The branding is set for one of Downtown San Antonio’s most closely watched redevelopment sites on the River Walk.
Laredo-based International Bank of Commerce plans to convert part of its downtown office complex at 175 East Houston Street into a roughly 300-key JW Marriott, the San Antonio Business Journal reported.
Design documents submitted to the city reveal IBC’s plans to plant Marriott International’s luxury flag at IBC Centre I, while keeping the bank’s adjacent tower, IBC Centre II, as office space. The project also includes plans to develop a third structure on a 0.2-acre parcel at 151 East Travis Street. IBC bought the land last year from Equity Secured Investments, which picked the parcel up at auction from Harris Bay who scrapped plans for a 121-room hotel.
The third building is set to include parking, a rooftop pool and other hotel amenities. Renderings depict a multi-level addition designed to support parking and guest amenities, adding variety to a property long dominated by office use. HKS Architects & Designers and SWA Group are leading the design team. Dimension Hospitality, which manages the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk Downtown, is attached as the hotel operator.
In a statement to city staff, the project team framed the development as a statement piece for the urban core. The proposed hotel would serve as a “cultural and architectural anchor,” the team wrote, tying together the historic 1926 Texas Theater façade with the adaptive reuse of O’Neil Ford’s 1983 office building. The goal, according to the submission, is a hospitality destination that honors San Antonio’s architectural heritage while leaning into the energy of the River Walk.
The move formalizes a pivot IBC has been signaling since a major office tenant walked away. Visionworks announced in 2024 that it would vacate its large lease in the roughly 280,000-square-foot building, creating a hole that bank executives were reluctant to try to refill in a soft downtown office market.
IBC Bank Executive Vice President Bernardo De La Garza has previously stated that office tenants are still avoiding moves downtown. Newer buildings with deeper amenity packages, he added, have made it harder for older towers to compete.
IBC told city officials it wants to begin construction in spring 2026, though the timeline still hinges on approvals. The proposal has been referred to the Historic and Design Review Commission, which will weigh in on the project’s massing and treatment of nearby historic elements. A hearing date had not been set.
If approved, the JW Marriott would add to downtown’s hotel mix and highlight a broader trend playing out in Texas cities, where office owners are increasingly looking to hospitality and mixed-use conversions as a more viable path forward than trying to lease their way back to full occupancy.
— Eric Weilbacher
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