Hilton Austin Tops Out

AUSTIN, TX— Hilton Hotels Corp., FaulknerUSA and hundreds of construction workers and community leaders recently celebrated the “topping out” of the new 800-room Hilton Austin. The topping out ceremony marked the construction milestone of the last concrete being poured at the top of the building, signifying that that the development project has passed the halfway point. The full-service, downtown convention hotel broke ground in June 2001 and is scheduled to open its doors to guests in January 2004. The Hilton Austin is owned by Austin Convention Enterprises, developed by FaulknerUSA and will be operated by Hilton Hotels Corp. In honor of the Hilton Austin reaching its highest point in construction, the highlight of the ceremony featured the hoisting of a live oak tree to the top of the hotel. Traditional tree-topping ceremonies are a 1,000-year-old custom. Dating back to its origin in Scandinavia, local superstition believed it necessary to appease the gods and ancestral spirits living in the trees cut and used for building structures. The Hilton Austin is expected to have a positive impact on the Austin economy. By the time the hotel opens its doors next January, the project will have created more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Hill Country region, according to Hilton. The hotel will be staffed with approximately 500 area residents when it opens. Revenues from the Hilton Austin’s room taxes will complement Austin’s current tax base, supporting the city’s convention facilities, arts organizations and tourism promotion expenditures, the company noted. Hilton cited figures from the Texas Department of Economic Development which indicated that Austin’s 2001 hotel occupancy tax revenue totaled more than $24 million. Each hotel room generated on average approximately $1,000 in tax revenue. The Hilton Austin will have 60,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a 16,000-square-foot fitness center and three restaurants.