HOUSTON—With Houston set to host the Super Bowl in 2017, the city is already immersed in preparations. Ben Johanneman, vice president of operations for McCarthy Building Cos. Houston office, recently spoke with GlobeSt.com's Anna Caplan about how his firm is anticipating the event.

GlobeSt.com: Describe the state of the hospitality market right now in Houston.

Ben Johanneman: According to ConstructionGlobal.com, nationwide hotel occupancy levels are close to all-time highs. In order to meet the rising demand, many hoteliers are expanding their existing hotels or constructing new ones. For a city with steady growth and a bright future, Houston is currently lacking in the number of hotel rooms available to accommodate visitors. In fact, Houston has a supply of only about half as many rooms compared to Atlanta, a city that is approximately five times smaller than Houston.