The City of San Marcos and John Q. Hammons have broken
ground on a new $21 million city conference center and $50 million
Embassy Suites Hotel at I-35 and McCarty Lane. The hotel will be owned
by Mr. John Q. Hammons and managed by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q.
Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC. The conference center will be owned by the city and managed by the
company.

With an anticipated opening in October 2008, the 10-story, upscale,
full-service hotel and 77,300-gross-square-foot conference center will be
the first of their kind in San Marcos. The facilities will accommodate a
wide range of conferences - from auto and boat shows to high tech
exhibitions, graduations, special events, and business meetings of all
sizes.

The hotel and conference center will also be easily accessible from Texas
State University, which boasts a student population of 27,500. The
university’s growth and stability as an economic engine for the area is
what first attracted Mr. Hammons to the San Marcos community.

“The conference center-hotel will fast become the gathering place at the
epicenter of the I-35 corridor,” said San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “San
Marcos is the third most popular tourist destination in Texas due to the
success of our outlet malls. This project will advance our economic
tourism strategy and will bring many people to San Marcos. The Embassy
Suites Hotel and our Conference Center will have a phenomenal impact on
our city and this region.”

“We’re proud to announce the addition of an upscale hotel and conference
center to the burgeoning city of San Marcos. The exceptional facilities
will complement the state’s major attractions to draw even more business
and leisure travelers,” said Mr. Robert Fugazi, regional vice president of
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC.

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