Quantcast

Houston drivers have the 4th worst commute in America, study finds

hating traffic is a personality

Photo by Manuel Velasquez on Unsplash

For better or for worse, it's finally been confirmed – Houston traffic is among the worst in the nation, according to a new study by Forbes Home.

Houston ranked No. 4 in the Forbes study, which analyzed 25 of the largest U.S. cities to discover the average commute times for workers. Using 2021 U.S. Census data, the report determined the average time spent traveling to work in Houston is 30 minutes, which is only the ninth worst commute time out of all cities on the list.

"No amount of personal playlist songs, audiobooks, podcasts, commuter coffee, or glove compartment snacks can make a tough commute more pleasant," the report said.

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought commuting to a halt for most workers, about 74 percent of Americans are back to making those early morning and afternoon drives to-and-from their employers. Work-from-home rates have continuously dropped since 2020, which isn't helping the rise in commute times.

Houston has nearly 1.75 million workers over the age of 16 living within the area, and only 4.6 percent of households don't have access to a car. Unless workers live very close to their jobs, it's otherwise pretty difficult to walk or bike to work in such a gridlock-stricken city.

It surely doesn't help that the study cites Houston's (unfortunate) fame for being the No. 1 most stressful U.S. city for workers as having a hand in its overall ranking. Add commuting to that list of stressors, and it all equals an unhealthy effect on the working population.

"Research by the National Library of Medicine has found that the longer the commute time, the less satisfaction with work and life as hours spent commuting daily can contribute to a decline in mental and physical health," the report said.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas (No. 9) and Fort Worth (No. 10) both made it into the top 10 with their respective commute times of 29.70 and 26.80 minutes. San Antonio ranked No. 16 with an average commute time of 25.40 minutes. Austin, surprisingly, ranked No. 18 overall with an average of 27.90 minutes.

The top 10 U.S. cities with the hardest commutes are:

  • No. 1 – Nashville, Tennessee
  • No. 2 – Charlotte, North Carolina
  • No. 3 – Jacksonville, Florida
  • No. 4 – Houston, Texas
  • No. 5 – Washington, D.C.
  • No. 6 – New York City, New York
  • No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
  • No. 8 – Los Angeles, California
  • No. 9 – Dallas, Texas
  • No. 10 – Fort Worth, Texas
The full report can be found on forbes.com.
Photo by Anthony Rathbun

Local billionaires Jeffery Hildebrand and Tilman Fertitta top list of richest in Houston, per Forbes

our three-comma crowd

Austin's Elon Musk and Michael Dell are the richest people in Texas, but Houston billionaires are not far behind, according to the newForbes 400, a list of the 400 richest people in the United States for 2023.

Houston oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand is the eighth-richest Texan, and the 51st most affluent person in the United States, Forbes says.

According to Forbes, Hildebrand's net worth in 2023 is estimated at $13.7 billion, which has steadily climbed from his 2022 net worth of $11 billion. Hildebrand, 64, co-founded Hilcorp Energy Company in 1990, and serves as the chairman and CEO after buying out his partner's stake for $500 million. The company has been hard at work expanding its foothold in the oil industry over the last three decades.

"In 2020 Hilcorp finalized the $5.6 billion acquisition of BP's assets in Alaska," Forbes wrote in Hildebrand's profile. "He has built Hilcorp into America's biggest privately owned oil company (by production volumes)."

As CultureMap reported, in 2015, Hildebrand made headlines when he gifted each of his 1,381 employees a $100,000 holiday bonus.

Forbes' list, published October 3, is a definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, using interviews, financial data, and documentation provided by billionaires and their companies.

According to the report, America's elite class is now worth $4.5 trillion total, which ties a record previously set in 2021.

Unsurprisingly, Musk ranks No. 1 nationally, with a net worth of $251 billion.

