Some major changes are coming downtown to the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. On Tuesday, new plans were presented to the City Council and included an upgrade to the current hotel, a new 400-room tower, and a parking garage. Here’s how the renovations will reshape the area.
A change to the skyline 🏗️
Back in 2020, the hotel was on track to begin what was a $174 million expansion, but the pandemic forced the city to reconsider the plans. Earlier this week, a revised $217 million project was presented to the city and now things are back on track.
The Omni plans to purchase Tarrant County Community College’s administrative building and parking lot — across W. 14th Street. The building will be transformed into a 400-room hotel with 50,000 sqft of meeting space and 15,000 sqft for a restaurant. The parking lot — across Throckmorton Street from the new tower — will also undergo a $6 million renovation to become a 200-space parking garage.
When construction is complete by 2026, the Omni will have 1,008 rooms spanning two blocks near the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Let’s talk business 💸
The city will contribute $53 million in incentives to the project for improvements to the surrounding streetscape. It will also own the garage, but after 10 years, the hotel — which will operate and lease the space — will have the option to purchase it. According to the city, Omni must spend a minimum of $200 million on the expansion with 15% of costs going to minority and women-owned contractors.
A little TLC ✨
The hotel at 1300 Houston St. recently finished a $10 million renovation on 22 new Western-themed suites. The rooms — inspired by local brands M.L. Leddy’s, Resistol, and Wrangler — are fitted with Western decor like Leddy-branded leather coasters, a Resistol cowboy hat + coffee tables adorned with Wrangler denim. Other updates include enhancements to the lobby, meeting space, and guest rooms.