JW Marriott At 806 Main St. & Expansion Into Battlestein’s - 812 Main St.

[H-Town Man]

I wish Battlesteins next door had been part of the project.  I could see it as a nice reception / party / meeting space for the hotel.

 

It would be better in the long run if there was more than one use on that side of the block besides the parking garage. That's assuming the Battelstein's space can get filled.

[mollusk]

The parking garage does have GFR on the Main Street side.     One of the spaces is even leased out.

 

I could see at least the lower two or three floors of the Battelstein's building working out as a grotto like club thing, or a tiki bar.  It's the same sort of space as what's further up Main in the 300 block, just a newer build.

 

[UtterlyUrban]

I just went to the website. It does not seem that they are Taking reservations for any date yet. I wonder if that means that the project is still in enough flux that they can't predict and opening?

[Nate99]

I just went to the website. It does not seem that they are Taking reservations for any date yet. I wonder if that means that the project is still in enough flux that they can't predict and opening?

 

Not sure if they have a date certain, but I did just get a bit of unexpected info on this.

 

The cashier lady that knows my order at Starbucks in the Chase tower said she was quitting and starting over there on Monday, so they are staffing up.

[Purpledevil]

Approximately 2 more months, give or take. Hiring is well under way.

[aarosurf]

Some floor plans linked below from http://planyourmeetings.com/27779/jw-marriott-downtown-houston/ .

 

Some interesting new information - they've restored Samuel F. Carter's original office:

 

[Subdude]

"It is Historically restored to it's beautiful grandeur is considered the heart of JW Marriott Houston Downtown as it resides nestled in the center of our hotel." 

 

 

Hire a copy editor, folks.

 

 

[Nate99]

"It is Historically restored to it's beautiful grandeur is considered the heart of JW Marriott Houston Downtown as it resides nestled in the center of our hotel." 

 

 

Hire a copy editor, folks.

 

It is written to be google translated in to many languages and still be semi-decipherable.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Nate99

[Texasota]

eh, but it barely even makes sense. And if nothing else, "it's" should be "its". There's no excuse for that.

[Specwriter]

It is written to be google translated in to many languages and still be semi-decipherable.

 

Give me a break. Is that crap supposed to appeal to an educated clientele? I agree with Texasota; it is (it's) hardly decipherable in the original, i.e. piss-poor English.

 

Here is my translation: Authentically restored to is historical grandeur, it holds pride of place in the center of the hotel. I could be even less florid and replace the last phrase with: it is located in the center of the hotel.

 

[Subdude]

 

Monet; inspired in the impressive art work accomplished in the impressionism era.

 

  Reads like a machine translation from the original language. 

 

 

The link contains some of the most turgid, cliche-ridden language I've ever seen in one place.

 

 

 

Think of it as well-placed awe. Preservation made powerfully relevant by bridging the past and present in a highly crafted experience that connects with all of the senses. 

Our commitment to art is a natural one, where every space — including our event venues — is carefully curated to create a uniquely local vibe. 

one that allows guests to immerse themselves in culturally genuine experiences. 

The culinary artisans and craft bartenders of Main Kitchen Restaurant and 806 Lounge draw inspiration from the local flavors and ingredients of Texas to present American comfort food and handcrafted cocktails with a creative twist.

We offer a crafted, coordinated approach to achieving well-being

[mollusk]

Yikes.  After reading that the old copy editor in me now needs a nice glass of gin, with a non creative twist of lime.

[Subdude]

Yikes.  After reading that the old copy editor in me now needs a nice glass of gin, with a non creative twist of lime.

 

That sounds like a highly crafted, curated experience.  

[mollusk]

That sounds like a highly crafted, curated experience.  

 

More like crafty and cured (in the sense of pickling).

[IronTiger]

Huh. I didn't know the uncanny valley effect extended to writing too. It sounds almost human, but not quite. 

[Nate99]

Give me a break. Is that crap supposed to appeal to an educated clientele? I agree with Texasota; it is (it's) hardly decipherable in the original, i.e. piss-poor English.

 

Here is my translation: Authentically restored to is historical grandeur, it holds pride of place in the center of the hotel. I could be even less florid and replace the last phrase with: it is located in the center of the hotel.

 

 

I was joking. It reads like an automated translation of something that was originally in some cartoon version of an Asian language to me.

 

They were aiming for something with all of that. They missed.

 

As for the building, more stone has gone up and they have installed nearly all of the glass on the lower three floors. The tunnel connection from BG Place/801 Travis is closed (and has been since May, but I missed that), and a "tunnel lounge" is in the renderings.

 

I'm still looking forward to seeing the interior, though less than I was before reading all of that mess.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Nate99

[Specwriter]

I was joking. It reads like an automated translation of something that was originally in some cartoon version of an Asian language to me.

 

They were aiming for something with all of that. They missed.

