H-Town Man Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 only bc city code in austin requires GFR, not bc the market demands it. more often than not GFR is a money loser for developers - it is often viewed as an amenity to the facility that often needs some sort of subsidy more than it is a form of market demand. don't believe ric campo? ask the guys at hines or hanover or brookfield or lionstone or yada yada yada. Never said I didn't believe Ric Campo I guess Austin is in a position where they can demand this and know the developers have to pony up because they are going to develop there no matter what. It does make the city feel more lively when you drive around, although you see it in some strange places like Burnet Road or S. Lamar next to the river where nobody's walking. But the spaces are filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 There's one reason ground floor retail doesn't work here as well as in other, similar markets and that's due to our archaic building guidelines. Honestly, if you're a small business owner... say a restaurant owner... would you rather go into a brand new strip mall with ample parking (even if you obnoxiously rope them off for valet service) and setbacks that allow for/call for signage or would you opt for the ground floor of a building that doesn't have parking out front and might intimidate the 90% of Houstonians who cannot grasp the concept of not being able to park a car 50 feet from the kitchen? Option 1 is the safer bet. Until we change our suburban building codes, GFR isn't going to happen much. Additionally, for GFR to truly be successful, it can't be stranded on an island. West Ave is a great concept on paper, but it is surrounded by a drive thru bank, a drive thru Becks, a couple of strip centers, and other places that make pedestrian life quite hostile. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 only bc city code in austin requires GFR, not bc the market demands it. more often than not GFR is a money loser for developers - it is often viewed as an amenity to the facility that often needs some sort of subsidy more than it is a form of market demand. don't believe ric campo? ask the guys at hines or hanover or brookfield or lionstone or yada yada yada.Didn't say I dont believe Ric Campo or Hines or Brookfield or yada yada yada, sure there is some cases where that is true.But not every case.I was addressing those who say that having a 225 key hotel, 20 plus floors of apartments, and a fully occupied office building with a built in lunch crowd WONT HELP SUPPORT ANY RETAIL BELOW IT.If you believe that then you are either dumb or just being stubborn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) ... West Ave is a great concept on paper, but it is surrounded by a drive thru bank, a drive thru Becks, a couple of strip centers, and other places that make pedestrian life quite hostile. I had high hopes for West Ave, especially from having visited West Village in Dallas years earlier (Gables was involved in developing both, no?). My impression of the latter -- admittedly from only a single visit -- was that it seemed successful, as well as being lively and fun to visit. As I recall, it was more extensive than our own West Ave, at least in terms of GFR. Looking at it via Google Street view, many of the businesses appear to primarily face the street -- as opposed to turning their backs to the street, just like West Ave and Green Street! Edited January 29, 2015 by ArchFan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Compare West Avenue with the wildly successful Hanover Rice Village. One embraces the street. Built extra wide sidewalks. Built a plaza that is open to the street. Put in restaurants that also "got it" and put patios out front to draw in people passing by. It also is adjacent to an area that people walk around (Rice Village) so it expands the footprint of where people perceive it to be safe to walk. The other turned its back on the street. There are no wide sidewalks along Kirby or Westheimer. There are no bustling patios filled with happy people eating long weekend brunches. To the person whizzing by in a car, unless you knew, you wouldn't know that there are some great places to go because the whole thing seems private. The neighbors are also hostile to pedestrians in their built form. Same could be said about Post Midtown Square vs. Green Street. The model of how to build a successful mixed use project in this city exists. It just seems developers here are a bit slow to take it all in... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placoors Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 This article was in the Chron this morning: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Design-for-planned-downtown-hotel-gets-a-revision-6048121.php 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONYHTOWN Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 And now is a 21 story? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 And now is a 21 story?HA, it gets uglier and shorter every time. And really Nancy? You write a fluff piece on the horrid redesign? You cant possibly believe the stuff you wrote... Houston-based Midway has redesigned the luxury hotel it is planning to build downtown, giving the 21-story tower a more sleek, classic look than the modern, whimsical feel it originally had ...it sounds like it was written by Midway PR guys and given to you to sway public opinion by overhyping up the merits of the new design and bashing the old design, yea no, we don't agree with you. Explain yourself Miss Sarnoff, I know you're reading this. