matth1231

As an added note the interior lifts have been the site of several suicides. Once about 22 years ago some older man jumped from the 31st floor and hits the area directly in front of the lift. The bricks popped out of the pavement and broke the glass of the lifts. It was quite horrible. Lobby had guests and everything. Kind of selfish act. Could have hurt others too.

If you are in the lobby today you notice the large wave of metal mesh covering the front desk and restaurant. I heard these where added to protect people from suicide attempts. Crazy...

That article said that the Sheraton was to be made into a "luxury" hotel? I thought that Sheraton Hotels have always been classified as "luxury." AARP classifies them as "upscale."

No...... Haha, I worked at one for a short stint. Perhaps overseas and some of their resort properties may appear luxurious. Upscale is more appropriate and applies to Hilton, Marriott, Westin, and Sheraton.

But I'm excited about the Omni. They are kinda innovative in the way that they try to appeal to all your senses. Sounds, scent, taste... feel. Etc.

They are going to have a LOT of work though. I parked underground there recently and choose to take the stairwell up to the ground floor (instead of walking up the ramp which is the only way to get down) and when I pushed open the door to enter the abandoned elevator bank with street access there was someone sleeping at my feet!

Yeah, Hyatt is definately undergoing a huge renovation. I want to say I heard it was 40 million?

They ripped out Ducks and Company and are combining it with the other lobby restaurant to create one large restaurant. It is going to be a Shula's Steak House which is a chain that is hotels.

Anyway, the lobby bar is going to be moved to the Window Box. I assume that will create an open lobby? Its such a huge space though, so I don't really know what they will do with it.

And as far as the rooms go, I hear they are going to be getting total over halls. Apparently, some rooms still have carpet in the bathrooms! But they are going to be getting LCD televisions and all that jazz. It kinda looked like platform beds also? I'm not sure.

And referring back to the Window Box being the place to be seen, the whole Hyatt was in general. They used to also have a Jazz club in what is now the "Recency Room." The Hyatt really is a neat hotel to sit in. It is always teaming with activity. The bar will be packed, the lobby restaurant jamming, people scurrying up and down the escalators to the ball rooms, and people checking in and out. There isn't really another hotel in Houston where you see all that action going on from one place.

Don't forget the refurbished main library! + co cathedral

Not cheap when you're just a student trying to make ends meat. And yes, there are students that'll pay it, but they aren't a very deep market. Like I said earlier, that's why there's a higher parking vacancy rate in the garage than in the surface lots.

I'm a student at UH and I couldn't get a garage parking permit because they where all sold out for this year. Students are definitely using the garage BUT I wonder how popular some of the garages will be that are proposed out by Spur 5. I'm a Hilton student so the existing garage is extremely convenient, however I would not buy a permit in any other garage.

I think it is impossible to gage the use of the proposed garages from the whole university student body. Each garage will most likely have varying popularity and that will probably lead to garages that are further from the core of campus being less expensive. This is all my own speculation, and this assumes that the garage permit you purchase is only valid in a specific garage.

Regardless I am ecstatic about the 20 year master plan. I was at this homecoming address last year where our previous university president revealed the plan and it was just an amazing feeling. Everyone in the room was ecstatic and they showed all those awesome videos. I think the friend I was with cried.

Also, before I go, I'm not sure anyone has mentioned whats going on at the Hilton College. There are some plans that are coming to fruition about remodeling much of the Hilton College at a little under 12 million dollars. There was also a large gift to redo the library and a new coffee shop is going to open next to Barron's next year. There are also a few other rumors going around. Much of the money is going to go into the guest rooms and ballrooms and plans are in the works for possibly more student involvement in the hotel.

Go Coogs!

Ahh, I work at Hyatt and I've heard rumors about this for a while. (It was addressed at our state of the Hotel address) Alot of the employees park there, everyone calls it the ghetto garage. They re-routed the traffic so you enter from Louisiana instead of Milam so the valet could easily access cars there and drive them quickly to the Hyatt. If you park there you'll notice that there are the orriginal signs telling you to go one way and small cheep signs recently placed telling you to go the opposite. If you've never parked their before its really confusing. If you take the elevator, which I only advise you taking if you are extremely exhausted, there is a metal serial number for the elevator with Sheraton's logo. I never really understood the building though because when you get to the ground floor there is an unusually small elevator bank (for a hotel) and I never understood how it was encorporated with the hotel lobby. It makes sense now, this must have been the elevator bank for the offices. There is an emergency exit door that I then take to get to the street. Usually I spook someone who is sleeping on the ground when I exit.