 

As for the building, more stone has gone up and they have installed nearly all of the glass on the lower three floors. The tunnel connection from BG Place/801 Travis is closed (and has been since May, but I missed that), and a "tunnel lounge" is in the renderings.

 

I'm still looking forward to seeing the interior, though less than I was before reading all of that mess.

Nate, I know you were joking. The fact is that sort of thing appears all to often in press releases, advertising brochures, etc. these days.

 

I agree the images look interesting. These may be really nice spaces. BTW, I have some owner's manuals for various household appliances and tools that were very poorly translated but are absolutely hilarious. I'm not saying I could do better and I don't mean to belittle the efforts of others but they do bring a smile to my face.

[lockmat]

I don't really care, but I ran across this and thought I'd pass it along...

 

BETHESDA, MD. - JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts is pleased to unveil Spa by JW. Created to demystify and re-imagine the spa experience, this new concept offers guests an intuitive experience that is luxurious yet purposeful with treatments and products designed to address four core benefit states: Calm, Indulge, Invigorate and Renew. The first Spa by JW will debut in September at the new JW Marriott Houston Downtown, followed by the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar in December, with more than 20 Spa by JWs in the pipeline. -

 

See more at: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/61579/jw-marriott-hotels-amp-resorts#sthash.GsAy9Fia.dpuf

[UtterlyUrban]

I don't really care, but I ran across this and thought I'd pass it along...

BETHESDA, MD. - JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts is pleased to unveil Spa by JW. Created to demystify and re-imagine the spa experience, this new concept offers guests an intuitive experience that is luxurious yet purposeful with treatments and products designed to address four core benefit states: Calm, Indulge, Invigorate and Renew. The first Spa by JW will debut in September at the new JW Marriott Houston Downtown, followed by the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar in December, with more than 20 Spa by JWs in the pipeline. -

See more at: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/61579/jw-marriott-hotels-amp-resorts#sthash.GsAy9Fia.dpuf

This is good news too.

It looks like they are positioning this hotel to compete favorably with the amenity package of the 4 Seasons.. The 4 Seasons (downtown) spa, is, in my opinion, functionally awkward. Perhaps this JW spa will be better conceived.

[Nate99]

High res of the elephant march photo...

 

[aarosurf]

If only they could reenact that for the grand opening.

[Urbannizer]

From today:

[mfastx]

Can see the new METRORail station in the lower part of that first pic... seems like that thing popped up pretty quick!  Nice work. 

[tigereye]

Can see the new METRORail station in the lower part of that first pic... seems like that thing popped up pretty quick! Nice work.

Of course a basic, bare-bones MetroRail shed will pop up quickly out of the ground. We could probably build that erector set ourselves.

No offense, just really pissed of at Metro and how they screwed up a great opportunity to add design & flair to our city.

Edited August 3, 2014 by tigereye

[IronTiger]

Well, it seems to me that the "skinny yellow building" part wasn't altered all that much. Honestly, it looks like they just repainted it.

[mollusk]

Well, it seems to me that the "skinny yellow building" part wasn't altered all that much. Honestly, it looks like they just repainted it.

 

Since it visually relates more to 801 Travis than 806 Main, reskinning it the way they did on the upper floors makes sense to me - it kinda makes it disappear.  It's a bit early to tell just what the bottom three floors are going to look like, though - they may end up relating more to 806.

[mfastx]

Of course a basic, bare-bones MetroRail shed will pop up quickly out of the ground. We could probably build that erector set ourselves.

No offense, just really pissed of at Metro and how they screwed up a great opportunity to add design & flair to our city.

 

Just noting that I hadn't noticed it under construction yet.  

 

And yeah, personally, I'd prefer the rail system to be underground but whatever.  It'll serve the hotel nicely. 

[Purdueenginerd]

High res of the elephant march photo...

 

 

 

Whats the source/history behind this photo? I'd like to add it to historypin.com

 

Great shot...

[Purpledevil]

Well, it seems to me that the "skinny yellow building" part wasn't altered all that much. Honestly, it looks like they just repainted it.

IronTiger, I'm shooting you a PM.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Purpledevil

[cloud713]

Of course a basic, bare-bones MetroRail shed will pop up quickly out of the ground. We could probably build that erector set ourselves.

No offense, just really pissed of at Metro and how they screwed up a great opportunity to add design & flair to our city.

Just noting that I hadn't noticed it under construction yet.  

 

And yeah, personally, I'd prefer the rail system to be underground but whatever.  It'll serve the hotel nicely. 

hes referring to the design competition METRO held with 5 different proposals of what the "Central Station" could look like. much different than the METRO canopies. these were very grand and elaborate designs that would of been a focal point for the central station/meeting ground between the cities main rail intersection. they even went so far as to choose a winner. and then decided it was too expensive... ugh. im really pissed about that too tigereye.

http://swamplot.com/how-metro-let-an-international-design-competition-for-houstons-new-central-station-go-down-the-drain/2013-11-22/