Here's how the rest of Houston's billionaires fared on this year's list:

  • Houston hospitality king and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta ranks 114th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8 billion.
  • Oil and gas chairman Richard Kinder ranks No. 123 nationally with an estimated worth of $7.5 billion.
  • Houston pipeline heirs Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz, and Randa Duncan Williams tie for 128th nationally. Each has an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion.
  • Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin ties for 184th nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion.
  • Houston Texans owner Janice McNair ties for No. 192 nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion.
  • Local hedge fund honcho John Arnold ranks 345th nationally with an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion.
  • Energy exploration chief exec George Bishop of The Woodlands ranks No. 356 with an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion.
Johnson Space Center/Facebook

NASA soars to the top of prestigious list of Forbes' best employers in Texas

over the moon

Houston continues to prove it hosts the best of the best employers in Texas as NASA tops Forbes' 2023 list of "America’s Best Employers By State".

The highly anticipated list, published August 22, is a collaboration between Forbes and Statista to survey the satisfaction levels of tens of thousands of workers employed by national companies.

Though the government agency is based in Washington, D.C., NASA's stratospheric presence in Houston (coupled with a great work environment and advancement opportunities) is what propels it to the top year after year. There are currently more than 17,000 workers employed by NASA, according to Forbes.

Earlier this year, NASA was honored as the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government by the Partnership for Public Service for its unyielding dedication to space exploration and discovery.

"The passion and precision of our workforce makes NASA the best place to work in the federal government," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement. "Together, we are poised to accomplish more daring feats with new advancements, more scientific contributions on Earth and in the heavens, and more incredible technological breakthroughs that will help shape the 21st century."

While Forbes explains that the national list isn't the same as their best large employers list, it's meant to serve as an in-depth analysis of companies that are "closer-to-home options for every American worker."

NASA's high rank follows shortly after the agency launched a brand new Digital Engineering Design Center fully dedicated to innovating the future of spaceflight. The new center will aid in expanding opportunities for the younger generation to embrace aerospace engineering as a career.

Forbes and Statista determined their rankings by surveying 70,000 Americans working at employers in the U.S. with at least 500 employees each. The final list features 1,392 highly recommended employers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 270 employers ranked highly in multiple states.

Here are the 30 best large employers in Texas, as determined by Forbes and Statista:

Houston area:

  • No. 1 – NASA (based in Washington, D.C.; Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake)
  • No. 4 – Houston Community College
  • No. 5 – Houston Methodist
  • No. 6 – Texas Children's Hospital
  • No. 18 – National Oilwell Varco
  • No. 19 – Bechtel (based in Reston, Virginia; major corporate hub in Houston)

Dallas-Fort Worth:

  • No. 6 – Texas Oncology, based in Dallas
  • No. 9 – Fidelity Investments (based in Boston; major corporate hub in Westlake)
  • No. 14 – Capital One (based in Richmond, Virginia; major corporate hub in Plano)
  • No. 17 – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas
  • No. 22 – Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas
  • No. 24 – Texas Health Resources, based in Arlington
  • No. 25 – General Motors (based in Detroit, Michigan; major assembly hub in Arlington)
  • No. 27 – City of Plano
  • No. 28 – Toyota North America, based in Plano

San Antonio:

  • No. 2 – H-E-B (based in San Antonio; more than 300 stores in Texas)
  • No. 26 – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Austin:

  • No. 3 – Google (based in Mountain View, California; major corporate hub in Austin)
  • No. 13 – Apple (based in Cupertino, California; major corporate hub in Austin)

Throughout Texas:

  • No. 8 – Salesforce (based in San Francisco, California; offices in Austin and Dallas)
  • No. 10 – IKEA (based in Sweden; five stores in Texas)
  • No. 11 – Costco (based in Issaquah, Washington; 38 stores in Texas)
  • No. 15 – Cardinal Health (based in Dublin, Ohio; 23 locations in Texas)
  • No. 16 – Microsoft (based in Redmond, Washington; offices in Austin, Dallas, Friendswood, Frisco, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands)
  • No. 20 – Leidos (based in Reston, Virginia; locations in San Antonio, Houston, and Webster)
  • No. 21 – Cisco Systems (based in San Jose, California; offices in Austin, Dallas, Irving, Richardson, Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio)
  • No. 23 – IBM (based in Armonk, New York; offices in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Frisco)
  • No. 29 – Nike (based in Beaverton, Oregon; 26 locations in Texas)
  • No. 30 – Charles Schwab (based in San Francisco, California; 25 locations in Texas)
Airbnb

Houston Airbnb visitors pay the highest surcharges in Texas, Forbes finds

pay to stay

Travelers to Houston are discovering that event when they find the perfect Airbnb with the right price for their travel dates, they watch their trip total skyrocket to an incomprehensible amount after the cleaning and “service” fees. Add to that the laminated list of chores to complete before leaving, which can lead to charges after the stay if not completed.

