The International Bank of Commerce (IBC), based in Laredo, has announced plans to convert part of its downtown San Antonio office complex at 175 East Houston Street into a JW Marriott hotel. According to the San Antonio Business Journal, the project will transform IBC Centre I into a roughly 300-room luxury hotel while retaining IBC Centre II as office space.
Design documents submitted to city officials detail the plan for the new JW Marriott and include a third building on a 0.2-acre parcel at 151 East Travis Street. IBC acquired this land last year from Equity Secured Investments, which had previously purchased it at auction after Harris Bay canceled its own hotel development plans for the site. The new structure is set to feature parking, a rooftop pool, and other amenities designed for hotel guests.
HKS Architects & Designers and SWA Group are leading the design work for the redevelopment, with Dimension Hospitality—known for managing Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk Downtown—slated as operator of the future hotel.
In communications with city staff, the project team described their vision: “The proposed hotel would serve as a ‘cultural and architectural anchor,’ tying together the historic 1926 Texas Theater façade with the adaptive reuse of O’Neil Ford’s 1983 office building.” They added that their goal is to create “a hospitality destination that honors San Antonio’s architectural heritage while leaning into the energy of the River Walk.”
This move comes after Visionworks vacated its large lease in IBC’s approximately 280,000-square-foot building in 2024. This departure left significant vacancy in an already soft downtown office market. In previous statements, IBC Bank Executive Vice President Bernardo De La Garza said that potential tenants are still hesitant about moving downtown and noted that newer buildings offering more amenities have made it harder for older towers to compete.
IBC has informed city officials that construction could begin as early as spring 2026 if approvals are secured. The proposal is currently under review by the Historic and Design Review Commission, which will assess aspects such as massing and treatment of nearby historic elements; no hearing date has been set yet.
If approved, this project would add another major hotel option to downtown San Antonio and reflects a wider trend across Texas cities where owners of older office properties are turning toward hospitality or mixed-use conversions instead of seeking new leases amid ongoing challenges in commercial real estate occupancy.
