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Houston and Dallas are pretty remarkable for how few hotel rooms they have in their greater-downtown areas -- far behind their size-peers. But Houston is worse.
In Dallas, a large area including Victory Park, Uptown, and Deep Ellum has just over 12,000 rooms.
In Houston, a similar big area including Midtown has just under 8,500.
To clarify, I don't consider Dallas or DFW a destination city. Maybe with a segment of Latin America, and largely for shopping, but not otherwise. And, on that front, it falls behind Miami and, arguably, Houston. At least not beyond its cultural sphere do most people think of it as a leisure destination. And I am saying this who works in downtown Dallas at a great hotel.
By the way, I think people are underestimating how interested people still are in the "JFK stuff." I have leisure tourists from Europe, Latin America, and even Asia asking every week how to get to the plaza.
Anyhow, my point earlier was more to say how few cities, in my opinion, qualify as "'destination' cities." Houston? Austin? Heck, even Atlanta? There are reasons to go to these cities and you can have a great time as a tourist in any of these, but there isn't some unique draw. In my opinion, destinations would be Miami, Honolulu, Aspen (other ski towns), NYC, LA, San Diego, the Bay Area, Washington, and Orlando if you count the traffic it gets from theme park visitors. This isn't a comment on the actual quality of a city in any way but, rather, on how people view cities or feel society/tourists as a whole does. I mean, my two favorite cities in the US are Seattle and Dallas. I don't consider them destination cities and it has nothing to do with how beautiful or entertaining I feel they are.
Yes, I would consider Houston to be more of a travel destination than Dallas. Put Houston on the list and take Dallas off. It's not a travel destination. The JFK stuff is old news, its losing popularity, its not evolving and Anerica has changed. How many people visit Fords Theater?
Meh I guess Houston might have an advantage because of NASA and the coast but neither city is all that big of a tourist destination. San Antonio and Austin do a bit better but San Antonio is more of a regional destination and Austin still attracts to one specific niche for tourism. All are better places to live than visit.
Houston and Dallas are pretty remarkable for how few hotel rooms they have in their greater-downtown areas -- far behind their size-peers. But Houston is worse.
In Dallas, a large area including Victory Park, Uptown, and Deep Ellum has just over 12,000 rooms.
In Houston, a similar big area including Midtown has just under 8,500.
Uptown Houston seems to take a lot of hotel rooms away from the downtown area.
Lest I be accused of going along with the herd, I'd like to add some nuance to this.
It's true that I've never heard of anyone going to Dallas just to go to Dallas.
It's more like, "hey that training we have is going to be in Dallas! I love Dallas!" Stuff like that.
As a destination for relocation, Dallas is obviously killing it on a scale greater than almost anywhere else.
I get the feeling its been branded (rightly or wrongly) as a homogenized "acme big city", in contrast to smaller Texas triangle cities that are assumed to be "fun" or have some nebulous "vibe" going on that somehow you supposedly just can't find in Dallas or Houston.
HOWEVER, just because "everyone" likes visiting those smaller cities doesn't make them right about them being better destinations.
I have zero doubt in my mind that Dallas, even as a 24 hour in and out trip, would be more exciting than Austin or San Antonio.
So I suspect there is a lot of biases and branding going on.
This. If you put 100 randos who've never been to Dallas in a room and asked them if Dallas was a bucket list city they felt they absolutely had to visit before they kicked it, how many would say yes? 10? Do the same for LA, NY, DC, Miami, and it'll probably be a plurality.
Dallas is just a generic American city. There's really nothing that differentiates it from St. Louis or Kansas City other than its size. Even Sioux Falls, SD, gets 2-3 million "visitors" per year. Is it a "destination city?" No.
This isn't a comment on the actual quality of a city in any way but, rather, on how people view cities or feel society/tourists as a whole does. .
The best Cliffnote of the thread.
By people it means objectively where the typical tourists would choose to go, instead of yourself.
I’d add Charleston SC, Savannah GA, NOLA and even Augustine FL because they are objectively unique cities with their own flavor and historical charm. And they are well-known enough domestically and internationally (to a certain degree.)
The Pike Place Market's four-block main hallway and other popular areas can be roughly like a stadium concourse when a game lets out, except people aren't trying to leave. Like I said it's busiest on summer weekends. But parts of it are pretty packed at some point every day about April through September.
The first time I visited Seattle was 20 years ago and it was in November and even then Pike Place was packed. I don't think people should be trying to take that away. That place gets packed packed to where I would avoid it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays25
Houston and Dallas are pretty remarkable for how few hotel rooms they have in their greater-downtown areas -- far behind their size-peers. But Houston is worse.
In Dallas, a large area including Victory Park, Uptown, and Deep Ellum has just over 12,000 rooms.
In Houston, a similar big area including Midtown has just under 8,500.
Meh, there's also lots of hotels in Montrose, the Museum District and they are building more in the Medical Center and along Allen Parkway. Allen be surprised if the number for Houston's core is more than double the figure quoted
Last edited by atadytic19; 08-17-2023 at 12:44 PM..
Chicago has to be the biggest pleasant surprise for visitors I have noticed. Many first time visitors have low expectations because of the media and all that and all surprised how much they like the city.
This. If you put 100 randos who've never been to Dallas in a room and asked them if Dallas was a bucket list city they felt they absolutely had to visit before they kicked it, how many would say yes? 10? Do the same for LA, NY, DC, Miami, and it'll probably be a plurality.
Dallas is just a generic American city. There's really nothing that differentiates it from St. Louis or Kansas City other than its size. Even Sioux Falls, SD, gets 2-3 million "visitors" per year. Is it a "destination city?" No.
Living in SoCal, there are several people that asked me about moving to Dallas. I just ask them "what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get there?" Let's just say "explore Deep Ellum and go to Lake Highlands" doesn't pop up immediately.
Sports to me are neutral. Every top 30 city will have sports.
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