Courtesy Tyler CVB
Hotels are clustered
The Rose City Complex is not within walking distance of downtown or two main clusters of hotels in the city of 102,000.
“But Tyler is small enough to easily commute,” said Rickman.
Tyler’s largest meeting hotel, the 183-guest-room Holiday Inn South, five miles southeast of the convention center, has 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom for banquets of 360.
Seven other hotels clustered near the Holiday Inn handle overflow. Among them is the 125-room Hilton Garden Inn Tyler, the newest of five hotels built in Tyler in the past five years. It has 3,000 square feet of meeting space in four rooms.
Meeting attendees who stay in the area can use the new Rose Rudman trail, a two-and-a-half-mile paved path. “It goes under busy streets up to the loop,” said Kim Morris assistant vice president of marketing/communications. Eleven mostly budget hotels located north of the Rose City Complex are popular with some groups because of their proximity to Interstate 20.
Tyler’s historic downtown is typically not where meetings are held, although it was the site for three consecutive years of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservatory, with 500 attendees from across the nation. The group met in downtown’s Caldwell Auditorium.
“That was fun,” said Rickman. “Scientists came to help explain some of the sightings,” said Rickman.
A number of other historic buildings that have been revitalized also do double duty as off-site venues. Rick’s on the Square, in a renovated building, has an upstairs meeting room for 150 people.
“It is a restaurant during the day, and they have live music on weekends,” Rickman said. “Meetings can have food catered by the restaurant and then come downstairs for entertainment after hours.”
Liberty Hall, a renovated 1930s movie theater that reopened in September 2011, once again offers movies, as well as music, comedy and theater. Its 350-seat auditorium can be rented when it’s not in use.
“It’s a great place for speeches and lectures,” said Rickman.
Conference center for faith-based
Popular with faith-based groups is Cross Walk Conference Center at the Green Acres Baptist Church, which opened a couple of years ago.
The conference center’s main level can seat 2,000 or 1,400 at round tables.
“It hosted 2,000 women for the two-day Cowgirls of Faith meeting,” said Rickman.
Ten miles south of Tyler, KE Bushman’s Winery and Celebration Center is available for concerts, business meetings, corporate retreats and trade shows for up to 500 people. It is a part of the Kiepersol Estates family, a destination with an exquisite steakhouse, bed-and-breakfast, winery, vineyard and tasting room.
“It hosts a lot of musical events but also everyone from schoolteachers to highway patrolmen,” said Rickman.
A new restaurant about 10 minutes west of Tyler’s loop calls itself a restaurant destination. On a 40-acre private lake, Lago del Pino, opened in April.
“It is absolutely breathtaking,” said Susan Travis, assistant vice president, tourism/servicing for the Tyler CVB.
The two-story building has a first-floor patio and a wrap-around balcony.
“It is huge,” said Travis. “It looks like a big villa. It is a perfect spot to have a drink and watch the sun set.”
“The restaurant has a private room for up to 50 people,” said Stacy Betts, event coordinator.
“The second floor, which has a bar and lounge area, can handle about 150 for a reception, and the downstairs patio can be set up for between 100 and 150,” she said. “Or if someone wants to rent the entire restaurant, it can handle 300 to 400 people.”
