11 New Venues in Houston/San Antonio for Fall 2024 Meetings and Events

InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk opened in August, located just 1 mile from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and within steps of the city’s most famous attraction, the River Walk. There's even easy access to a water taxi landing zone for another way to tour San Antonio. Owned by Trailbreak Partners in conjunction with Scarlett Hotel Group, the 390-room hotel was designed by Leo A Daly and the internal IHG design team. Midcentury modern-inspired architecture is set off by finishes like brass, marble, dark wood, cognac leather, and glass. The more than 18,000 square feet of event space includes the 8,200-square-foot Pecan Ballroom, with soaring 18-foot ceilings and room for 901 guests. Ten other meeting rooms all feature panoramic views of San Antonio, as well as built-in food and beverage stations. The hotel is also home to four different restaurants and bars, from rooftop bar High Praise to coffee shop Rosebelly Coffee; lobby bar Deco Bar; and Cavalier, an American brasserie.

Old meets new at Kimpton Santo, the first Kimpton property to open in San Antonio. The 347-room hotel opened in August on the border of downtown and Southtown, blending modern design with Spanish-style decor and historic details. The property incorporates several 19th century German-English schoolhouse buildings, which White Lodging and Kimpton Santo preserved and turned into eight guest suites and the home of the hotel's signature restaurant, Dean's Steak & Seafood. The 207-seat steakhouse features a two-level dining room, an oyster bar, and a specially curated private wine room, with design details like double-height, exposed-wood vaulted ceilings; dramatic lighting; and original limestone walls. Drinking dens within the hotel include The Bar at Dean’s and The Study at Dean’s, while upstairs is Tenfold Rooftop (pictured), touted as the tallest rooftop bar in the city. The year-round, open-air rooftop serves small plates and drinks, with an emphasis on tequila and mezcal. Another outdoor event space is the 1,926-square-foot historic courtyard studded with century-old oak trees, which can accommodate 193 guests for receptions or 150 seated at round tables. Kimpton Santo is equipped with more than 13,000 square feet of flexible event and meeting space, located both indoors and outdoors. The 5,019-square-foot San Juan Ballroom can accommodate 500 for receptions or 410 seated in rounds, while the 2,484-square-foot Espada Ballroom can accommodate 248 for receptions or 210 guests seated in rounds.

In September, San Antonio's Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa debuted a new indoor-outdoor lobby bar that extends onto the resort's spacious patio. The addition of the Woodbine Bar is part of a multiphase project that included a $50 million renovation to the resort's guest rooms and meeting spaces in 2023. Now, the Woodbine Bar in the lobby near the front entrance includes cozy seating inside and a walk-up window outside for alfresco dining. The menu offers cocktails, beers on draft, seltzers and ciders, and a lengthy wine list along with light bites. Snacks range from a Gulf shrimp cocktail or Texas artisanal cheeses with local cured meats to quail knots with a citrus achiote brine. The Woodbine Bar boasts 102 seats inside and out, and the space can hold groups of up to 250 seated and standing guests. Combine the bar with the connecting Aunt Mary’s Lawn for even more overflow space.

The Westin Houston, Memorial City, located within Houston's 300-acre mixed-use Memorial City development, recently debuted a multimillion-dollar reimagining of the hotel's 33,000-square-foot meeting and event venues in September. The new look by Atlanta-based interior design firm Blackdog Studio spans new wallpaper, light fixtures, furniture, artwork, curtains, and a custom carpet inspired by Houston’s history. Each event space includes high-speed Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art audiovisual services. The hotel boasts 29 meeting rooms, including the 10,425-square-foot divisible Azalea Ballroom with room for up to 1,043 guests for receptions. Other event spaces include the Wisteria Ballroom, which can accommodate 566 for receptions or 435 for banquet-style events, or the Cottonwood Boardroom, which can accommodate up to 22 for conference-style events.

Houston's Sof Hospitality opened its fourth restaurant at the end of August, debuting Mediterranean gem Októ at Montrose Collective. The 4,200-square-foot space is set off by a large bar as a focal point, along with a showpiece kitchen featuring large windows. Sof’s interior designer, Lindsay Madrigal of LM Designs, added dark green tones, velvet seating, and marble tile floors to the upscale restaurant, along with dramatic, moody lighting. A sliding door opens up to an expansive patio decorated with greenery. Októ's seafood-focused menu is designed for sharing, with dishes like tuna crudo with feta; olive and parsley gremolata; or branzino en papillote with roasted tomato, garlic, and asparagus. Októ includes 20 seats in the bar, 36 in the patio, and 90 in the dining room.

