KinkaidAlum Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 The Westin looks cheap.I wonder at what price point they are going to try and sell the residences for?I simply don't think there's a market for these residences. Imagine living next to a major hospital located alongside a sprawling freeway dotted with big box stores and terrible traffic. The Westin tends to be a nice chain, so I can't imagine these will be affordable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I'm not crazy about the design of this Westin, either, but it could be worse (considering what's next door). For some reason, Houston hotel architecture tends to have an on-the-cheap look compared to properties managed by the same chains elsewhere. But ... I suppose if the audience for Houston hotels demanded more, nicer ones would be designed and built. (Side comment: I've always thought it was a shame that -- especially with our subtropical climate -- hotel pool areas here are small and situated in bleak concrete spaces, completely uninviting. The only exception I can think of would be the pool that once existed at the old Shamrock Hotel.)I assume if the developers continue with the plan to have some of the Westin space allocated to condos, their most likely demographic would be well-to-do Memorial-area residents who are getting older and might appreciate proximity to a major health-care facility. I would have considered that for my own parents, if it had been there earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 There are several good pool hotels around town;1) The Omni- a really cool setting with a beautiful lawn and a pond adjacent to it2) The Granduca- backs up to the bayou3) ZaZa- overlooks Hermann Park and offers cabana service4) Four Seasons- Downtown but posh5) Hilton Americas- it's all about the view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringShadows Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Everything that's gone up in this area has been criticized right up until completion. Everyone eventually warmed up to the Crown for the most part. Wait until it's all done, I bet it looks like a million bucks. I saw many similar building styles in Dubai where a part of town "matched" if you would, and it looked amazing.The new Memorial City Bank looks awesome, the Condo Project is really coming together, I love the consistent "wave" building top design we see on the new building by the condos, the mall and the Westin... just wait. I bet it all comes together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livincinco Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Everything that's gone up in this area has been criticized right up until completion. Everyone eventually warmed up to the Crown for the most part. Wait until it's all done, I bet it looks like a million bucks. I saw many similar building styles in Dubai where a part of town "matched" if you would, and it looked amazing.The new Memorial City Bank looks awesome, the Condo Project is really coming together, I love the consistent "wave" building top design we see on the new building by the condos, the mall and the Westin... just wait. I bet it all comes together. It is not keeping with the spirit of this forum to praise any new construction. Especially true if said construction occurs outside the loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Man Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 There's quite a bit of cool new construction outside the loop, and outside the beltway too, for that matter. However, I don't think this building falls into the cool category. The massing is chunky, there's not enough articulation, and the spire looks like an afterthought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pm91 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 i heard the hotel on this project lost funding.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 i heard the hotel on this project lost funding..I've been wondering about the Westin. I drive out past it pretty much every Saturday morning and there has been no apparent progress for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringShadows Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 i heard the hotel on this project lost funding..No way. There are guys pulling windows on the Hospital and the Hotel daily. I'm thinking there was a problem and they weren't installed properly. If you look at the bottom floors on the hotel you can see progress and the upper floors have different windows pulled daily. The hospital had the same lag time about midway and it was due to waiting for all the glass for the crown. This may be the case with this building as well as the top of the hotel has completely different windows.I don't think financing would stop the construction of a multi-million dollar hotel this far into it's completion. There has already been way too much spent at this point. This isn't like abandoning a gas station or bank half way through construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pm91 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 see that's what i was thinking! when this person told me that i immediately started saying that and he was just like" i dont know, i dont know" glad its still going. plus its wierd for a W to lose funding anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringShadows Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I confirmed it this weekend, my wife's doctor said the windows had problems with their seals and every window had to be replaced for both buildings.She said that if we get pregnant now, the baby would be born in "The Tower". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gto250us Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 You all have been wondering what it at the top of the new Hermann Memorial building. Well here is a picture taken the other day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Is that the Burger King on the table? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducks Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Seems to me construction really has grinded to a halt on the hotel. Bad windows or not, you could still be doing other work and there's not a person on the site. They are, however, working on the sky walk over Gessner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Seems to me construction really has grinded to a halt on the hotel. Bad windows or not, you could still be doing other work and there's not a person on the site. They are, however, working on the sky walk over Gessner.I think you're right about the hotel, Ducks. And they don't appear to be doing anything with the windows in the hotel building, contrary to earlier reports on this board. The hotel looks exactly like the picture from back in April earlier in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringShadows Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I think you're right about the hotel, Ducks. And they don't appear to be doing anything with the windows in the hotel building, contrary to earlier reports on this board. The hotel looks exactly like the picture from back in April earlier in this thread.35 story tower is complete.The hotel has now made a ton of progress in the past 3 weeks, look at the top story, or even look across the street from Target. There dozens of workers visible every day on that building. Not to mention they've added dozens of windows on the bottom floor in the past few days alone.The sky walk is now 2 times longer than it was 2 weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdog08 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 35 story tower is complete.The hotel has now made a ton of progress in the past 3 weeks, look at the top story, or even look across the street from Target. There dozens of workers visible every day on that building. Not to mention they've added dozens of windows on the bottom floor in the past few days alone.The sky walk is now 2 times longer than it was 2 weeks ago.Where does the skywalk connect to now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Where does the skywalk connect to now?Right now it's the walkway of death. it's heading towards the mall, but can't quite picture where it's going to connect.I keep picturing a real life version of the game "Lemmings" creatures falling off the end of that thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasdago Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Right now it's the walkway of death. it's heading towards the mall, but can't quite picture where it's going to connect.I keep picturing a real life version of the game "Lemmings" creatures falling off the end of that thing.The tower will be open by the end of the year... most likely first week of December. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asubrt Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 The Westin is set to open September 1, 2010.http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?language=en_US&propertyID=3108 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shasta Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 The Westin is set to open September 1, 2010.http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?language=en_US&propertyID=3108Wow, MetroNational really strung this project out for way more than a year and a half and still couldn't find a way to get the condo portion to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I confirmed it this weekend, my wife's doctor said the windows had problems with their seals and every window had to be replaced for both buildings.She said that if we get pregnant now, the baby would be born in "The Tower".It was much worse than that. The curtain wall did not perform well at all during Hurricane Ike. I was told there was several million dollars worth of damage to drywall, floors and ceilings. That is why every window has to be removed and reinstalled............correctly. Like one of my old foreman's used to tell me. There's always enough money in the job to do it right the second time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringShadows Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 FYI, the Tower had the lights on this morning. Very impressive, 2 solid blue lines up each side of the glass cylinder. The I-10 obelisk markers were also lit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 FYI, the Tower had the lights on this morning. Very impressive, 2 solid blue lines up each side of the glass cylinder. The I-10 obelisk markers were also lit.Saw them on Sunday night. Looked pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gto250us Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Yee Haw, the juice is on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porTENT Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Much like the Williams tower this tower looks great in North-South axis profiles. I have nicknamed this building the "Fabergé Egg" building. It will be nice period/background piece in the years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonartstudent Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Saw them on Sunday night. Looked pretty cool. Got this picture yesterday evening from the Hobby Lobby/Home Depot parking lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Can Houston do anything besides boxy, beige, and twenty-something to thirty stories???????????No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtticaFlinch Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 No.Not entirely true. We can do boxy, beige, and twenty-something to thirty stories with a crown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 6, 2009 Author Share Posted November 6, 2009 Just a photo I took a quick shot while I was in the area from the freeway. Oh yeah. I got a new camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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