mattyt36
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Posts posted by mattyt36
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On 6/23/2023 at 9:19 PM, BEES?! said:
(I have never seen one of these monstrosities in real life. I do love the different little architectural touches for each of the brands lmaooo)
Related: a meme that never fails to get a laugh out of me.^^there is NO ONE more disappointed than I that @monarch has not written an ode to the tacochickenhut as an underappreciated gem of luxury while somehow weaving in the LONGHORNS, W HOTELS, dubai, U.A.E., and DeBarge.
you SIR, pal, my friend are the ONLY one that can do it.
^^YOUR TIME HAS COME!!!!!!!!!!!
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44 minutes ago, Pleak said:
Since the W brand is so dated, wonder if they have DeBarge playing in the lobby/elevators.
🤣
@Pleak you won the thread!
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1 hour ago, phillip_white said:
If this is possible, then just about anything is. Three Marriott brands in the same building for some reason.
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Wish there were more renderings of the Terminal D renovations. Hard to make much of the ones in the presentation--they make the concourse look like it has lower ceilings than it does (unless those are photos of D1-D3). I also wonder what's being done with all the pre-security space since it will no longer be needed.
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1 hour ago, monarch said:
^^^ dude, why on earth are you constantly contradicting yourself? (do you harbor some strange "fetish" of being the naysayer?) now, you are hereby stating "i'm all for another convention hotel of any label". really? well, what if it's a ritz carlton brand... a st. regis brand... a hotel kempinski brand... a fairmont hotel brand... a loews hotel brand? none of these aforementioned brands are BRAND NEW TOTALLY HYBRID BRANDS/CONCEPTS... right? therefore, whatever brand is going to be constructed per se, it is going to be a modern/contemporary and state-of-the-art brand that we are all aware of. (just like the W HOTEL brand)
@monarch, buddy, there is no contradiction whatsoever between these two points:
1. Another convention center hotel is good, whatever the brand is. W, Loews, St Regis, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont, whatevs.
2. I, for one, and others in this thread have said that we don't feel the same way about the W brand as you (i.e., as if it is commensurate with the second coming of Christ). It is my OPINION, just like you have your OPINION.
It's like saying, "Yeah, I think it's great that Houston has a women's soccer team, even when I don't pay them much attention."
This will be a fully private development, just like the Marquis (but unlike the Hilton Americas). I guess HoustonFirst can specify certain minimum standards as to numbers of room, height (don't collapse the building!), amenities (read: "must have a full service restaurant"), but I highly doubt that's going to affect the quality of the development as they're not paying for it. Marriott brand standards will likely have a much larger impact. Nothing is stopping them from breaking ground tomorrow, and this State bill does nothing to advance the project as far as I can see. The fact that it is not featured on the Horizon website is telling.
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2 hours ago, editor said:
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for another convention hotel of any label.
What I don't get is this fetish with W Hotels as if it is the end all, be all. Whatever cachet it had 10-15 years ago is gone as far as I can tell, which is to be expected with anything that is "over-designed" from day 1. Tastes change and brands need to be refreshed. I can't see that such has happened with the W chain--you step into some W lobbies these days and they look totally cheap and almost comical. Maybe it's just a U.S. thing, and the foreign locations are "keeping up."
This ownership group doesn't really give off a "leading edge" vibe either:
As far as I can see, they run two hotels, namely the Hyatt Place downtown and the Hilton Garden Inn Pearland! "Our time has come?!" Yeah, I just don't see a flagship Dubai-like property here. Hip by Hyatt Place and Pearland standards, sure.
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On 6/19/2023 at 4:10 PM, monarch said:
Our Time . . . 15 years ago.
W Hotels are not what they were. But whatever floats your boat. I suppose the 1990s are on the verge of becoming hip again.
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On 6/19/2023 at 11:16 AM, texan said:
SB 1057 escaped a veto and has become law! Hopefully we can look forward to an exciting renovation/expansion of George R. Brown or other venues soon. Does anyone know if any parts of the NHHIP deck park could benefit from this funding?
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB1057
From the text of the bill:
the term "qualified project" includes a venue and any related infrastructure.
Seems pretty open to me. Considering the cap park is adjacent to the GRB, and Houston First had already tasked itself with financial planning related to the cap park, it would seem so.
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6 hours ago, Blue Dogs said:
Former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards dropped out of the Mayoral contest; running for Congress to represent TX-18 in 2024.
Edwards taking a huge risk here unless she's got inside information about SJL winning the Mayoralty 🤔
Huge risk=Lose the mayoral election for certain (she has no path to victory) or set herself up early to win a Congressional seat if Sheila wins?
Seems like she's reduced her "risk" by any reasonable standard.
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19 hours ago, Houston19514 said:
In fairness, this is United's project, not the airport's. The presentation to the City Council Economic Development Committee was also done by United, not HAS.
Agenda for meeting, item 3, first person listed: Mario Diaz, Director, Houston Airport System.
https://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/econdev/20230531/agenda.pdf
Not to mention:
(1) I'd say it's pretty "best practice" for an organization to trumpet a multiple hundred-million-dollar investment in one's facility, wouldn't you?
(2) The City has responsibility for any apron work, so it is not exclusively a United project.
While they may not want much press prior to the Board approval, the documents were presented in a public forum, so one would think it would also behoove them to "control the narrative."
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Just hit HBJ with a quote from United (but not one from HAS . . . further proving the point).