Houston chef and head of Goode Company Restaurants Levi Goode opened two side-by-side restaurants in Memorial City, dubbed Credence and Sidebar. Credence is Goode's inaugural solo project, and the menu draws on his roots as a fifth-generation Texan—with plenty of cooking over a live fire. That includes a fire-roasted seafood tower and steaks grilled over Texas mesquite. Credence’s only private dining option is adjoining restaurant Sidebar, a speakeasy where drinkers can order classic cocktails like martinis, Old-Fashioneds, and a seasonal take on a Pimm's Cup. A limited menu at Sidebar includes delicacies like steaks and roasted oysters. The clubby design emphasizes leather and a glowing bar, with photos from Patty Carroll’s “Anonymous Women” series. Sidebar’s capacity is 50 seated and standing guests.

Prolific Houston restaurateur Benjamin Berg added to his constellation of eateries with the opening of the glitzy Turner's Cut in June. The luxurious steakhouse in Autry Park offers cuts of Australian wagyu and Japanese Kobe, along with dishes like lobster tail in a yuzu fennel puree, Alaskan king crab mac and cheese, or beef short rib Wellington prepared tableside. The Gilded Age-inspired design includes white tablecloths and opulent chandeliers. Turner’s Cut offers two private event rooms: the State Room (which seats 24) and the Peacock Room (which seats 30). A full buyout can accommodate 151 guests.

The Sylvie, restaurateur Benjamin Berg's all-day cafe, opened at the same time as Turner's Cut in June. This European-inspired bistro is located in downtown Houston's Texas Tower, and features a striking circular bar with a sculptural element that stretches up to the ceiling and is lit from within. The rest of the restaurant is decorated in creamy white tones with metallic and wood accents. The Sylvie's menu stretches from pastries and coffee and lemon chia seed parfaits in the morning to panzanella salad and roasted chicken sandwiches for lunch. For dinner, order lamb meatballs or fennel sausage pizza. The capacity for The Sylvie is 85 guests.

Car enthusiasts are the target audience at The Shop Club Houston and Derby Restaurant, which opened in Houston in May. This social club is open for private events, featuring tours of a world-class car collection and golf and driving simulators, as well as a private speakeasy and elevator. The Derby Restaurant serves crowd-pleasing dishes like brisket grilled cheese, chili garlic chicken wings, and fish and chips. Larger events at The Shop can seat 200 to 300 and receptions can accommodate up to 1,000 standing guests. The Private Members Club is available for groups of up to 200 for cocktail receptions, meet-and-greets, or events with more casual-style dining, with exclusive use of the cigar room, member lounge, and pool table area. The Derby Restaurant accommodates groups for seated events up to 100, while the Showroom can accommodate groups of 100 to 1,000. The layout of the showcased cars can be customized based on the size and color scheme of each event.

Schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, and deep-fried strudel is on the menu at Blue Tuba, a new destination in Houston for Euro-Tex cuisine. Drawing on the influence of European immigrants to the state, Blue Tuba opened in May from two natives of the former Czechoslovakia. Owners Vlado Kolenic and Giga Leszayova offer unique dishes like Texas paella (made with shrimp, mussels, brisket, chorizo, saffron rice, and black beans) and Euro tacos filled with escargot or bratwurst and sauerkraut. Blue Tuba offers multiple spaces for private events. A private room seats 14 diners, while the rooftop terrace accommodates up to 44. The dining room itself accommodates 62 guests.

In Houston, one of Katy's most beloved restaurants added a second location, this time in The Woodlands. Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery opened its newest outpost in June, located in a free-standing, 8,200-square-foot building that is situated on 1.8 acres and surrounded by trees. Inside, diners will find 24-foot vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, and natural cedar along with orange booths and glowing Chinese lanterns overhead in the dining room. The restaurant serves street food-inspired dishes like satay skewers, curry laksa, egg tofu, Malaysian curry chicken, and beef rendang. Phat Eatery seats 194 guests between the main dining room, the 16-seat bar, and two private dining spaces. The larger private dining room boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and accommodates 75 guests, while the more intimate Chef’s Table room is outfitted with a 15-person party table featuring a built-in electric lazy Susan.