In its latest findings, financial publication Forbes Advisor calculated that Houston travelers pay an average surcharge of 45 percent for an Airbnb in the city, earning a top 10 spot in the report at No. 8.

That also makes H-Town the Texas city with the most expensive Airbnb fees. Forbes’ expert analysts looked at 32,000 listings across 100 of the most popular markets on Airbnb to find common trends.

Houston's percentage of high fees is much higher than the nationwide average, which is 36 percent. Though the city's average nightly Airbnb rate is $193, guests pay 15 percent in both cleaning and service fees, on top of another 15 percent in taxes. That’s a good dent in your wallet.

Nearby visitors to Galveston pay just six percent less than their Houston-destined counterparts, at 39 percent, earning them No. 33 in Forbes' report. Guests do pay a higher nightly rate in the coastal town — around $245 — but only pay 12 percent in cleaning fees and taxes. It's the 15 percent service fees that really solidify the anti-financially friendly label.

The Texas city with the lowest fees is Fort Worth, appearing much, much lower than Houston at No. 77 on the list. The average Airbnb costs $225 a night, with 12 percent in cleaning fees, 15 percent in service fees, and 5 percent in taxes.

Here’s a look at every Texas city that appeared in the top 100:

  • No. 8 – Houston: 45 percent total fees
  • No. 33 – Galveston: 39 percent total fees
  • No. 47 – San Antonio: 37 percent total fees
  • No. 67 – Dallas: 34 percent total fees
  • No. 69 – South Padre Island: 34 percent total fees
  • No. 71 – Austin: 33 percent total fees
  • No. 77 – Fort Worth: 33 percent total fees

Atlanta is the U.S. city with the highest percentage in fees for the average Airbnb stay, totaling an unfathomable 48 percent. Surprisingly, an Airbnb stay in New York City will only come with 23 percent in total fees, making it the lowest percentage out of all the top 100 cities.

In the report, publicist Tracy Lamourie criticized Airbnb hosts and property managers for charging excessive fees, calling it "disingenuous."

“I’m old enough to remember when Airbnb was a more wallet-friendly alternative to hotels. That’s only rarely true these days,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dustin Abney, the CEO of vacation-rental management company Portoro, defended Airbnb and praised the company's transparency around its listings with the fee breakdown. He explained "most guests" are charged fees without knowing where that money truly goes.

“Most guests also assume that property managers or hosts are trying to price-gouge them, when this usually is not the case,” Abney said. “In reality, there are many hidden costs that go into running a short-term rental, and these costs fall on property managers to pay.”

The full report and its methodology can be found on forbes.com.

Photo by Anthony Rathbun

Local billionaires Jeffery Hildebrand and Tilman Fertitta top list of richest in Houston, per Forbes

BILLIONAIRE ROLL CALL

According to Forbes, half of all of the world’s billionaires are less wealthy than they were in 2022. But that’s not the case for most Houston-area billionaires like oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand, who was named the richest man in the city.

The 2023 edition of Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List declared Hildebrand’s net worth at $10.2 billion, placing him as the 171st richest person in the world. His fortune is $2.7 billion higher than his 2022 net worth of $7.5 billion, when he ranked No. 316 on the list.

As CultureMap reported, in 2015, Hildebrand made headlines when he gifted each of his 1,381 employees a $100,000 holiday bonus.

Houston’s favorite hospitality mogul and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is the city’s second-richest man, with his net worth climbing up to $8.1 billion. He ranked No. 256 on Forbes’ list, substantially higher than his No. 471 rank in 2022 when his net worth was $5.6 billion. Fertitta is surely living life to the fullest after hosting Miami rapper Pitbull at his San Luis Salute celebration earlier this year.

