Kara Stanley, Group Sales Specialist, joins The Woodlands CVB

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the addition of an experienced hospitality professional, Kara Stanley, as the new Group Sales Specialist. In this role, Ms. Stanley will fulfill the CVB’s expanded role of promoting The Woodlands to businesses, associations, and various groups for meetings and events in The Woodlands.

Ms. Stanley has a strong hospitality background and is a graduate of the Conrad Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Ms. Stanley previously worked for Hyatt for 6 years in various operational management and sales support roles at properties in Houston, Pittsburgh, New York City, and the Chesapeake Bay area. In her previous hotel roles, Ms. Stanley worked closely with the sales and catering teams in the planning and coordination of events and to ensure that conventions and group events held at the hotel ran smoothly.

“I am extremely excited to join The Woodlands CVB,” says Ms. Stanley. “With all of the growth and development, it is a very exciting time for The Woodlands. I am looking forward to promoting the town as a meetings and events destination.”

As an emerging meetings destination, The Woodlands is home to 12 hotels which collectively house more than 1,500 guestrooms including The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, Hyatt Market Street and several select-service and limited-service properties. The Woodlands continues to build more hotels to better position themselves as a meeting and events destination. The town will add at least 300 more rooms in 2016 with the addition of the Westin at Waterway Square.

The area also offers more than 140,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including 70,000 square feet at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center and 60,000 square feet of space at The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center certified by the International Association of Conference Centers.

Sales tax and hotel tax collections underscore the role hotels play in terms of positioning The Woodlands as a destination. Through September 2014, sales tax collections in The Woodlands are up approximately nine percent (9%) over prior year at $34,376,919. Through August 2014, hotel tax collection is up 5.2% over prior year at $4,657,172. The Woodlands Township is expected to collect more than $7,000,000 in hotel tax in 2015. “Tourism is a major component to the economic well-being of The Woodlands,” said Nick Wolda, president of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The Woodlands has become a serious contender for overnight travel for corporations, conventions, weddings, reunions and leisure travel. We know that addressing this market is highly productive and beneficial, and we are pleased to add Ms. Stanley to the team with her strong knowledge of this important economic development activity.”

The CVB will continue to coordinate the Red, Hot & Blue Festival, Lighting of the Doves and iWOW (International Winter On The Waterway), The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, Live at Night at Waterway Square, Trick or Treat Trail, celebrations during Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and other events to promote the area as a premier Texas destination.

Information on hosting a meeting in The Woodlands can be found at www.MeetingsInTheWoodlands.com.