It’s a Saturday afternoon in the heart of downtown Fort Worth and the lobby of the Renaissance Worthington is buzzing. Calvin Olson, director of rooms at the hotel, surveys the scene with a smile.

“I love seeing these,” he says. “You know, all things considered, we’ve managed through this.”

The Worthington, a 504-room property, was just one of the Fort Worth hotels to have benefited by the city hosting several major events, including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR).

Along with events for cheerleaders and gymnasts, college football bowl games and a myriad of other events, the Worthington has been able to find a semblance of business as usual.

“It’s been exciting to have some of the group and leisure business, but we’re ready to get back to normal.”

“[The events have] all been instrumental for us,” Olson says. “I’ve been able to give our staff 40 hours. We brought back 12 people and about 400 shifts. That was Christmas money for them. We’ve taken some small steps forward, but all in all, our team feels good going forward.”

The NFR resulted in 750 group rooms over the 10-day event, while the Mississippi State football team stayed there for the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. On this weekend, the Oklahoma gymnastics team is staying on property as part of the Metroplex Challenge.

The hotel underwent a three-year renovation starting in 2017 with a guest room update that cost US$8 million. Meeting space was updated in 2018, then the lobby underwent an extensive renovation in 2019, resulting in a new Texas-themed look and the addition of several new restaurants all under the direction of Executive Chef Greg Pawlowski.

Lori Prestwood, director of hotel sales for the property, says they have been working diligently to not only reschedule meetings and events that were impacted by the pandemic, but looking to engage with new business.

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The hotel has 57,000 square feet of meeting space with three ballrooms: the Rio Grande at 12,000 square feet, the Grand at 10,500 square feet and the Trinity at 8,000 square feet. In all, the hotel has 25 meeting rooms and additional outdoor event space.

Another feature: The hotel sits on two city blocks with an enclosed walkway above the street and a separate entrance outside the meeting space covered by a portico.

Prestwood says the hotel is celebrating its 40th anniversary on April 1, a date it shares with the famed honky-tonk Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

“We’re very fortunate to have supportive owners who understand our needs to continue improving our property,” she says. “It’s been exciting to have some of the group and leisure business, but we’re ready to get back to normal.”