Tilman Fertitta Shut Up and Listen book laughingTilman Fertitta is sitting pretty at No. 2. Photo by J. Thomas Ford

Other Houston-area billionaires that made Forbes 2023 world’s richest list are:

  • Pipeline magnate Richard Kinder: tied for No. 317, $7.2 billion, down from $7.5 billion
  • Houston siblings and pipeline heirs Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz, and Randa Duncan Williams: all tied for No. 352, $6.8 billion, up from $6.6 billion
  • Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin: tied for No. 466, $5.5 billion, up from $4.3 billion
  • Houston Texans owner Janice McNair: tied for No. 534, $5 billion, up from $4.2 billion
  • Hedge fund honcho John Arnold: tied for No. 878, $3.3 billion, unchanged since 2018
  • Energy exploration chief exec George Bishop: tied for No. 982, $3 billion, up from $2.7 billion
New to the 2023 report is Kamal Ghaffarian, the co-founder and executive chairman of Houston's Axiom Space, with a net worth of $2.1 billion. Though his LinkedIn notes that he is based in Maryland, reports add that he resides in Florida. His Forbes rank is No. 1434.
An honorable mention (and billionaire newbie) is Amy Adams Strunk, the controlling owner of the Tennessee Titans and daughter of Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams. She has a residence in Waller (about 40 miles northwest of Houston) and her net worth is $1.7 billion — making her No. 1725 on the list.
One name missing from Forbes 2023 report is software entrepreneur Robert Brockman, who passed away last August. Brockman fell from grace after he was charged in the largest tax fraud case in U.S. history in 2020. Forbes listed his 2022 net worth at $4.7 billion. He is survived by his wife, son, and two grandchildren.
Elsewhere in Texas, Elon Musk reigns as the richest man in the state and in its capital city of Austin with a net worth of $180 billion. The Tesla and Space-X founder is the second richest person in the world, wedging his way between No. 1 Bernard Arnault of France (overseer of the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora), with a net worth of $211 billion; and No. 3 Jeff Bezos, the American Amazon founder, worth $114 billion.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones'$13.3 billion net worth won him the title of Dallas' richest person, and the 12th richest sports owner on Forbes' "World's Richest Sports Owners 2023." His net worth is up from $10.6 billion last year.

The Fort Worth-based Walmart family heiress Alice Walton earned a spot on Forbes’ list as the third richest woman in the world. Her fortune is pegged at $56.7 billion, down slightly from $65.3 billion last year.

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

Prestigious Houston hospital system named No. 1 large employer in Texas and No. 2 in U.S. by Forbes

TOP docs

Attention to all those seeking a career in the medical industry: this top city hospital is one of the best places to work for. Houston Methodist was named the best large employer in Texas, and second best employer in America, according to Forbes’ latest report.

Healthcare organizations are the shining stars in this year’s report; they represented 20 percent of the top 100 employers. Houston Methodist made some major improvements within the span of a year after being ranked No. 37 in Forbes' 2022 report. In another win for healthcare, Dallas’ University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center was placed at No. 19.

To determine their rankings, Forbes partnered with consumer data and statistics firm Statista to survey 45,000 employees at companies with a staff of 5,000 or more. The full list categorized 500 of America’s large employers that earned the most recommendations.

Other Houston-area companies on the list after Houston Methodist include:

  • No. 210 – Shell
  • No. 289 – Schlumberger, based in Sugar Land
  • No. 341 – BP
  • No. 383 – Sysco
  • No. 421 – Waste Management
  • No. 479 – Air Liquide

Elsewhere in Texas, the Dallas-Fort Worth area had the most employers on Forbes’ list, with 14 companies making an appearance after UT Southwestern Medical Center’s No. 19 ranking.

Dallas-Fort Worth area companies on Forbes’ list include:

  • No. 70 – Southwest Airlines
  • No. 83 – Topgolf
  • No. 164 – McKesson, based in Irving
  • No. 188 – Toyota North America, based in Plano
  • No. 250 – Jacobs Engineering
  • No. 268 – Texas Instruments
  • No. 339 – ExxonMobil, based in Irving
  • No. 369 – CBRE Group
  • No. 376 – American Airlines Group, based in Fort Worth
  • No. 400 – Aimbridge Hospitality, based in Plano
  • No. 403 – NTT Data, based in Plano
  • No. 410 – Republic National Distributing Company, based in Grand Prairie
  • No. 430 – AT&T
  • No. 497 – Crossmark, based in Plano

San Antonio had a top 10 contender on Forbes’ report for best employers: none other than Texas’ signature grocery store H-E-B. Other San Antonio companies that were ranked include United Services Automobile Association (USAA) at No. 42 and Whataburger at No. 493.