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONYHTOWN Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 We all know we are going to live with it but i believe that 99 percent of the people prefer the old design but yes it just keeps getting shorter in the next couple of weeks it will probably get to 18 floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Because she doesn't want to alienate her sources. I can understand that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Purify Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Nothing says "sleek" like a 21-story box... This whole Alessandra fiasco feels like a bad online dating experience. Its profile picture looks like Scarlett Johanssen but it showed up looking like Carl-Joe Hansen :-/ Edited January 29, 2015 by Gator Purify 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 As part of the design changes, the hotel's entrance is also moving from the interior of GreenStreet onto Dallas. The hotel's lobby will be moved to the second level, as compared to the initial plan that put it on the top floor. The ground floor will contain retail space.Hotel amenities will include meeting spaces and a ballroom on the third floor, a spa, pool and fitness center on the fifth floor and a "sky deck bar" on the 21st floor. Rottet Studio is designing the hotel's interiors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Weak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONYHTOWN Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Very weak, let's see how the other hotel comes out to be by the convention center. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 GreenStreet's PR company just sent over this release and drawing: 150128 Hotel Alessandra Update FINAL.PDF Sorry about posting the PDF instead of text. For some reason the PR company's PDF resists my efforts to copy the text. I've asked them to send over a clean version that I can post. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Purify Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 GreenStreet's PR company just sent over this release and drawing: Hotel Alessandra, part of GreenStreet at corner of Fannin and Dallas, Ho....jpg 150128 Hotel Alessandra Update FINAL.PDF Sorry about posting the PDF instead of text. For some reason the PR company's PDF resists my efforts to copy the text. I've asked them to send over a clean version that I can post. "...Hotel Alessandra's interior design will reflect a strong vertical design and an overall minimalist approach to decor." Sigh. Possible translation: "If you love the exterior, just wait until you see our interior!" Lol. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 "...Hotel Alessandra's interior design will reflect a strong vertical design and an overall minimalist approach to decor." Sigh. Possible translation: "If you love the exterior, just wait until you see our interior!" Lol.If they are talking about a minimalist interior I'm excited to see. If they are calling their exterior minimalist they are wrong entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONYHTOWN Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Modern interpretation of european style? hum... what part of europe I been to Paris and don't remember seeing anything similar to this or is Paris different then any where else in Europe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 rabble rabble rabble! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Minimum:Translation we are going to do as little as possible but we will be charging your like a true luxury hotel. What is truly hilarious is how they talk about basic crap like it suppose to wow you. .. Holiday Inn has a freak conference room..smh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 did they somehow demolish the old sakowitz department store? strange indeed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernz Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Rottet Studios is designing the interiors?! Did you all miss that??So, this WILL be a very high-end hotel indeed. Midway is putting its money where it matters (at least to the hotel customers, if not to haif posters). You can bet top dollar that this will be one of Houston's best hotels, no sexy exterior needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Text herson: Midway Unveils New Details to Luxury 225-Room Hotel Alessandra at GreenStreet Downtown hotel to feature a contemporary and lavish design complete with aerial views, a sky-lounge bar, and opulent ballrooms and meeting spaces HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 29, 2015) – A new luxury hotel brand will soon debut in downtown Houston as demolition work begins making way for Hotel Alessandra. This week, Houston-based Midway, a fully integrated real estate investment and development firm, in partnership with Valencia Group, an award-winning hospitality management and development company, released a new rendering and details on the luxury hotel. Plans reveal a sleek and contemporary exterior design, complemented with sophisticated and luxurious finishes that emphasize Hotel Alessandra’s cosmopolitan feel. “Hotel Alessandra will bring together beautiful simplicity founded in a modern interpretation of European style,” said Jonathan Brinsden, CEO for Midway. “As we continued the hotel’s design development, we felt the design should be reflective of timeless sophistication.” Slated to debut in late 2016, the luxury 21-story sky-rise hotel will be housed at GreenStreet – the mixed-use shopping and entertainment development whose anchor tenants include House of Blues and III Forks Steakhouse – and conveniently located just steps to nearby downtown destinations such as the George R. Brown Convention Center, Toyota Center and Discovery Green. “Downtown Houston continues to experience a variety of successes, from the revitalization of its Historic District to the development of new residential and office towers,” said Brinsden. “As demand for high-end hotel in the downtown area remains high, Hotel Alessandra will serve as an important piece to the puzzle that will help transform downtown Houston into a vibrant and well-rounded urban environment,” Brinsden adds. Inspired by Houston’s towering skyscrapers and GreenStreet’s modernist themes, Hotel Alessandra’s interior design will reflect a strong vertical design