Benchmark announced today that it will operate the new Delta by Marriott Hotel and Watters Creek Convention Center, currently being constructed in the city of Allen, Texas, north of Dallas. The Four Star, full-service hotel and convention center is scheduled to open in late 2018.

Delta by Marriott is Marriott’s newest upscale, full service hotel brand, with 37 existing hotels in the US and Canada and 23 in the delivery pipeline.

“We are extremely proud to be managing and marketing what will be an ultra-modern Delta Hotel,” said Alex Cabañas, CEO of Benchmark, the facility’s operator. “This is an exciting and contemporary new brand in the midst of rapid expansion, and we are proud to have it as part of our management portfolio.”

The hotel and convention center are being developed largely in response to Allen’s explosive corporate office growth. “With new corporate facilities being built by companies like WatchGuard Video and KONE, Allen has become a Class A office market,” said Dan Bowman, Executive Director of the Allen Economic Development Corporation. “The delivery of these high-end meeting facilities and amenities is already attracting more of these corporate tenants.”

Located just north of Dallas off U.S. Highway 75, Allen combines the big city amenities with small-town hospitality. Meeting planners will find sophisticated conference services and spectacular climate that allows for year-round recreational opportunities, including the exceptional Golf Courses at Watters Creek. Entertainment venues, outlet shopping and great dining draw both business and leisure travelers. Allen is located within 30 miles of Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field, with McKinney National Airport eight miles to the North.

“The Allen EDC under Dan Bowman’s leadership provides tremendous resourcefulness and creativity that make projects like ours project a reality,” said Mike Kennedy, Principal at Altera Development. “The City of Allen Leadership’s highly successful program of value creation was something that our bankers, Bill Schonacher and William Woodring at IBC, immediately recognized. The City of Allen, Allen Economic Development Corporation and Allen Community Development Corporation are jointly investing in the project.

The Allen Convention & Visitors Bureau will relocate to the facility. “The new convention center and hotel will provide the City of Allen with the capability to host larger meetings, sporting events, trade shows and conferences, generating revenue and tax dollars that benefit our community,” said Karen Cromwell, Director of the Allen Convention & Visitors Bureau.