The San Antonio Room Scramble

The managers of at least two tradeshows with dates booked in San Antonio early this month were forced to scramble after learning the 1,000-room Grand Hyatt San Antonio would open March 19, not Feb. 6 as planned.

One of those show managers is Luellan Hoffman, director of exhibits for the Natl. Defense Industrial Assn., who was planning to launch the 2008 Ground Robotics Conference & Exhibition for 400 attendees and 50 exhibitors at the hotel March 4-6. Hoffman only learned about her brewing problems when a reporter from a local newspaper called her.

“The reporter asked me, 'What are you going to do with your conference since the Hyatt won't be open?'” Hoffman said. “We were pretty shocked when we heard that.”

It was her first notice that the new hotel, with more than 115,000 square feet of meeting space adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, had pushed back its opening date.

Hoffman was not the only one forced to make a last-minute dash to relocate. Charles Schmidt, spokesman for the Natl. Assn. of College Stores, said his organization also received a call – in this case, from the hotel – on Feb. 11, just three weeks before its March 2-4 CAMEX/Campus Market Expo. Schmidt learned his Tradeshow Week 200-ranked show would also have to find somewhere else for the 900 attendees who had booked rooms at the Hyatt and for the events planned in its meeting rooms.

Hoffman said that during a site visit two months earlier, she had seen what she described as “heavy construction” in process. “We expressed concerns that the hotel wouldn't be open in time, and we were told that crews were working 24/7 and the contractor never missed a deadline,” she added. “We asked (Hyatt representatives) for a backup plan, and they didn't want to offer one.”

Once Hoffman realized her meeting would have to be moved, she flew to San Antonio from Alexandria, Va., where NDIA is based, to find an alternative venue. Hotel rooms weren't the real problem, she added. Locating a venue that could accommodate large military-style robotics used for bomb detection was.

In the end, “our exhibits (were) under a tent in the parking lot at the convention center,” Hoffman said.

The conference component of the event also was held at the convention center, and she found rooms for attendees at a nearby Marriott property.

Spokespeople for the hotel and its developer blamed each other for the delay.

Moving the opening back to March 19 was the Hyatt's decision, said Arthur Emerson, spokesman for hotel developer FaulknerUSA.

“That's their wish,” Emerson said. “Clearly, it's a wonderful project that was delayed for more than six months.”

He did say heavy rains all but halted construction for four months last summer. “There was just a big hole filled with water,” he added.

Scott Lane, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said, “We're just the operator of the project. We're at the hands of FaulknerUSA.” Any delays, he added, were caused solely by the construction not being completed on time.

“It was very difficult for us to scramble around,” Schmidt said of his show, which typically attracts more than 2,000 attendees. “The Hyatt (had been) saying they were going to open. It was kind of chaotic. Kudos to the CVB here, because they helped relocate all of our people.”

Steve Clanton, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau vice president of sales, said he and his colleagues worked with the Hyatt to find meeting space and rooms for a number of groups forced to move by the delays.

“To my knowledge, no one was stuck,” he added.

CAMEX was the biggest group by far that had to be relocated, Clanton said. “I feel sorry for the attendees, because it will be a little confusing for them,” he added. “But I am sure we reached out to all of them (beforehand).”

The Natl. Assn. of College Stores and NDIA both incurred expenses because of the last-minute adjustments.

Hoffman said NDIA paid more than $100,000 out of pocket for the tent, emergency flights to San Antonio, signage, security and extra staff. “I'm not sure how this part of it is going to shake out,” she added. “(The Hyatt) has been real nice and said they would take care of everything.”

Schmidt said his group had unexpected expenses because of expanded shuttle service and all the staff hours it took to deal with the situation. “We won't know the total cost until the end,” he added. “We have a good, signed contract with the Hyatt in case of these contingencies.”

Clanton said the Hyatt was evaluating repayment of additional expenses on a group-by-group basis. “The idea is, at the end of the day, the customer is not out money,” he added. “It's never a fun experience, but it shouldn't cost them as well.”

For now, Hyatt and FaulknerUSA are sticking with the new March 19 opening date.

The Asian American Hotel Owners Assn.'s 2008 Annual Convention and Trade Show is scheduled to open at the hotel six days later. The Natl. Collegiate Athletic Assn.'s Final Four basketball tournament will bring 40,000 fans to town April 4-8. “The Hyatt says they are on go, and that's what we're going by,” Clanton said.

Emerson said that he had “absolutely no fear” about the hotel not being ready for the Final Four tournament. “They will be ready before then, and that's a take-it-to-the-bank,” he added.