The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, December 2, 2019 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, will operate a major new resort property in the Houston area, which will be the first Margaritaville Resort in Texas. Scheduled to open the summer of 2020, the Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe-Houston, an all-suite resort, will feature 335 guest suites. Bars and restaurants will feature signature Margaritaville dining concepts – the LandShark Bar & Grill with boat slips on Lake Conroe, the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Swim Up Pool Bar, the Lone Palm Pool Bar & Restaurant, the License to Chill Bar & Grill, and Joe Merchant Grab n’ Go, and a Margaritaville Retail Shop. 

Set on 186 lakefront acres on the 21-mile-long Lake Conroe, the Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe-Houston will offer an array of recreational activities: an 18-hole golf course, a three-acre waterpark with a lazy river and outdoor pools, pickleball, tennis, swimming, boating, fishing, jet skiing and waterskiing. Margaritaville’s popular full-service St. Somewhere Spa, and a spacious, 24-hour fitness center, will provide exceptional wellness options. With 72,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor IACC approved meeting space, the resort can host special events and meetings of every size. Located just an hour from Houston and about three hours from the major hubs of Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, the resort is within easy reach of over 19 million consumers. The project is a joint venture of Songy Highroads (SHR) and The Wampold Companies. The Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe, will be part of Benchmark’s signature brand, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels.

“Benchmark is very excited to be part of this groundbreaking project that will bring the iconic Margaritaville brand to the Houston market, and to our neighbors throughout the Lone Star State, and beyond,” says Benchmark CEO Alex Cabañas. He also notes that thanks to a booming statewide economy, Benchmark is rapidly expanding in Texas. The Margaritaville property will join Hotel Contessa, located on San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk, The Doug Pitcock ’49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center that opened last year on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, La Cantera Resort & Spa, also in San Antonio, and the newly opened Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen & Watters Creek Convention Center.

“The Margaritaville lifestyle brand is one of the hottest in the country, and Texas is a prime market for it,” said Todd Nocerini, SHR’s chief operating officer. “The fact that the lakefront resort is an easy drive for residents of the state’s four largest markets only adds to the excitement and potential pool of guests. This venture represents an opportunity to align with a beloved brand that has created a community of loyal customers united by a shared state of mind,” added Nocerini. “Margaritaville properties are known top performers when it comes to guest satisfaction, which makes for an excellent partner.”

“The dynamic Texas economy makes this a great time to expand within the state,” says Mr. Cabañas, himself a native Texan and proud graduate of Texas A&M University. He notes that Texas again claimed the top spot in CNBC’s Top States for Business rankings, with the energy sector a leading factor in the state’s $1.6 trillion economy and last year’s gain of more than 350,000 jobs. Business travel to Texas is up and 23 percent of its visitors are travelling on business, with a growing number of these millennials, many of whom are making Texas cities their home.

Located just 60 minutes from Houston via I-45, the Lake Conroe area exemplifies this vibrant growth. The 2000-acre man-made lake extends 21 miles in length and offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including boating, fishing, hunting, golfing, swimming, water skiing, jet skiing and tennis. A booming real estate market has resulted from the growth of area businesses, including financial institutions, engineering firms, energy, utilities and independent business owners.

About Songy Highroads, LLC
SHR is an Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm that focuses on the acquisition, development and redevelopment of institutional-quality real estate projects primarily in the office and hotel sectors. Since 1992, Songy Highroads principals have completed more than $1.5 billion of acquisitions and developments in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. For more information about the company, please visit songyhighroads.com.

About Margaritaville
Margaritaville is a global lifestyle brand inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of singer, songwriter and best-selling author Jimmy Buffett, whose songs evoke a passion for tropical escape and relaxation.

Margaritaville features 19 lodging locations and 24 additional projects in the pipeline with nearly half under construction, two gaming properties and over 60 food and beverage venues including signature concepts such as Margaritaville Restaurant, award-winning JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill and LandShark Bar & Grill. More than 20 million travelers every year change their latitude and attitude with a visit to a Margaritaville resort, residential real estate destination, vacation club, vacation home rental or restaurant.

Consumers can also escape everyday through a collection of Margaritaville lifestyle products including apparel, footwear, frozen concoction makers, home décor, a satellite radio station and more. Additionally, the brand’s food, beverage and spirits lines – including Margaritaville tequilas, rums, LandShark Lager and a new bestselling cookbook – deliver authentic, tropical escapism to fans around the world. Margaritaville, a state of mind since 1977.

About the Wampold Companies
The Wampold Companies, founded in 1981 by Mike Wampold, has built a solid reputation of proven performance in the areas of real estate development, construction, major capitol renovations and property management.  Since inception, the Company has developed, constructed and/or performed major renovations on 4,000 multi-family housing units located throughout the state of Louisiana.  In addition, Wampold Companies owns and manages approximately 1,000,000 rentable square feet of commercial office properties in Baton Rouge and various hotels.

About BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company.
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, is a leader in the development, management, and marketing of independent, soft branded, and experiential hard branded resorts, hotels, and conference centers.  In addition to the company’s award-winning full service Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, its lifestyle and luxury Gemstone Collection, and its industry-leading Benchmark Conference Centers. BENCHMARK is also an investor in etc.venues, a leading provider of contemporary city centre venues for meetings, signature events, and conferences. Benchmark's combined portfolio features more than 80 unique projects across three continents. The company is passionately committed to delivering personal, inspiring, and memory-making experiences, driving total revenue and profitability, and cultivating an award winning, “Be The Difference” culture for all its employees.  Benchmark, is based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, with offices in London, England; Miami, Florida; Park City, Utah; Scottsdale, Arizona; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; and Tokyo, Japan.www.benchmarkglobalhospitality.com To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels, www.facebook.com/GemstoneHotelCollection. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels, www.twitter.com/GemstoneHotels , on Instagram at www.instagram.com/benchmarkresortsandhotels, www.instagram.com/gemstonehotels, and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/benchmarkhotels/gemstone-hotels. At LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/benchmark-a-global-hospitality-company/