In Austin, five employers earned spots in Forbes' rankings:

  • No. 77 – Dell Technologies, based in Round Rock
  • No. 96 – Keller Williams Realty
  • No. 121 – University of Texas at Austin
  • No. 306 – Whole Foods Market
  • No. 454 – McLane Company, based in Temple

The full rankings and its methodology can be found at forbes.com.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

Ken Hoffman relives wild week with 'funniest man in the world' as comedy icon's new HBO doc drops

albert & ken in the mornings

A new documentary on HBO this month reminded me of the best week of my journalism career – this long, slow climb to the middle.

To show you just how terrific my best week was, my No. 2 best week was when KKBQ Radio and the Q Morning Zoo Show sent me to Germany to report firsthand on the Berlin Wall coming down. That was an incredibly exciting experience, witnessing a world changing moment of history.

But, that’s a distant runner-up.

A comedy icon and Ken — weekday mornings!

Before coming to Houston, I worked for the Phoenix Gazette as the Radio-TV columnist. Bill Heywood, the longtime morning man on KOY Radio (550 AM) called me to say he was going on vacation and there was going to be a guest host for the week. KOY was a middle of the road adult station, sort of like KODA (99.1 FM) in Houston. KOY played Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Fleetwood Mac, some country, occasionally Bruce Springsteen.


Usually when a radio morning show goes on vacation, they have the afternoon jock hold down the fort, or they invite a local TV weather person to babysit the show, with orders to just play music and don’t say anything that will cause the station to lose its license.

Not this time. Heywood told me that the guest host for the week would be comedian and actor Albert Brooks. Yeah, the guy whose records I play over and over and whose movies I love, and I can’t stop laughing.

“Do you want to come in and sit in the studio with Albert on Monday?” Uh … yeah! Brooks was my guy back then — and now.

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World Brooks' work in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is pure genius.Image via Warner Independent Pictures

That Monday, starting at 6 am, Brooks followed orders. He played eight songs an hour and read commercials and gave the time and temperature like an obedient guest host.

On Tuesday, he played four songs an hour. By Thursday, no songs — Brooks just let his imagination go wild.

He was prank calling his Hollywood friends like Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner. He performed elaborate comedy bits off his head from scratch. I showed up every day that week for a front-row seat to genius. From 6 am to 10 am, for five days, I sat in a radio studio with a comedy icon going absolutely nuts with no limitations. I couldn’t wait to get out of bed at 5 am and head to the radio station.

"The funniest man in the world"

When Heywood returned, I asked him: “How did you get Albert Brooks to come to Phoenix and do five days of radio?” Heywood said that he was the narrator on one of Brooks’ comedy albums, A Star is Bought, and Brooks was paying back the favor.

Now, HBO is airing Albert Brooks: Defending My Life this month on HBOMax. The documentary has producer Rob Reiner sitting down with Brooks, who reminisces about his career and family. It's chock full of clips of Brooks’ movie and TV appearances. Brooks and Reiner recall how they met and became friends six decades ago in drama class at Beverly Hills High School.

Other superstar comedians pop up throughout the documentary to offer their opinions of Brooks’ work:

Chris Rock: “One of the most original thinkers we’ve seen and will ever see.”
Conan O’Brien: “I didn’t realize that someone could be funny that way.”
Jon Stewart: “The first alternative comic.”
David Letterman: “A shiny god of comedy.”
Larry David: “The sharpest, wittiest, funniest.”

C'mon guys, just come out and say it…

Curb Your Enthusiasm Albert BrooksBrooks' guest appearance in Larry David's (right) Curb Your Enthusiasm was the perfect tribute to his brother Bob Einstein, a regular on the show.Screen capture via HBO

Judd Apatow: “He is the funniest man in the world.”

There. Thank you.

Defending a really funny life

Brooks started as a standup comic, appearing on every TV variety show, making 30 appearances on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His comedy albums A Star is Bought and Comedy Minus One are classics. From there, he began acting in movies, scoring roles in Taxi Driver, Private Benjamin, Finding Nemo, and gaining an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Broadcast News. (Editor’s note: His turns in Defending Your Life and The Muse are our favorites.)