If anyone is REALLY curious, the parking attendant usually goes off duty around 10 am, so you can drive in and look. I'm not positive that this is the schedule but thats just what I've observed. If you want to enter the garage from the street you walk in the vehicle entrance and WALK down the ramp. There is no other way down. Its really ghetto, and will require alot of work.

As far as demand, downtown can probably support another large hotel. It's not uncommon, especially in the fall, for the Hyatt and Hilton to be completely booked. I'm not sure about other properties.

FYI - The Hyatt Regency Downtown is about to undergo a 35 million dollar renovation. Every room will be renovated, which is BADLY needed. There are some rooms that still have carpet in the bathroom! Every room is going to have plasma televisions, Hyatt grand beds, contemporary furnature, wood appointments. Lobby, restaurants, and bar totally redone. This is all starting in November.

Its really exciting to be downtown right now!

Here are some previous Turnberry projects, which hopefully give us an idea of what is to come!

Turnberry Towers: Las Vegas (there are actually a pair of towers)

Turnberry Place: Las Vegas

Turnberry Ocean Colony: Miami?

Turnberry Beach House: Miami

Anyway, these where just grabed off google image search so you can probably find some nicer pictures if your interested. Check out their residential portion of their website http://www.turnberryltd.com/index.php?pageName=home. Its kind of exciting.

Rep. Culberson alone can't kill this line, he can only attempt to restrict federal funding.

At the rally on Tuesday I spoke to Culberson after everyone was done speaking; when people started driving away in their SUVs.

I am for the rail being on Richmond and as one of his constituents I felt like I should tell him. I introduced myself to him and was very humble and told him that I was a student at UH and that this line would really be a great thing for the students of the universities in Houston and that I was really disapointed in his position. I was really soft spoken and sounded kinda vulnerable because I really just wanted him to listen and not think I was trying to challenge him at all.

I was shocked when instead of just listening he acted like I was initiating a debate. He blurted that, "I'm in support of rail just not on Richmond." I told him that it would be alot more beneficial to Houstonians and students if it ran down Richmond. Again I said this in a very calm tone and was surprised when he told me that it wasn't what the businesses and residences wanted because it was going to take some of their land. After he told me this I kinda relised he wasn't just going to shake my hand listen and let me run off so I asked him how this was different from when txdot took away all that land from all the citizens and businesses along I-10. He was rude and told me that you couldn't move I-10 (which is true...) and then he told me, "there just isn't going to be rail on Richmond."

The point I'm trying to get around to though is that he seems pretty determined for it not to be on Richmond and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to pull the same stunt Delay pulled when it came to funding Metro.

Also, I'm not sure if this is true. Its a rummor, I suppose. But someone told me that culberson wanted the rail to be on Westpark because it would benefit tx dot in some way and that tx dot gives money to Culberson. I don't know what tx dot would have to gain though so it doesn't really make sense. Does anyone know about this?

Who is comming to the James Conney Island at 9am to rally for the University Line on Richmond? I am going to be going with at least one of my friends. I'm skipping out on my Political Science class to be there. Hope that there are more than a hand full of us there!

Alright, I hate to correct people but the street you are refering to used to be Old Westheimer and has just been changed to West Houston Center.

Next, in the shopping center next to raising cains is going to be an Its a Grind coffee shop (similar to the one on Eldridge and Enclave) and some other restaurants.

The huge building going up in that shopping center with Luby's and Kinkos is going to be an expansion of the Phoenicia import food store across the street in the shopping center with all those restaurants, like Cascadas. The current store is kind of small and I'm hopping the new one will be like the Hong Kong supermarket of eastern food.

I believe Phoenicia has a huge empire. They own Phoenicia deli, that is next door to Pizza Hut on Westhiemer and Gray Falls, of course the super market, a hair salon, and all of the restaurants and the bar that are in that shopping center. (excluding pizza hut and the phili cheese steak place.)

Anyway, now lets hope something goes into that shopping center where compusa used to be. (Where blockbuster and Wokbo are now). Wok bo just re did its entire interior so it would be really neat if someone re did the shopping center.

My mom still works here and I visit her often. The lobby and elevator banks are really nice (including the food court in the basement, with a nice piramid in an atrium kinda thing). They have recently added a class enclosure around the elevator banks for security reasons so you can't really appreaciate that. Inside the office could use some work. All of the walls are magnetic and an off white yellowish color.

I really appreaciate the uniquness of the building. The only thing that bothers me is how on the top floor (where the Petrolium Club is) how sometimes not all the drapes are clossed or opened at the same time. They either need to get rid of the drapes or tint the windows.

Don't forget this building had the first tunnel downtown. Tobad it still doesn't really go anywhere besides their garage...