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On 6/3/2023 at 12:52 PM, Houston19514 said:
Perhaps. But that's no excuse. Journalism should be more than just checking the fax machine/email box. A journalist with the slightest bit of curiosity about the world around them could (should) have easily have found this information, without even leaving their house (or bed, for that matter). Do they not even have anyone checking the agendas of City Council and Committee meetings? Truly pathetic.
And what would you say the function of a dedicated media relations group is? Not defending the Chronicle, but did any of the TV news stations pick it up? If you operate knowingly in such an environment (it should be no surprise if you’re a professional journalist the quality of the Chronicle reporting, what they are likely to pick up, and what they aren’t), and more press was a goal, you’d kind of be a bit more proactive, no?
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On 6/1/2023 at 12:11 PM, Houston19514 said:
What's the over/under on when the Chronicle will report on this major development?
Well it’s also kind of on HAS as well for not issuing a press release or coordinating with the media, wouldn’t you say?
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On 5/1/2023 at 10:49 AM, august948 said:
To tie it back to the thread topic, I've heard much chatter since 2016 about how Trump is a nazi tyrant and wants to sweep away our democracy in favor of a dictatorship. If that is truly so, then why would you want to disarm the citizenry?
Do you really have to ask that question? The right-wing has made it clear by implicitly threatening for years that they'll kill us all if anyone tries to touch their guns ("Come and take it" and "Over my cold, dead body"). Your "armed citizenry" is the army of foot soldiers for the "Nazi tyrant" (your words) who has made it all but crystal clear that if he returns to power he won't be leaving.
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Well from a quick glance, they have been hosted in October and even February before, which would certainly help "take the heat off."
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1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:
Completely disagree that Mayor of Houston is a step down from the House of Representatives, especially for someone who wants to get things done. Plus, Houston has something like 9 Representatives; only 1 Mayor.
Indeed, there's a big difference between being 1 of 435 and essentially a "voter" and being a "strong mayor" executive of the nation's fourth largest city with control over a multibillion budget.
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A fine profile of John Whitmire from the Texas Tribune from 2013. He sure seems like an, er, opportunist (that’s the nice word).
https://www.texastribune.org/2013/01/18/dean-senate-public-and-private-blur/
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On 4/6/2023 at 4:20 PM, bookey23 said:
I thought I saw the UMiami bus at the C Baldwin, but I could be wrong.
Pretty sure Miami was at the Hyatt as the awning was lit in UM colors and the hotel was wrapped with the UM logo.
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12 minutes ago, steve1363 said:
… seems he thinks SJL is the front runner and not Whitmire!
She's got a pretty effective political machine, regardless of what people on here think about her. How well it will work in certain areas of the City other than her congressional district is certainly debatable.
Buzbee's only chance is if Ds congeal around SJL.
(I know what BD thinks--it's probably somehow even more of a lock now! Getting that endorsement sure seems to be the kiss of death!)
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Hollins has pulled out of the mayoral race and is now running for Controller.
Former elections chief Chris Hollins drops bid for Houston mayor | The Texas Tribune
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On 3/31/2023 at 3:54 PM, bookey23 said:
I have no idea why Houston isn't doing the same thing as Atlanta and all of Georgia and giving huge tax breaks to come film in our city.
I don't disagree in principle with the above, but (1) how much of the Atlanta thing is the state versus the city (the State of Texas will give us absolutely zero help); and (2) I've seen plenty of movies made in Atlanta (they're a dime a dozen), and a lot of the mass market ones don't even mention/really engage with the place, which to me is awful policy--but I guess that's the point. Anodyne, anywhere America.
It is no mystery to me why people would not want to film a movie here for simple reason of weather, but New Orleans has its share of movies filmed there (of course New Orleans is pretty unique).
Mo I think did a fine job at capturing Houston, as did the Anthony Bourdain episode on Houston and even Top Chef. Houston is very unique, just not particularly "sexy."
I think we need a high-profile tourist attraction, and it needs to be downtown for convention goers to have easy access. I think the Museum of Texas History would've been great, but that fell through. So I think the best bets are some sort of "NASA Light" exhibit downtown with regular buses to JSC, or some sort of National Museum of Immigration that is affiliated with the Smithsonian to raise its profile. An energy museum would also be appropriate--I'm just not sure how many people it would attract.
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Hopefully we've come so far since 2013, with tangible proof of what investment in public spaces can do for the City, that an imaginative and inventive concept to repurpose the Astrodome will be a slam dunk for voter approval. I know there was a lot of blowback against Lina for killing the most recent (IMO totally blah) garage concept, but maybe history will prove it a blessing.
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3 minutes ago, cougarpad said:
The idea that a non profit organization and a sports franchise in the Texans who stadium was paid for by tax revenue along with the taxes paid on the Dome, neither the Houston Rodeo nor the Texas should get a say over what happens to the Dome. The Dome is owned by the Tax payers and not those organizations. For far too long we have let the Dome sit there looking pitiful because have let powers have say who shouldn't have a powerful say in the matter. The Dome should of been converted into a hotel, or at least have the floor raised for underground parking with convention space on ground floor years ago.
Well, the voters technically had their say on the matter and said no thanks. Not sure how you can blame the Rodeo or the Texans for that one.
Houston voters don't approve referendum to save Astrodome (espn.com)
Hidalgo torpedoed the parking garage proposal--hopefully this planning effort will result in a new concept for the Astrodome that can be packaged into the new leases.
Note the timeframe for all of these improvements per the article is . . . 2032!
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I hope it's the first of many!
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Houston Astros
in Sports and Stadia
Posted
Chas's job as full-time CF should no longer be up for debate.