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I surprisingly can't find an article in the general press but the Bond Buyer is reporting the City of Glendale (which built the arena) kicked the Coyotes to the curb and a potential deal with Tempe is on the rocks. Glendale, Arizona, unties its future from professional hockey | Bond Buyer In August, the city announced that it would not renew the Coyotes’ lease after the current season, leaving the team without a home arena or even office space lined up for the 2022-2023 season. Coyotes ownership in September was the only respondent to a request for proposals the city of Tempe set out to develop a city owned 46-acre brownfield site. The team says it will build an arena and entertainment district there in time for the 2025-26 season. “While the submittal is evaluated, and the city engages in intensive due diligence, Tempe representatives cannot discuss the matter,” the city says on its website. According to a recent report by the website PHNX Sports, the proposal is in trouble at the Tempe City Council level. (Should this be a separate thread?)

Yesterday I stopped at the Landry's corporate headquarters located in Uptown at 1510 West Loop South. Here's some photos that I took: The fountain is very cool. It has small "cards" that match the text below. Dining * Hospitality * Entertainment * Gaming

Uptown Area: Oaks District http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/Houston_lg.jpg Website: OliverMcMillan PDF: Oaks District http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/ROp4_1109finlA Small.jpg http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/ROp1_1109finl_CORRECTEDA.jpg http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/ROp2_1109finlA small.jpg http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/ROp3_1109finlA.jpg http://www.olivermcmillan.com/images/deve/houston/ROp5_1109finl_CORRECTEDAsmall.jpg

This office building in Uptown located at 777 Post Oak Boulevard is home to Old Republic Title. Here's a photo I took the other month.

Saw this in the Houston business journal today. Mentions a 20 story tower by the Novati Group (same company that bought the BofA tower downtown). http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto.../25/story1.html

With the announcement of Tilman Fertitta buying the ROD for $500 million made me think of something. I thought, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Fertitta was having financial problems and was selling off properties. Times change, and the rich get richer, so maybe it doesn't even matter. He actually bought a parcel in Memorial recently as well. Can't wait to see what he does with that! Tilman Fertitta has done a lot for Houston, especially for the University of Houston. Though, some people get a weird vibe from him and his restaurants. I remember the whole fiasco about UT's 307-acre proposal, and how Fertitta sided with UH and got politics involved, thus causing UT to back out of the proposed campus. Anyways, enough about his character. Tilman and his Fertitta Entertainment built the only 5-star Hotel in Houston, The Post Oak Hotel At Uptown Houston. Pretty impressive real estate developer! I look forward to the renovations and additions to the River Oaks District. It's also nice to know that ROD is now locally owned. There are 2 vacant parcels on West Creek Lane, and one old (1990s?) apartment complex. I'd hope for a hotel, or office building since the area already contains high-rise condominiums and apartments. Here's a photo I took today while visiting BLVD Place. TPOHAUH (The Post Oak Hotel At Uptown Houston).

The Toyota center may seem not so big on the outside, but people don't realize is that it sinks into the ground like the Astrodome and the Compaq Center. Thats why the Astrodome isn't so tall as the Reliant Stadium. I think its a real good idea with the Hilton putting pedestrian bridges across to the convention center and the arena. I wonder what someone will do with the patch of grass next to it? I hope somone builds a little pond/reflecting pool/park there.

Architect - https://populous.com

I've never been a huge sports fan, but I always root for the Houston teams and if they're doing well, I'll jump on the bandwagon. I've been keeping up with and have been enjoying the Rockets for the last several months. Anyone else excited that they've made it to the play-offs? That hasn't happened in a while, has it? I won't get my expectations too high, but we can always hope. They were outstanding on Saturday. I love watching them!

"Billionaire Tilman Fertitta has purchased a prime parcel near Memorial Park, opening an opportunity for him to expand his business along one of the Inner Loop's busiest corridors. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/tilman-fertitta-buys-memorial-drive-property-18568104.php Maybe Fertitta want's to build a restaurant or get in to the high end condo craze that are also going to be built near here. hindesky

White tigers move into Downtown Aquarium 10:14 AM CST on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 From 11 News Staff Reports HOUSTON -- The Downtown Aquarium is now home to four white tigers. They're part of a new exhibit called White Tigers of the Maharaja

"In plans filed with Clark County, Fertitta Entertainment outlined its vision for a 6.2-acre site at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue that includes gaming, a 2,240-room hotel, bars and eateries, convention space, a spa, an auto showroom and, in true Vegas style, a wedding chapel and a high-roller gambling lounge and bar." https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/home/houston-billionaire-hopes-to-make-a-splash-on-the-las-vegas-strip-with-43-story-hotel-and-casino-project-115727

According to Culturemap, looks like Inn at the Ballpark will be rebranded as Westin Houston Downtown on December 6, 2012. Westin already has the hotel listed on its website as well. http://houston.cultu...-hotel-shakeup/

In the news recently, it was made known that Landry's is getting all of their financial "ducks in a row" in what looks to be an attempt to purchase something big. Citykid added in another post: This leaves me wondering Houstonians, what theme park would we want next? Which would we benefit the most from? Where would we put it?

