La Quinta Inn Hotel At 1515 Rusk St.

[Houston19514]

New LaQuinta Hotel to be built at 1515 Rusk.

Business Journal Story

[CSOM]

In addition to the Midtown location at 59/Gray? Jumping in big time in central Houston I guess.

[KinkaidAlum]

With it not being on a full block and having over 200 rooms, I am hoping this LaQuinta will break the mold of their typical suburban model hotel. It appears it might since it will have a garage.

It's always nice for developments to go up on empty lots downtown!

[Houston19514]

With it not being on a full block and having over 200 rooms, I am hoping this LaQuinta will break the mold of their typical suburban model hotel. It appears it might since it will have a garage.

It's always nice for developments to go up on empty lots downtown!

You are right. It is pretty much impossible for it to be a suburban-style building. Seems like it would probably have to be 15 stories... maybe?

Edited December 27, 2007 by Houston19514

[RedScare]

The Inn at the Ballpark just to the north is 200 rooms in a 12 story structure, so with a parking garage at the base, this one could reach 15 stories or so.

Fantastic site for a "budget" hotel.

[ricco67]

Construction to start in only a 3 months or so? They ARE moving rather quickly from announcement to groundbreakings.

They're right, this will be a terrific addition to the area.

So if this has a Rusk address, and the parking is currently being used by Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, then it's going to be very handy to those areas to the BUS, Home Plate, that new Restaurant/bar across from Inn at the Ballpark.

This will add quite a bit to that particular section of DT of what is a rather secluded section.

Once this is up and running, this will help spur additional development to this. Its proximity to Discovery park isn't bad either.

There is also a bit of a bonus that it will (I believe) within a block or two of the new Rail line station.

[Vertigo58]

Hate when they leave out a pic.

[roadrunner]

I'm having trouble locating this block. The article makes it sound like it is the lot directly south of the Great Southwest building, but it says it is currently used for parking for Vic & Anthony's, which makes it sound like the lot directly south of Vic & Anthony's.

[Jax]

Here's a map link.

It's close to the park too which is cool. Maybe it'll be like the downtown La Quinta in Austin.

[The Great Hizzy!]

On the one hand, it's great that they'll be filling in another empty lot, especially in the eastern half of DT. On the other hand, I was hoping that they might have considered renovating Ben Milam Square.

[HtownWxBoy]

That's awsome... we definitly need less expensive hotels Downtown! Plus, that part of Downtown needs more "stuff", so this will be great.... just 2 blocks or so from Discover Green.

Could someone please subtract 1 from the "surface lots left in Downtown Houston" list... thank you!

[PuroAztlan]

Could someone please subtract 1 from the "surface lots left in Downtown Houston" list... thank you!

[shasta]

So it looks like this one will be on the new rail line downtown on Rusk. This is actually a real good location as it located is in the middle of MMP and the Discovery Green / GRB . It should attract visitors attending all 3 of these places. I think the center of downtown (East -West axis book ended by GRB and the Hobby Center) is starting to look like it is going to be pretty dense with this project, disco Green, One Park, Pavilions, Disco Tower, Embassy Suites, Main Place and others to be built along this axis.

[King Owl]

Very cool. I actually park on that lot from time to time - it's got that hideous building with the faded Texas flag on it. Nice to see it torn down, hopefully.

[editor]

This does seem like a really good location and quite a large structure for a La Quinta. I wonder if the people behind it see the Quintaness as temporary.

Build a good hotel in an up-and-coming location, but with a cheap brand. Once the area improves, sell it or affiliate with a better chain for better profits. And if the location doesn't become the next flavor of the month, you still have the current La Quinta brand to fall back on. Seems like a no-lose situation.

[ricco67]

<bump>

you add your own grind, don't expect it from me.

[lockmat]

With it not being on a full block and having over 200 rooms, I am hoping this LaQuinta will break the mold of their typical suburban model hotel. It appears it might since it will have a garage.

It's always nice for developments to go up on empty lots downtown!

Not a full block? Did I miss something in the article? Why is not going to be a full one?

Also, since the article, it's been two to three months. I hope we hear something soon.

[bcnet]

Not a full block? Did I miss something in the article? Why is not going to be a full one?

Also, since the article, it's been two to three months. I hope we hear something soon.

It mentions they purchased a "half block" in the article.

[dalparadise]

I think it'll help round out the convention schedule downtown, offering more budget accommodations to convention travelers. Other than that, I couldn't care less about this. It will affect me exactly zero. When I like to splurge on a weekend being a tourist in my own city, or spend New Year's Eve, or eat a great restaurant, I like posh hotels.

I'll never set foot in this place and don't care that it's coming here.

Edited March 8, 2008 by dalparadise

[happytown]

I think it'll help round out the convention schedule downtown, offering more budget accommodations to convention travelers. Other than that, I couldn't care less about this. It will affect me exactly zero. When I like to splurge on a weekend being a tourist in my own city, or spend New Year's Eve, or eat a great restaurant, I like posh hotels.

I'll never set foot in this place and don't care that it's coming here.

It is hard to tell whether you are bragging or complaining. If you care so little about this, why did you bother to post? I hope you aren't as ugly a person as this post makes you seem.

Edited March 13, 2008 by happytown

[dalparadise]

Most here would probably say that I am. I wasn't bragging, though. I was just pointing out that it's a little odd to care about a La Quinta opening in your town. I don't think locals use hotels like this, aside from putting up family over the holidays or something like that. Who would go to a La Quinta in his own town? Would you eat at the restaurant? Drink at the bar? Stay in a room for a weekend?

