Amarillo, Texas is a unique and history-rich area located where the southern plains meet the desert. Amarillo and the surrounding Panhandle area are a unique blend of two American eras. Working western ranches and a vibrant twenty-first-century economy – making Amarillo the perfect mix of old and new Texas traditions

With the start of the travel season, the demand for hotels in Amarillo continues to rise.

The tourism and travel industry is booming in Amarillo with the latest numbers showing tourists spending $1,600-per-minute with hotels leading the way.

Amarillo did 870 million in direct spending from tourists. That’s not a calculated number, that really is what they spend in our economy.

In recent months, there have been 12 new hotel projects in Amarillo, increasing available hotel rooms to 7,000.

With more people coming to Amarillo for conventions, sports games or just traveling through on I-40, the demand keeps rising. The overall yearly average for occupancy in hotels in Amarillo is 70 percent when you factor in winter lows and summer highs.

From new hotels on I-40 to a new kind of hotel that Amarillo has never seen before in downtown called The Barfield, a luxury hotel to be all new and sleek on the inside and historic on the outside. It’s even going to have a bar in the basement called a speak-easy.