SAN ANTONIO – When it comes to liquor, beer and wine sales in San Antonio, the JW Marriott Resort tops the list, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
The resort sold more than $14 million in booze in 2017.
But resort officials say their success is driven by much more than beer, wine and cocktails.
Brian Morriss, the director of sales and marketing for the resort, said the heart of their business is their guests, much of whom are Texans and San Antonians.
“People are drawn to this resort,” he said. “They truly are. It's become a tradition for people to come back and bond with their families over and over again.”
The resort has become known as a popular “staycation” destination. Their revenue also includes a steady stream of convention business. Hosting the Texas Open golf tournament for nine years hasn’t hurt either.
The result is that the JW Marriott has helped San Antonio alter the state’s economic landscape.
Driving some of those numbers are the 900 or so employees at the JW Marriott — a fraction of the estimated 95,000 hospitality industry workers in the San Antonio metro area.
The industry as a whole accounts for a $13.6 billion per year impact on the local economy.
The Texas Restaurant Association reports that the service industry is the second-largest private employer in Texas behind healthcare.
The association’s Richie Jackson said the industry also brings in $20 million in annual tax revenue to Bexar County and the city of San Antonio.
The San Antonio Restaurant Association reports that one in four people work in the industry in San Antonio, meaning that a quarter of the city’s population plays a key role in the city’s “guest experience.”
Top 12 Liquor, Beer and Wine sales: