As we move through the first quarter of 2026, it’s clear that our collective efforts are yielding real results. Guided by the ATPID 25-30 2.0 Plan, the Visit Austin team is working hard to ensure our strategy stays nimble and directly supports the needs of our hotel community.

The Hotel Incentive Program (HIP) continues to be a real game-changer. By giving hotel sales leaders the flexibility to fund things like off-site dining and local transportation, we’re winning over groups that were previously looking at other cities. So far, 38 hotels have jumped on board with 474 applications, estimated to bring in roughly $100 million in revenue and over 378,000 room nights.

We’re also seeing great traction with our Expedia Neighborhood Campaign. By focusing specifically on select-service and extended-stay properties, a modest $147,000 investment has already turned into $8 million in hotel revenue, proving that targeted, smart marketing drives results across the whole district.

The future looks just as bright. While we prepare for the new Austin Convention Center, the Visit Austin Sales team has already locked in 23 definite group bookings for the 2029–2039 window, with another 17 groups close to signing. That’s an estimated $170 million in economic impact already in the works. Plus, our meeting pace for 2026 is up 28%, thanks to a focus on "mini-wide" conventions and strong in-house group business.

Supporting all of this is a refreshed digital presence that’s keeping Austin top-of-mind. Our latest campaigns have reached over 138 million people, resulting in nearly 20,000 room nights. From hosting international travel advisors to strengthening our industry partnerships, we are making sure Austin remains the destination of choice.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Let's keep this momentum going!

Tim Sullivan
Austin TPID Executive Director

The Hotel Incentive Program (HIP) has been a tremendous success, helping hotel teams secure group business that might otherwise have booked outside the city of Austin. Hotel sales leaders have creatively utilized these incentive funds, often reserving off-site venues, local restaurants and ground transportation operators.

As of February 17, the ATPID has approved 474 applications across 38 hotels, totaling over $3.6 million in incentive funds. This is estimated to generate more than 378,000 room nights and nearly $100 million in group room revenue.

Want to learn more or run through a demo of the application process? Reach out to Tim Sullivan, Executive Director of the Austin Tourism Public Improvement District at tsullivan@austintpid.org.

The Expedia Neighborhood Campaign continues to drive demand city-wide for Select Service and Extended Stay properties.

Since the campaign’s launch in mid-October, through the end of January with an advertising spend of just under $147,000, it has generated impressive results with $8 million in hotel revenue and 58,607 room nights. Across the 112 properties that secured bookings through the campaign, the median revenue per property was $44,749.

This campaign is set to run through March 31. 

Sales Outlook & Strategic Updates

The future sales pace remains robust as the Visit Austin team continues to prioritize major short-term and long-term bookings.

For the Future ACC (2029–2039), the pipeline shows significant momentum with 23 groups now definite. Additionally, the team has secured 17 verbal definite bookings, representing 150,000 Total Room Nights (TRNs) and an estimated $170 million in economic impact. The tentative ACC pipeline continues to reflect steady demand for future growth, with 78 groups currently tentative, accounting for 791,900 TRNs and a projected economic impact of $648.5 million.

The targeted focus on in-house and mini-wide (campus style) groups, continue to yield positive results. The Visit Austin sales team secured 23 corporate mini-wide bookings totaling 82,501 TRNs as well as in house bookings are +28% in pace for meetings occurring in 2026 and is +14% in 2027.

An Austin Fly-In Campaign to boost site visits launched in October and has already confirmed nine groups/12,000 RNs, equating to $3.2M room revenue.

Strategic Partnerships & Market Engagement

In alignment with Visit Austin’s commitment to showcase Austin to key decision-makers, the Visit Austin Sales team has executed several high-impact activations this quarter:

- PCMA Convening Leaders: Through an elevated strategic partnership with PCMA, Visit Austin had even more exposure including a larger activation space, sponsorship of UT McCombs Business School incorporated into their education tracks, a press conference, and the music sponsorship for Party with A Purpose. Visit Austin had more than 550 client connections in the activation area and hosted a joint customer event with Visit Seattle with more than 120 customer attendees to kick off the conference.

- HelmsBriscoe Elevated Partnership: Hosted a virtual destination update for 80 HelmsBriscoe representatives and secured an exclusive partner spotlight in the Q1 newsletter to highlight the "Meet More Austin" campaign.

- Maritz Engagement: Conducted a virtual presentation providing comprehensive destination updates to 56 Maritz representatives.

- Targeted Industry Activations: Successfully represented the Austin TPID district through strategic participation and partner activations at several key industry events, including:
o   FICP Winter Symposium (New York City)
o   CEMA Dinner (Atlanta)
o   Meetings Made Easy SKO Presentation (Mobile, AL)
o   AMC Institute Annual Meeting (Spokane, WA)

These efforts ensure Austin remains top-of-mind for short-term and long-term bookings as the team continues to execute the refined strategies outlined in the ATPID District’s 25-30 2.0 Plan.

Visit Austin’s seasonal advertising strategy focuses on aligning media pacing with annual trends to bridge meetings and leisure demand gaps. Initial reporting for the recently concluded Fall & Winter leisure media flight shows significant impact, delivering $3.3 million in hotel revenue, 10,295 hotel bookings and 19,929 room nights, while reaching 138.2 million impressions. Final campaign reporting and the second wave of the SMARI Advertising Effectiveness study for October - January visitor spending  will be delivered in April.

As part of a custom content strategy, Visit Austin sponsored the Skift Meetings Megatrends 2026 Report. This initiative has been highly effective in capturing top-of-funnel interest since its December launch, delivering 677 Total Leads and Meetings eNewsletter sign-ups to date.

In partnership with Travel Texas, Visit Austin hosted 10 luxury travel advisors from the UK, Germany, France, Australia, US and Canada who specialize in bespoke, high-net-worth travel. These advisors design multi-night, high-ADR itineraries and influence significant discretionary spend, making them critical partners in positioning Austin within the global luxury market.

For comprehensive information on the Austin TPID, including the Service Plan, FAQs, and this newsletter archive, please visit austintpid.org.

We ask that you not forward this newsletter. Should someone within the Austin TPID need to be added to this distribution, please email us at atpid@visitaustin.org.