FRISCO — As construction crews labored on the future home of the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, two billionaires and a mayor talked about the value of finding the right partner.Buddying up is at the heart of a 91-acre development, called The Star in Frisco, that will house several features, including the team’s headquarters, a practice field and an Omni hotel. The Star is a joint venture with the city of Frisco, the family of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the Frisco Independent School District.
The Omni Frisco Hotel will be a 50-50 partnership between the Jones family and Dallas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts, owned by billionaire Robert Rowling.
It’s one of three hotels Omni is preparing to build and one of two that involve a professional sports franchise.
In the hotel industry, Omni is in the same category with industry titans Marriott and Hilton.
Partnering with the Cowboys, and with the Braves in Atlanta, will help boost the brand’s visibility beyond the regular customer base for its 60 hotels and resorts.
“Just as we heard Jerry say today, the right partnerships bring rewards in multiple ways,” said Omni president Michael Deitemeyer. “You’ll continue to see some announcements of public-private ventures from Omni … in the next couple of years.”
Deitemeyer was among the officials with Omni Hotels, the city of Frisco and the Cowboys organization who gathered under a tent to talk about the 16-floor Omni Frisco Hotel and the teamwork involved in pulling the hotel deal together.
Jones compared picking the Omni to selecting a No. 1 draft pick, saying he considers it a “tremendous accomplishment to partner with them.”
Deitemeyer declined to give the construction costs for the hotel, saying some items are still in negotiation.
But he noted that construction costs have been increasing. That makes having a partner with deep pockets a valuable asset.
The 300-room hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2017.
The Omni is also partnering with the Braves to build an Omni adjacent to SunTrust Park, future home of the Braves. That also is a 50-50 deal.
Besides Jones and Rowling, Tuesday’s event included Frisco Mayor Maher Maso.
The Omni released these details on the Frisco hotel:
The average room size is 400 square feet, but the two presidential suites will be a tad larger.
Stitching in some of the guest room furniture will give a nod to the stitching of a football.
There will be two food and drink venues open to the public and a third location, probably for hotel guests only, on the fourth-floor pool deck.
The two options open to the public will be a three-meal restaurant, headed by a “well-known chef” to be named soon, and a lobby coffee and wine bar.
The restaurants will not include a Bob’s Steak & Chop House. The Omni co-owns the Bob’s brand and has included the steakhouse in five properties, including the Omni Dallas Hotel.
The first and second levels of the hotel will house 24,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 13,000-square-foot ballroom. As part of an agreement between Omni and the city of Frisco, the convention center space will be city-owned but operated by Omni.
There will be a two-level connector from the hotel to The Ford Center at The Star, the team headquarters and indoor practice facility.
The theme for Tuesday’s event was “Pave the Way.” At the end of the update, Jones, Maso and Rowling put their hands into slabs of wet cement that will be incorporated in some way into the hotel.
Background: The Cowboys’ city rising from the dirt in Frisco has many elements with many names. Our Valerie Wigglesworth helps you keep it all straight:
The Star in Frisco is a joint venture with the city, the Jones family and Frisco ISD.
The Jones family is the developer of the entire 91-acre project through its Blue Star companies.
The indoor stadium and outdoor fields take up 20 acres. There are five acres for the Cowboys’ headquarters. The remaining 66 acres (including Omni) is being privately developed by Blue Star. Omni partnered with the Jones family to build the hotel. They are joint owners.