DFW International Airport Reaches Landmark With Topping Out Of Grand Hyatt Hotel

DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas (July 25, 2003) — DFW International Airport completed the topping out of a Grand Hyatt Hotel with a rooftop concrete pour today. The hotel, which is scheduled to open January 2005, is an element of the International Terminal D project, which is under construction at the Airport.

“This hotel will be unlike any airport hotel you’ve ever visited,” said Clay Paslay, DFW executive vice president of airport development. “It’s going to be a wonderful, relaxing and beautiful amenity for our customers at DFW Airport.”

The DFW Grand Hyatt Hotel is the only Grand Hyatt located at an airport and will be one of the most upscale hotels at any airport in the world.

The 298-room hotel features a ballroom/banquet/conference center, restaurants, lounge, spa, rooftop swimming pool and fully equipped fitness center. The 303,675-square-foot hotel has 12 levels, eight of which are guest room levels. The spa’s facilities include a sauna and steam room and the fitness center will include cardiovascular and strength-training equipment.

The topping out consisted of a 10-yard concrete pour in 60 x 7-foot sections. Just over 9,000 yards of concrete were used on the entire hotel project.

In addition to International Terminal D, the $2.6 billion Capital Development Program includes the SkyLink Automated People Mover system and improvements and expansion of runways, taxiways and roadways. Dallas-based Austin Commercial is constructing the facility. Construction began August 31, 2000.

DFW Airport will own the hotel and Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corp. will manage the property for the Airport.

DFW Airport officials sought a Grand Hyatt as an amenity for the International Terminal and international travelers, but the hotel will be open for use by domestic travelers and the North Texas community for conferences, banquets, galas and upscale getaways.

“Grand Hyatt hotels are exceptionally well-known and regarded internationally,” said Steve Goldman executive vice president of development, Hyatt Hotels Corp. “By placing a Grand above the International Terminal at DFW Airport, we hope to provide incoming international travelers with a familiar beacon that beckons them and informs them that they can enjoy the same Grand Hyatt standards of luxury and service at several locations in the United States. Likewise we hope to afford outbound American travelers an opportunity to experience a Grand Hyatt so that they will also look forward to staying at other Grand Hyatts while abroad.”

There are seven Grand Hyatts in the United States, the Caribbean and Canada and 17 international Grand Hyatts.

Guests can expect elements of detail reflecting Texas architecture and culture. Limestone flooring, cherry wood and colorized walls will create a contemporary upscale space. While the interior has been designed, materials will not be purchased until 2004, allowing the hotel to boast the newest and latest materials.

The hotel ascends through the terminal’s center above the modern stainless-steel roof. The glass and metal facade consists of planes layered against each other. A one-inch thick insulating acoustic glass system will be installed throughout the hotel to ensure a quiet night for the guests.

Guests will be able to access the hotel from the landside of the new terminal via escalators. At the lobby level, guests may relax at a variety of restaurants and in a bar/lounge. In addition, a full-service business center is offered to business travelers.

Eight levels of spacious and elegantly furnished accommodations are located above the lobby level. All guest rooms offer a full range of amenities such as refrigerators, coffee/tea makers, custom baths, highspeed Internet connections and modem/dataport connections.

Located below the Terminal D Concourse is a ballroom level with 17,100 square feet of ballrooms, banquet rooms and meeting rooms. The spaces will offer the flexibility for any size function.

The grand finale of the hotel is the rooftop spa and swimming pool – a haven of relaxation. Guests of the hotel will have one of the most spectacular views of the airfield and North Texas from this rooftop oasis.

Editor's Notes: Photos available: Hotel renderings and construction photos are available upon request.

For the latest news, real-time flight information, parking availability or further details regarding the many services provided at DFW International Airport, log on to www.dfwairport.com. To arrange interviews contact Steve Roth with CDP Communications at 972 586 5743 or sroth@dfwairport.com, or Ken Capps, Vice President, Public Affairs - DFW at 972 574 8080 or kcapps@dfwairport.com.

DFW International Airport’s new Grand Hyatt Hotel will feature 298 guest rooms and a ballroom, banquet, and conference center, plus restaurants, lounge, spa, rooftop swimming pool and fully equipped fitness center. The hotel is slated to open in 2005.