The chic industrial décor is accented with custom chandeliers made from bottle fillers brought over from Germany in the 1920s. Elephant Cellar is flanked by Hotel Emma’s fabulous exhibition kitchen and the 1,500-square-foot courtyard, which overlooks the river.

The smaller Cellar J can house up to 100 guests and offers vaulted ceilings and a bounty of natural light that pours in through two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the famous River Walk. The space opens directly onto Hotel Emma’s charming courtyard.

For those looking to have a small but significant meeting, you might wish to book the Boardroom. This room sports a spacious table from England circa 1870 originally used as a refractory/dining table in a monastery. Rustic 100-year-old brick walls give the room a distinguished look, ideal for making important decisions.

Finally, the Brewmeister’s Office is a must for a pre-function private space or as a standalone space for a special dinner or meeting room. What was once quite literally the brewmeister’s office features original Redondo Mexican tile, a carved wood fireplace, and a stunning chandelier, as well as a private restroom, wet bar, and seating area.

 

The Doug Pitcock ’49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center – College Station

As the only property in College Station to receive a AAA Four-Diamond rating, the Doug Pitcock ‘49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center offers visitors a contemporary stay with modern amenities and meeting spaces within walking distance to Kyle Field. The hotel, which opened in 2018, is named after former student and member of the Corps of Cadets James D. “Doug” Pitcock who established himself as a leading professional in the Texas transportation industry. “He just embodies all the great qualities of Aggies: selflessness, stewardship, service to others, loyalty,” General Manager Gregory Stafford said of the engineer. Stafford, who has been with the hotel and conference center since its inception, brings over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the College Station location.

“It’s been wonderful to be a part of that, and frankly, whatever we do, we want to do it better than everybody else is doing,” Stafford said. The hotel features 250 guest rooms, including eleven suites and two exclusive penthouses in which guests can enjoy their stay. Certified by the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), the location’s 35,000 square feet of meeting space offers the latest amenities for a variety of events.

“There are very specific requirements that relate to not only service but also natural light, ergonomic features, acoustics, and a variety of other factors that enable one to be certified as an IACC center,” Stafford said. “That was a really important designation for us and one that distinguishes us amongst conference centers.” The distinction is a prestigious one, as the IACC only certified the top one percent of conference centers worldwide the general manager said. The Texas A&M Hotel’s flexible meeting rooms and event space can accommodate business conferences, receptions, retreats, and more, with an 8,300-square-foot ballroom that can host up to 1,000 visitors.

“We’ve done everything from small corporate retreats to retirement parties to weddings,” Stafford said. “Every football game weekend, we’re home to the Chancellor [of The Texas A&M University System]’s tailgate reception.”

Conveniently located in the center of campus, the hotel was designed to evoke the spirit of Aggieland. Texas A&M, known for its rich history of unique traditions, is made known through “a very contemporary and clean environment with enough Aggie touches that you have a sense of place without it being overwhelming,” Stafford said. The general manager said the location’s emphasis on “Howdy Hospitality” is engrained in the workers who are current or former students of the university. The Texas A&M Hotel is pet friendly and equipped with a valet parking garage for guests. Much like the university, the staff, awarded ‘Best of Housekeeping,’ works to provide visitors with a quality experience.

“We’re on a mission to be a world-class conference center hotel in College Station at Texas A&M University,” he said. “Our aspiration is to be the finest university hotel and conference center in the world.”

 

The Adolphus, Autograph Collection – Dallas

Another preeminent historic hotel that considers itself a cut above the rest when it comes to refined luxury, hospitality, and award-winning service is The Adolphus, Autograph Collection in Downtown Dallas, which completed a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2018. Not only does the hotel come complete with more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space showcasing some of the original wood paneling from when it was built in the 1900s, but it also has a spa, just in case guests have time to squeeze in a massage or Ayurvedic treatment.

“The hotel is so rich in history, you see it woven throughout with the names and look of each space,” Director of Sales Kristin Crawford said. “The rooms are named after presidents and Texas governors. We’ve also modernized it, but in a way where we haven’t lost our roots.”

The hotel offers two ballrooms and a total of sixteen meeting spaces, some of which can be divided to allow further break out rooms. Seventy-five percent of the meeting spaces have natural light. The grand ballroom is the largest, holding up to 400 people. “It’s gorgeous and opulent, with beautiful Murano glass chandeliers and hand-stenciling on the ceiling,” Crawford said.

Both ballrooms have rear screen projectors, and for large events, the hotel sets up meetings in one ballroom and meals in the adjacent ballroom. The pre-function space in between is large enough to accommodate seventeen tabletop exhibits. All the catering is done in-house, including pastries. The kitchen has fun incorporating requested themes and details into cakes. For business meetings, they recently added an Indian lunch buffet to the catering menu. “The chef combined both regions, northern and southern, in this buffet,” Crawford said. “His lamb curry is very good.”

If you are looking to impress, these jaw-dropping hotels never cease to amaze.