8 New Venues in Houston/San Antonio for Summer 2025 Meetings and Events

A new lodging option on the San Antonio Riverwalk debuted in March with the grand opening of Sol Cypress, San Antonio, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel. Formerly a Wyndham Garden Inn, the pet-friendly, 131-room property underwent an $11 million renovation—courtesy of San Antonio’s DTM Architects and Los Angeles-based KNA Design—that fuses Western charm and modern design. Sol Cypress offers over 4,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including the 1,400-square-foot Treehouse terrace, which overlooks the river and downtown skyline. Other private event spaces include the 3,960-square-foot Sol, which can accommodate 250 for theater-style events and 150 for receptions; the 800-square-foot Sombra, which can accommodate 60 for theater-style events and 40 for receptions; and a 600-square-foot boardroom that seats 10. The hotel's dining options include Texas cookout-inspired sit-down restaurant Roam & Range and casual cafe River Run.

A stylish hotel opened in June near the Guadalupe River when Texas-based hotel group French Cowboys debuted Hacienda Del Rio. Located in the former Gruene Outpost River Lodge, this new 47-room getaway is a chic version of Spanish colonial architecture. Amenities include 400 feet of private Guadalupe River frontage for activities like floating or paddle boarding, a sauna, and a renovated swimming pool and sports ground with pickleball, beach volleyball, and basketball. Flexible space for events includes the hotel's courtyard, with room for 150 seated guests. The Clubhouse can accommodate up to 40 seated and standing guests, while the conference room accommodates up to 25 guests.

Pickleball and padel have a luxurious new home in Houston at Solarium, a new Midtown racket sports-inspired lounge featuring a restaurant, bar, and patio. The venue opened in May, offering four professional-grade pickleball courts and two padel courts. The courts are surrounded by five repurposed shipping containers, each offering a private, air-conditioned and glass-fronted space to watch matches. Solarium’s main building is also available for private events. The venue serves its own twist on bar bites and comfort food, like empanadas, burgers, truffle grilled cheese, and Belgian waffles. Players can also order craft cocktails in addition to beer and wine. Solarium can accommodate 150 seated guests indoors or 300 standing guests indoors and 150 seated or 350 standing guests on its outdoor patios. Solarium's outdoor courts can accommodate 350 seated guests or 750 standing guests.

A new restaurant inspired by Napa's wine country opened in May in Houston's Regent Square. Succulent Fine Dining serves dishes like XO deviled eggs or carrot gnocchi in a light-filled space accented by shades of green and actual greenery. The Russian River Room is a wine bottle-lined private space just off the main dining room with French doors that can be opened or closed. The Russian River Room can accommodate 36 seated guests or 40 standing guests. The Healdsburg Lounge features a full bar decorated with house plants that can accommodate up to 25 standing guests. The Farm Table seats 12, while the Sonoma Lounge is a covered outdoor terrace with fans that accommodates 50 standing guests.

A new Houston steakhouse opened in the Galleria area in May, serving bone-in cowboy ribeyes and beef tallow fries from restaurateur Johnny Vassallo and chef Eric Aldis. Private dining is a major focus at King Steak, with multiple options for events. The Wine Room (pictured) and the Austin Room each accommodate up to 12 people, while three other private dining rooms can be combined into one large area. The Houston room can accommodate 45, the Midland room can accommodate 35, and the Fort Worth room can accommodate 20. When all are open together, the space can seat 85 and accommodate 100 standing guests. The Pavilion can seat 100, and a full restaurant buyout can accommodate 200.

New Houston cocktail bar De Fortune debuted in April in Regent Square, mixing up a rotating selection of drinks with globally inspired ingredients and recipes from countries like France, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Italy, and India. Designed by Gin Design Group, the 1,614-square-foot space is hidden, speak-easy style, behind a simple door. That entrance reveals a jewel box-like bar organized around a central column in plaster that reaches to a sculptural ceiling. Plush seating in burgundy, ochre, and blue adjoins a bar set off by a blue mirror and Azul quartzite-clad arches. De Fortune's occupancy is 80, and the space is available for private events.

A former horse farm is now the site of The Blue Magnolia, a luxury event venue that opened in May in Houston near The Woodlands neighborhood. The venue, on a 10-acre estate, is designed for weddings and corporate events. Design details include ​​soaring ceilings, handcrafted wooden beams, and exposed brick. The reception hall includes a grand staircase, fireplace, bar, access to a covered patio with additional bar area, and a dedicated buffet station. The grounds include a 1.5-acre pond with a charming bridge, the original horse barn, and serene walking paths. The Blue Magnolia's seated capacity in the chapel is 250, and the seated capacity in the reception area is 300.

Barbacana, a restaurant from chef and owner Christian Hernandez, opened in December 2024 in a circa-1910 historic building in downtown Houston. The 140-seat restaurant features a soaring central dining room. The menu is inspired by the city itself, with dishes like Texas Wagyu carpaccio with Gouda and pickled strawberries, grilled Gulf prawns with XO sauce and hazelnuts, or pollo al carbon with mole poblano. A private dining room accommodates 15 to 25 seated guests or up to 45 standing, with 15-foot ceilings, curated custom artwork by Austin-based artist Xander Rudd and acclaimed local graffiti artist Daniel Anguilu, and a direct view into the open kitchen.