June 4th, 2008
Conference Center group speaks at Rotary Club

The Rotary Club of San Marcos was greeted today with special guests from the new San Marcos Hotel, Spa, and Conference Center. The speaker was Brittany Robbins, Corporate Sales Manager and Ruth E. Buck, the center’s Director of Sales.The meeting was lead by President-Elect David Bandy, CEO of D.L. Bandy Constructors, Inc, and the group had a full house for this special presentation and luncheon.

Buck told the group that the Embassy Suites will have 283 two-room suites and will be connected to the new San Marcos Conference Center. Embassy Suites is also part of the Hilton family of hotels, which lends gravitas to the center and San Marcos.

The convention center and hotel will have 78,000 total square feet including 28,800 square feet of ballroom space. The ballroom will be the third of any facility along the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Also, the facility will feature a 4,000 square foot veranda and 2,320 square feet of banquet space . The Conference Center will have 180 exhibit spaces and classroom space of 1,600 square feet. The facility will also have 900 plus parking spaces on its property and a full service spa and fitness center.

Buck stated, “We are very, very busy, but please call us for a tour of our facility. We should be open in early October and fully functioning in early November.”

“Hilton provides us with a national sales force for the facility in San Marcos,” she added.

Buck plans to attend conferences soon in Mexico City to show the benefits of San Marcos and its tourist and shopping opportunities to Mexican nationals. The outlet mall attracts over 7 million visitors a year and it is the third most visited tourist destination in Texas.

The convention center already has $800,000 booked in visitors and $3.7 million is in processing at this time.

Several groups have already claimed the hotel and convention center as there home away from home. Just to name a few, UIL Volleyball State Tournament, Randolph Brooks Credit union, College and University Officials Conference, and the Lutheran Church.

All rooms will have wireless internet and many other special amenities. “This is a major step up; this is great for San Marcos, ” stated Rotary Club President-Elect David Bandy to the group.

Buck closed by saying, “The community here has welcomed us very well. The San Marcos area is growing and we want to partner with area businesses to be helpful in that growth.”

The Rotarians also featured one of their own this week with Wendell Hethcock receiving honors as Rotarian of the Week. Hethcock has three children and he is involved with the Baptist Church and the Rotary Scholarship Committee. He has been married to his wife Laura for 43 years on July 3, 2008.

He has been a Rotarian since 1964, he attended Texas State University and has many interests but one of his favorite is following is son which is Head Coach for football in Corsicana, Texas.

From Staff Reports

1- Rotarian long time member Shirley Austin leads the group in song before the meeting.

2 – San Marcos Hotel, Spa, and Convention Center Director of Sales, Ruth E. Buck speaks to San Marcos Rotary.

3 – Rotary President David Bandy greets members and discusses upcoming Rotarian opportunities for the group.

Staff Photos