Surprised we don't have a thread or this key strip center in Uptown. This is where Grotto Ristorante and CVS are located. 4715 Westheimer Road. Any comings and goings here? What's the latest?

Tillman Fertitta lives in a 25,000+ square foot house on Willowick Road in River Oaks. I've never seen it in person, but when my brother drove by after golfing at a course nearby, he said that it was gigantic, and all of the garage doors were open to display his exquisite car collection. Does anyone have pictures of this palace? I'm dying to see it! p.s. The address is 3800 Willowick, and the best view you can get (without pictures) is going to maps.live.com, typing in the address and clicking "Bird's eye."

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston-based restaurant firm may ante up for jump into gambling By Tom Fowler, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Dec. 23--A booming casino industry, a lack of attractive restaurant merger targets and $400 million in cash has Landry's Restaurants prowling the Las Vegas Strip in search of its next acquisition. The company hasn't formally announced plans to get into gaming, but Landry's Chief Executive Officer Tilman Fertitta has made no secret of his interest. At a recent analyst conference in New York, he lamented the shortage of good merger deals in the restaurant industry. And in a recent conference call, he said the company would consider buying a casino "... but it would have to be the right deal." With $400 million raised just this week through a debt offering, the company is now well-armed to go hunting for that right deal. There are many individual casinos on the market, the result of a merger spree among the nation's biggest gaming companies. There are also a handful of small, publicly traded gaming companies that would fit in Landry's price range. One of those companies saw its stock price surge Wednesday in reaction to takeover speculation. Riviera Holdings, owner of the Riviera Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and the Black Hawk Casino in Colorado, saw its stock climb $6.35 to close at $41.80. Riviera and Landry's officials would not comment on the takeover speculation. Whether or not Riviera is a target for a Landry's takeover, it may be the kind of investment Landry's and Fertitta could grow to love. For starters, the company owns one of the classic brands on the Strip, the Riviera Hotel & Casino. Built in the 1950s, the Riviera has 110,000 square feet of casino space, 2,100 guest rooms, a half-dozen restaurants and 160,000 square feet of convention space. Riviera may also be a good real estate deal. It is on 26 acres on the north end of the Strip near Circus-Circus and the new Wynn Las Vegas development. Riviera also appears to be in Landry's price range. It reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of $31.5 million in 2003 and may approach $40 million of 2004. With casinos selling for as much as nine times this gauge of earnings, known as EBITDA, the price tag could be about $360 million. Riviera also presents an operational challenge, something Fertitta does not shy away from. Riviera has been a consistent money loser, with casino revenues flat and income from food, beverage and rooms down. The loss for the first nine months of 2004 was $619,000 on revenue of $153.9 million. It's an improvement from the year before, but is still a lot of red ink. Even if Landry's does find a willing seller in Las Vegas or elsewhere, it could take many months for a deal to close. The application and approval process for a gaming license, which Landry's would need to own a casino, can take six months or more. Since 2000, Landry's has nearly tripled in size. Much of the growth came through aggressive acquisitions, which netted the Rainforest Cafe, Chart House restaurants, Muer Restaurants and Saltgrass Steak House. While the company has shown an impressive revenue record, it has its detractors. Some analysts point out that free cash flow, a key measure of operational efficiency, has been negative eight of the 10 past quarters. The company says much of this is the result of the cost of funding the company's growth and the fact that, unlike other restaurant companies, Landry's tends to own its own real estate -- about $500 million worth at last count. A casino acquisition would take Landry's merging tendencies in a new direction. Gaming has become a top attraction for investors in the past year, fueled in large part by industry mergers, according to Todd Eilers, a gaming research analyst with Roth Capital Partners. MGM Mirage announced a $4.9 billion merger with Mandalay Resort Group this year and Harrah's Entertainment is buying Caesars Entertainment for $5.7 billion. Speculation over who will be next has driven up stock prices for small and midsize gaming companies. Las Vegas land prices are also on the rise, thanks to new developments. Casinos have stronger earnings growth, higher returns on invested capital and better free cash flow than most other businesses, including restaurants, Eilers said. Fertitta said it best himself in the recent conference call: "We've looked at the fact that you can go and acquire a casino that produces say $17 million in EBITDA, and it's the same as what it costs to build 50 Joe's Crab Shacks." Other possible acquisition targets include the individual casinos being spun out of the big mergers, or one of about a half-dozen smaller companies that have casino management contracts or own a few properties. In addition to Riviera, this list includes Lakes Entertainment, Monarch Casino and Resort, the Sands Regent and Century Casinos. Landry's has connections to Lakes through board member Kenneth Brimmer. He and his wife once worked for the casino company that became Lakes Entertainment. Lakes has a 64 percent stake in the televised World Poker Tournament and has contracts to run four Indian tribe casinos, including one in Eagle Pass in South Texas. -----To see more of the Houston Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.HoustonChronicle.com © 2004, Houston Chronicle. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com. LNY, RIV, WYNN, MGG, CZR, MBG, LACO,

From this weekend's trip to SA. http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0039.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0041.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0043.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0044.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0045.jpg New Convention Center Hotel Construction Site: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0047.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0048.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0049.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0050.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0051.jpg Here's a link for a view of full size shots of these and all other photos: http://rgv.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=479 ..................................