Austin Business Tourism in 2026: $1.6B Convention Center Expansion
Austin’s business tourism landscape is changing as the city redevelops its convention center and expands its hotel and meeting options. Construction on the $1.6 billion convention center project began in December 2025, with reopening targeted for early 2029. The plan calls for nearly doubling rentable space to 620,000 square feet and pursuing zero-carbon certification. It also aims to reconnect downtown streets and improve access to Waller Creek. While the convention center is under construction, event planners are turning to hotels and other venues. The AT&T Hotel and Conference Center is undertaking a $30 million upgrade that includes a new junior ballroom, while the JW Marriott Austin has completed a $30 million refurbishment. The Westin Austin at The Domain is adding more than 100 rooms and updating its meeting space, with work scheduled for late 2026. Two smaller properties, Hotel Trinity and the 20-room Bohème Hotel, are also slated to open in late 2026. Other additions are broadening what Austin can offer visiting groups. Ascension Seton Women’s Hospital opened in June 2026, and The Confluence, a 13-acre restored parkland along Waterloo Greenway, opened that month. Organizers planning events before the convention center reopens may need to use venues outside the downtown core, including The Domain, while accounting for construction-related congestion around Waller Creek. The expanded convention center is not expected to reopen until early 2029.
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