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Le Meridien Hotel At 1121 Walker St.


dbigtex56

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This is my first post here but the old holiday inn building is going to renovated and turned into a W hotel although I haven't heard from my friend if the current economic forecast could impact that decision and delay the project. 

 

This would be the most majestic thing to happen in Downtown Houston...

 

Trash pit eyesoar to W Hotel??? Is that even possible? I want to believe it.

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This would be the most majestic thing to happen in Downtown Houston...

Trash pit eyesoar to W Hotel??? Is that even possible? I want to believe it.

Wulfe had a majestic proposal for residential and complete overhaul of the facade a few years back so there's still hope for the old girl.

But I doubt the W would go to a location like this. Isn't there one proposed for Uptown Park?

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Wulfe had a majestic proposal for residential and complete overhaul of the facade a few years back so there's still hope for the old girl.

But I doubt the W would go to a location like this. Isn't there one proposed for Uptown Park?

Maybe we're getting 2 W's! After all Atlanta has 3. Lol, just kidding.. Man that would be amazing though.

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This is my first post here but the old holiday inn building is going to renovated and turned into a W hotel although I haven't heard from my friend if the current economic forecast could impact that decision and delay the project. 

 

logo-W4.gif

oh god, please no!  this would kill me....

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I'm sorry I guys. I didn't realize it until earlier today that the proposed Le Meridien may not be connected to this proposal. There's a chance that the Le Meridien will be a new building altogether for Downtown.

The hotel brand for this proposed hotel will be announced officially this Spring, but in the meantime I'm going to split all post on the Le Meridien brand into a new thread.

HC2415.pdf

A. The document is from Houston First and we know Houston First is in negotiations with a developer for the GHP Hotel.

B. Item 5-A states "Consideration & recommendation of the terms for a convention services agreement with Houston Hotel Partners LLC for the development of a Le Meridien Hotel.

In my mind, the picture is Houston First is in negotiations with Houston Hotel Partners LLC for the development of a Le Meridien Hotel at GHP.

The only other spot for "convention services" hotel would be the other half Block 75 (Hyatt Place/Hampton Inn block) or Block 100 (directly north of Marriott Marquis) which Houston First has control of.

Edited by tigereye
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Le Meridien is French for Holiday Inn. I am not impressed,ahving stayed in a number of them around the world. Pretty much the epitome of soulless accommodation.

I've never heard of the brand, but once I found their website and learned that they have such locations as Tampa Bay & Indianapolis I wasn't going to get my hopes up. Maybe since they are not high end the building will get some fresh paint and won't get an exterior Reno.
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Is this building currently vacant? I'm glad that this is not the GPH hotel, this way we get an old building redeveloped into a solid hotel plus whatever brand they get next to the convention center.

 

Side note: is there really enough demand for all these new hotels downtown? I guess they are at varying price points, but it seems like a tremendous influx of hotel rooms within a couple of years. I know we had a shortage supposedly, but do we expect them all to survive, or will some likely close within a few years?

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Houston’s Top Three Priorities

The GRBCC serves a wide variety of users through- out its annual events calendar including conven- tions, trade and consumer shows, and a variety of local public events. Professional organizations rep- resenting convention planners and meeting plan- ners select locations based on the total package available within a community; cities compete on a “destination-basis” rather than a “facility-basis.”

Industry surveys have consistently identified the same top five factors in selecting a convention des- tination:

Convention Facilities • Hotel Package • Attractions and Activities • Transportation • Safety & Security

In developing the 2025 Plan, analysis of the GRBCC’s current package as well as that of its com- petitor cities identified three key areas in need of improvement for Houston to be competitive in to- day’s market. In priority order, these include:

Hotel Package • Attractions and Activities • Convention Facilities

Industry advisors and market analysis by consul- tants agree that Houston’s convention district lacks the number of hotel rooms and hotel mix needed to compete with other cities. Exhibitors and industry experts in hospitality, meeting planning and tour- ism have repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of attractions (restaurants, bars/clubs, shop- ping, entertainment) within convenient walking distance to the GRBCC.

Hotels:The #1 Priority

Downtown Houston and the GRBCC lack what are considered positive draws for its competitor cities including attached and proximate hotel room sup- ply.

The City of Houston and the GRBCC need 2,000 new hotel rooms in the convention district to re- main competitive with the lodging capacity of oth- er convention destination cities.

 

“You’re under-hoteled...” “The need for more hotel rooms is great...” “Focus on hotels and amenities now!”

Quotes from Industry Advisory Group Vision Session December 2010


so the question here is.. how many hotel rooms are currently U/C?
 

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2012-01-24/111212-GRBCC-2025_Master_Plan.pdf

Edited by cloud713
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As has been pointed out before, Downtown Houston lacks the amount of hotels needed to be considered a top tier convention city. The GRB CC is striving for that goal. Hence them being involved in many of these new hotel projects..

 

But will these large conventions move to Houston from Vegas/Orlando/wherever once the hotel rooms are built? I guess I'm not familiar enough with the convention industry to fully understand, but it seems like landing even a dozen major conventions a year is not enough to sustain so many additional hotel rooms for the other 40 or so weeks per year. I guess they wouldn't build them if the demand wasn't there though. Glad to see that it's happening, regardless.

 

Edit: didn't see the last post above mine before writing this. Looks like all these rooms are required, but I just have a hard time seeing how all of these hotels will make money. Maybe people are currently staying in other parts of town and will stay downtown instead once there are more rooms.

Edited by asubrt
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Maybe people are currently staying in other parts of town and will stay downtown instead once there are more rooms.

im thinking this will be a big factor as well as the hopeful status increase to a top tier convention city. especially with how happening downtown is becoming and whenever people come to visit all these residents in the 5,000 new units downtown they can stay nearby.

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Houston First's hotel meeting minutes for January were posted today. The Melrose Building will be redeveloped into a Le Meridien.

 

attachicon.gifHC12315minutes.pdf

 

melrose2big.jpg

 

 

It's incredible... earlier today when everyone was speculating about where the Meridien was going to go, I thought of the Melrose building as a joke. Now I see that the joke has come true.

 

But then, why not? It could be restored to a very snazzy, modernist look. The looming shadow of 2 Houston Center is a bit of a bummer, but I could see people digging the shady look.

 

Meanwhile, the biggest remaining blight source in central downtown is taken away. Prime beneficiaries of this will be the Texaco apartments, HSPVA, Houston Center, and the aLoft Hotel if it indeed moves forward as Urbannizer's link suggests.

 

 

Edited by H-Town Man
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