MIDLAND, Texas — You can forget everything you thought you knew about Midland's downtown hotel project.
In late January, Midland City Council voted 5-2 in favor of the Hotel Santa Rita project, costing a total of $170 million to fund.
Now, in an announcement on Thursday, the Hotel Santa Rita will now be called Omni Midland Hotel.
It is all due to Omni Hotels & Resorts partnering with Midland Downtown Renaissance, LP to create the 135-room convention hotel in Downtown Midland.
Even with a name change, Midland City Councilman Eric Davidson assures the core logistics remain unchanged.
"It’s still going to be a 135-room hotel with 800 parking spaces, 25 percent of which will be available for public use," he said. "Changing the name won’t impact the project. But we have to recognize the importance of Omni — this is a large, well-known global brand, and it’s coming to Midland.”
The Omni Midland Hotel also plans to include 15,000 square feet of meeting space, a 7,000 square-foot ballroom, a spa, a rooftop pool, a lobby bar with an all-day dining concept and a Bob's Steak and Chop House.
This partnership is a collaborative effort with Midland-based companies, foundations and investors. Having a global brand is just what Midland needs to elevate their hometown into a premier destination.
Krista Escamilla, with Midland Development Renaissance, LP, said Omni’s portfolio includes over 50 luxury hotels worldwide, and Midland will be one of just 12 in Texas.
She shared her excitement, adding on, "this is a huge win for us, placing Midland alongside major cities like Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth. We’ve always known Midland is a major city, and it’s great that Omni recognizes that too.”
City officials are excited that, with multiple ongoing projects and the new hotel, Midland is well on its way to full revitalization.
"It brings a level of excitement where people will want to stay here," Davidson said. "We’re recognizing this as truly a place where people will want to travel to. Once we start looking at all the new destination retail and the projects like the zoo, the summit and the preserve, we’ll see how this hotel supports the Sports Center complex and the new soccer parks. We’ll have people coming from outside the community, staying in Midland, staying downtown and taking part in all the restaurants and excitement we have. It will truly be a place where people want to stay."
Staying in Midland will no longer be a typical hotel experience.
The anticipated groundbreaking for Omni Hotel Midland is the summer of 2025.