He wrote and starred in unmistakably quirky Albert Brooks films, including Modern Romance, Lost in America, Real Life, Mom, and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David Bob Einstein Brooks hails from a funny family: his brother Bob Einstein (right) was a longtime comedy star and cast member of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Screen capture via HBO

Brooks, whose real name is Albert Einstein — for real — talks lovingly about his father, the radio comedian Harry Einstein (Parkyakarkus); his brother, the late Bob Einstein (you know him as Super Dave Osborne, Marty Funkhouser, and more); and his difficult relationship with mother, Thelma. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is a touching, moving documentary about a brilliant American original.

But mostly, it’s just really funny.

Common Bond's French-inspired, full-service restaurant quietly closes downtown

broken bond

The downtown branch of a Houston bakery staple has quietly closed. Common Bond has shuttered its brasserie location in the Bank of America tower.

A representative provided the following statement in response to CultureMap’s request for comment: "Common Bond Brasserie Downtown has closed. Our lease has ended, and we felt it was best to concentrate on the Bistro & Bakery and On-The-Go locations.”

The closure brings an end to Common Bond’s aspirations of operating a full service restaurant. Opened in September 2021, the restaurant featured a more elevated dinner menu than Common Bond’s fast casual bistro locations. That included a menu of classic, French-inspired fare created by executive chef Jason Gould — including seafood towers, rack of lamb, and plated desserts. It also offered a full wine and cocktail program.

Area workers could dine on a more casual menu during lunch. It also had a full range of pastries to service grab-and-go customers.

As the statement notes, the closure of the brasserie does not affect the company’s four bistro locations — Montrose, the Heights, Spring, and West U/Texas Medical Center — or the six locations of its sister concept, Common Bond On-The-Go.

Meanwhile, Understory, the food court in the Bank of America tower’s tunnel level, also remains opens with vendors such as Boomtown Coffee, Mona Fresh Italian Food, and Filipino-inspired burger concept Flip ‘n Patties.

Enjoy a jolly holiday in paradise at Margaritaville Lake Resort near Houston

Holiday on the Lake

A white Christmas is nice, but there's certainly something to be said for palm trees and margaritas instead of Christmas trees and eggnog.

Enjoy paradise this season at Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake Conroe, where festive specials await.

Take a break
It starts with the Paradise for the Holidays package, which reserves a tower suite room for only $149 a night and discounts your resort fee to only $25 nightly.

Enjoy all the resort's amazing amenities, including:

  • Spacious two-room suites with breathtaking views of beautiful Lake Conroe
  • Two heated pools
  • Excellent dining at LandShark Bar & Grill, License to Chill Bar & Cafe, and Joe Merchant's Coffee and Provisions
  • Arcade playroom
  • St. Somewhere Spa
  • The Golf Club at Margaritaville
  • Einstein's Boat Rentals
  • Mini-golf, tennis, pickleball, and racquetball
  • Free Wi-Fi and parking
  • Resort Fee discounted to $25 nightly
This room package is subject to availability and does not include applicable taxes and fees. It's valid for stays through December 29, 2023. Book here.

Breakfast with with the Big Man
Enjoy a magical holiday breakfast with Jolly Old St. Nick in the Del Lago Ballroom on Saturday, December 16, from 8:30 am-12:30 pm and Sunday, December 17, from 10 am-2 pm.

Adults can dine for $39.95, children (6-12 years) for $24.95, and kids 5 and under eat free. Members even receive 20 percent off.

Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 877-286-9590 or booking online here.

Ring in 2024
Margaritaville Lake Resort has planned a wide variety of ways to celebrate the New Year. Start with a complimentary glass of champagne when you arrive, and while on the Palm Court see the exciting Polynesian Fire Dancers.

There's a special four-course New Year's Eve dinner in License to Chill Bar and Cafè, and LandShark Bar & Grill will serve up New Year's-themed food and drink specials with a DJ and dancing.

Boathouse Bar & Lounge is the place to be for the ultimate NYE party, with live music and a balloon drop at midnight.

The resort's special New Year's Eve stay package includes 30 percent off a two-night stay, so come and relax during the day so you can celebrate all night.

The room package is for stays December 29, 2023-January 1, 2024 only — find out more and book here.

View All Listings