I'd be interested in a cool new hotel that offered something for locals. This one will never see any Houstonians who don't work there in low-paying jobs.

In other posts, people were touting this opening as proof that our Downtown revitalization was on-par with Victory in Dallas, where the W opened. I found that odd.

[houstonfella]

Most here would probably say that I am. I wasn't bragging, though. I was just pointing out that it's a little odd to care about a La Quinta opening in your town. I don't think locals use hotels like this, aside from putting up family over the holidays or something like that. Who would go to a La Quinta in his own town? Would you eat at the restaurant? Drink at the bar? Stay in a room for a weekend?

I'd be interested in a cool new hotel that offered something for locals. This one will never see any Houstonians who don't work there in low-paying jobs.

In other posts, people were touting this opening as proof that our Downtown revitalization was on-par with Victory in Dallas, where the W opened. I found that odd.

dalparadise... oxymoron for sure .... no one here suggests that a La Quinta is on par with anything. Otherwise, it is another hotel in downtown H-town that will allow convention-goers a place to stay at far more reasonable rates than Hyatt or Hilton or Four Seasons, etc..... No, we Houstonians will not be staying there and I personally won't be staying at the Hyatt downtown either. As far as cool new hotels in and around downtown, we have plenty of them. But not as many as there will be as more hotels are looming on the horizon. Real odd post from you, but anything suggestive in nature of Dallas will be odd and generally written off quickly by the locals. Please point me to the posts that "tout" this with the Victory W hotel inDallas. Thank you.

[dalparadise]

Otherwise, it is another hotel in downtown H-town that will allow convention-goers a place to stay at far more reasonable rates than Hyatt or Hilton or Four Seasons, etc..... Please point me to the posts that "tout" this with the Victory W hotel inDallas. Thank you.

That's all I said in my original post-- that it would offer affordable rooms to conventioners and not much else. No big deal really.

I think you misunderstood my post about the Dallas thing. I surely didn't want to get involved in that, which is why I also won't try to drag up the HP vs. Victory nonsense. But, in that childish argument, I remember someone comparing the developments and paralleling the La Quinta (and the rest of the developments) to the Victory development, which really did seem silly and added fuel to that childish fire.

I do not wish to play in that, else I would have gotten involved before that thread was locked.

BTW -- My name on here is not meant to be ironic or oxymoronic or to have anything to do with Dallas at all. It's a play on Sal Paradise, Jack Kerouac's protagonist in On the Road -- just FYI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Paradise

Edited March 14, 2008 by dalparadise

[NewMND]

People aren't interested in this project because it's a La Quinta, but because it's being built downtown. It's not something that is very common yet for downtown. And it gets rid of another surface parking lot, and in theory, the more hotel rooms we can get near the GRB, then maybe we can get more conventions.

[N Judah]

This board gets excited when a new H-E-B opens. I think this is more interesting.

I'm a little surprised mainly since I tend to associate La Quinta with freeway/suburban hotels, not so much downtown. I wonder how it will look.

[ADCS]

I wonder if Blackstone is planning on opening this as a La Quinta (as previously mentioned), then converting it to a Hilton, another one of their holdings. Perhaps with the rest of the country's economy on a bit of shaky ground, they find it necessary to hedge their bets a bit.

[King Owl]

This board gets excited when a new H-E-B opens. I think this is more interesting.

I'm a little surprised mainly since I tend to associate La Quinta with freeway/suburban hotels, not so much downtown. I wonder how it will look.

Probably will look like the La Quinta in downtown San Antonio...I don't have a picture, but they keep the traditional la quinta look with the beige color with the la quinta sign on top of a ~20-25 story building

[houstonfella]

Thanks dalparadise for your reply. For a minute there, I thought this was a us vs. them thing. Whew. Yes, there was a post regarding downtown Houston's HP, One Park Tower, 6 Houston Center, Discovery Tower, Discovery Green, two and possibly three new hotels that someone mentioned how it would have a similar effect on that part of downtown much like Victory has for that part of Dallas. And that is probably not a bad analogy. I walked around that area yesterday and there is construction everywhere. The new hotels are really necessary for the GRB to continue to be competitive in the convention business. It is a good time to be in Houston right now. Houston was first in the nation in number of jobs adding over 94,000. I guess we get a little bang for our bucks ($4 gasoline) here in the energy capital.

[Mister X]

I don't think anyone was ever saying that LaQuinta will make East End Houston 'cool' like the w makes Victory Park 'cool'. I think LaQuinta was only thrown into that sausagefest HP vs Victory thread because it turned into a crane counting pissing contest. And cool or not, LaQuinta (if built) will add another crane to the skyline for awhile. But for the record, I don't think it makes our downtown look bad if we have a nice variety of hotels in the mix. That includes everything from cool to creepy or from 5 star to 5 stain. LaQuinta is respectable and if they can help to eliminate a surface lot and add a 20+ story tower, (and another crane) to downtown, I welcome them with open arms.

I bet a few people in Dallas wouldn't mind seeing a LaQuinta Tower rise somewhere near Victory either.

Edited March 14, 2008 by Mister X

[MidtownCoog]

Cost aside, you can bet the La Quinta will have nicer rooms than the Hyatt. My Canadian cowokers said the Hyatt is a big time bumb. But I understand they are working on it. They stay at the Magnolia hotel now.