and an overall minimalist approach to decor. An appreciation of height, space and natural light also will be apparent throughout the hotel, from the soaring ceilings in the lobby to the beautiful, luxurious decor of its suites and guest rooms. And while a traditional hotel lobby is typically found at the ground level, Hotel Alessandra has chosen to break hotel convention by allocating both its lobby, lounge and hotel restaurant above ground level on the second floor. Retail spaces will be reserved for the first level. International architecture and design firm, Rottet Studio, is spearheading the interior design of Hotel Alessandra. With an extensive portfolio of corporate and hospitality projects for the world’s leading companies and brands, the firm brings excellence to the design process. “Rottet Studio is pleased to personify the Hotel Alessandra brand through a luxurious experience and refined details,” said Lauren Rottet, Founder for Rottet Studio. “Alessandra transplants old world luxury to blend seamlessly with Southern charm, sophistication and a business savvy mindset.” “Hotel Alessandra will be the newest brand in Valencia Group’s acclaimed portfolio,” says Valencia Group President and CEO Doyle Graham, Jr. “The hotel’s unique location in downtown Houston aligns with our specialty in creating distinct properties that are appealing to the well-seasoned traveler who is looking for comfort, sophistication and an overall elevated hospitality option. We look forward to providing a luxurious five-star experience for visitors and locals alike,” Graham continues. Additional amenities to the hotel will include meeting spaces and a ballroom on the third floor, a decadent spa, pool and fitness center on the fifth, and one of the most highly anticipated features to the property, Hotel Alessandra’s sky-deck bar on its 21st floor. With sweeping views of the Bayou City, the hotel also has designated space on its top floor for additional meeting or event space. Plans also include approximately 225 elegant rooms and suites with oversized bathrooms. “The completion of Hotel Alessandra will be a significant milestone in the longstanding relationship between Midway, the City of Houston and our distinguished business partners involved in this project,” Brinsden continues. “With the hotel’s ability to offer world-class luxury in an ideal area of downtown, the hotel will no doubt be a major attraction and complement Houston’s ability in being a best-in-class destination for national conventions and events." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Modern interpretation of european style? hum... what part of europe I been to Paris and don't remember seeing anything similar to this or is Paris different then any where else in Europe? Europe is a lot more diverse than Paris. Visually, Paris is like Vienna and Prague and Rome and parts of Berlin. But none of them are anything like Stockholm or Copenhagen. And none of those are like Frankfurt or Manchester or Rotterdam. And none of the above are like Istanbul, Greece, and Malta. That hotel would fit in well in Hamburg or Rotterdam or some of the second-tier British or French cities. Also, once you get past the touristy zones of Paris this happens: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 It really isn't as bad as people are saying! Yes, it isn't as interesting as the previous design (though really did any of you expect a retractable roof HOTEL to be built?) That said - people saying "Austin or Dallas get better hotels..." - wrong! This thing looks just like buildings in both of those cities (similar design features and architectural styles). Decry the loss of the Glassell School (even though we are getting a nice replacement for it) but don't cry over some spilled milk about having this hotel rather than that thin little blue-glass building. And like someone said above "the interior of this hotel is what is important." I wonder if the uproar would be so loud if it had a ......... "W" on it? Doubtful. We should be glad someone who knows what the heck they are doing is investing in this soon to otherwise be dead development. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Ugh. Just dont build it. The empty Yaos restaurant that stands as a stark reminder of the Pavilions failure is better looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Ugh. Just dont build it. The empty Yaos restaurant that stands as a stark reminder of the Pavilions failure is better looking. Really? I mean really? This coming from a guy who drives a porsche. No. Yao's serves as a reminder that most of us couldn't care less about eating at some athletes dinner. We want to see them play, not eat some food a mediocre chef creates for a mediocre restaurant. The Pavillions was poorly designed, and on the wrong side of Downtown. Blame the original developer for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) Ugh. Just dont build it. The empty Yaos restaurant that stands as a stark reminder of the Pavilions failure is better looking.No. Build it. Sure we're all disappointed about the design changes. But let's not lose sight of the goal, to change our city center into a vibrant active destination it should be. This hotel will still contribute to that, just as a slightly scaled back JW Marriott currently is. Edited January 30, 2015 by tigereye 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 No. Build it. Sure we're all disappointed about the design changes. But let's not lose sight of the goal, to change our city center into a vibrant active destination it should be. This hotel will still contribute to that, just as a slightly scaled back JW Marriott currently is.Yeaaaaa, I know, I wasn't being serious. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Honestly it's not bad looking at all, just compared to the prior render it sucks. Just a standard Houston highrise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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