AUSTIN | Fairmont Hotel | 595 FEET SPIRE/456 FT ROOF | 37 FLRS | Complete

[KevinFromTexas]

1,035 rooms
115,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space

http://www.statesman.com/business/se...n-1558983.html

Second developer said to be working on downtown convention hotel plan

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 10:16 p.m. Thursday, June 23, 2011
Published: 9:39 p.m. Thursday, June 23, 2011

Austin developers Perry Lorenz and Robert Knight say they have a prospective developer who wants to build a second convention hotel on land they own at the northeast corner of Red River and Cesar Chavez streets east of the Austin Convention Center.

The hotel would have more than 1,000 rooms and require no city subsidies, Lorenz said Thursday.

Lorenz said he had met recently with most Austin City Council members about the new project — a potential rival to a proposed 1,003-room high-rise Marriott Marquis hotel on Congress Avenue.

City Council Member Bill Spelman said the emergence of a second potential project led the council on Thursday to postpone until next week a vote on $4.3 million in fee waivers for White Lodging Services Inc., which would develop the Marriott.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...conventio.html

San Diego firm plans convention hotel in Austin

By Shonda Novak | Friday, June 24, 2011, 11:53 AM

A San Diego firm that develops and manages high-profile hotel and convention center properties plans to build a 1,035-room hotel in the Waller Creek area just east of the Austin Convention Center.

The hotel would be built on land that is now a parking lot at the northeast corner of Red River and Cesar Chavez streets. It is owned by local developers Perry Lorenz and Robert Knight.

Manchester Texas Financial Group would develop the hotel. Its parent, San Diego-based Manchester Financial Group, contributed the land for the San Diego Convention Center and built the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego, which have a combined 3,000 rooms.

Gensler, an international architecture firm that has worked with brands including Ritz-Carlton, Starwood and Hilton, will design the project. Gensler has an Austin office in the new W hotel project downtown.

[KevinFromTexas]

For a lack of a better way of doing it, I used the company's name for the project's name. Once they pick a hotel brand we can change the name.

[Austinite101]

Hey I just read an article saying that the developers are planning for a 50-story hotel...

[Austinite101]

[BevoLJ]

http://www.statesman.com/business/sa...e=rss_business

[Downtown_Austin]

I really, really hope the building sports the blue-ish hue depicted in the rendering. The rendering seems to show lots and lots of glass, but it's difficult to tell what's holding that glass in. I will be pissed if this potentially great building turns out to be dominantly brown or beige. Just as I will be pissed if they skimp on the design of cap of the building - that should be as grand as can be.

This design... i'm ambivalent. Sure, the drama of the rendering's perspective had me at hello. As did the alignment with Waller Creek. As did its height.

But, I'm not completely sold on the design. From the few images we have, something about the design just doesn't seem timeless. Maybe it's the slightly trapezoidal floorplate. Maybe it's the slab between each floor, louvered, ribbed, and non-functional... similar to futuristic designs from the '50s. It's got a slightly retro-Jetson's thing going on.

I'm definitely optimistic, but I'm eager to see more renderings and models.

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

http://www.statesman.com/business/sa...e=rss_business

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Downtown_Austin

It's got a slightly retro-Jetson's thing going on.

Nailed it.

[the Genral]

I'm hoping this and White Lodging along with the Airport expansion will spur the need for more office highrise construction. All the pieces are coming together for outside businesses to move to Austin who need 4 and 5 star accomodations for their clients and a big enough airport to get them here directly.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by the Genral

I'm hoping this and White Lodging along with the Airport expansion will spur the need for more office highrise construction. All the pieces are coming together for outside businesses to move to Austin who need 4 and 5 star accomodations for their clients and a big enough airport to get them here directly.

That's correct.

I hope ABIA has a plan to build a second terminal that will accommodate the new Boeing 787s and have a real port of entry station for direct foreign flights (Europe, Asia, South America).

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Downtown_Austin

I really, really hope the building sports the blue-ish hue depicted in the rendering. The rendering seems to show lots and lots of glass, but it's difficult to tell what's holding that glass in. I will be pissed if this potentially great building turns out to be dominantly brown or beige. Just as I will be pissed if they skimp on the design of cap of the building - that should be as grand as can be.

This design... i'm ambivalent. Sure, the drama of the rendering's perspective had me at hello. As did the alignment with Waller Creek. As did its height.

But, I'm not completely sold on the design. From the few images we have, something about the design just doesn't seem timeless. Maybe it's the slightly trapezoidal floorplate. Maybe it's the slab between each floor, louvered, ribbed, and non-functional... similar to futuristic designs from the '50s. It's got a slightly retro-Jetson's thing going on.

I'm definitely optimistic, but I'm eager to see more renderings and models.

I have always assumed this was a very prelim/fundraising rendering. Designed to excite but not necessarily inform. The Blue....most likely a silver with the blue from the sky reflected in it. Natures dramatic lighting! LOL! The next massing images we have seen have already lost the angle in the middle of the building. As you well know, odd angles and curves=$.

[MightyYoda]

Originally Posted by Downtown_Austin

I really, really hope the building sports the blue-ish hue depicted in the rendering. The rendering seems to show lots and lots of glass, but it's difficult to tell what's holding that glass in. I will be pissed if this potentially great building turns out to be dominantly brown or beige. Just as I will be pissed if they skimp on the design of cap of the building - that should be as grand as can be.

This design... i'm ambivalent. Sure, the drama of the rendering's perspective had me at hello. As did the alignment with Waller Creek. As did its height.

But, I'm not completely sold on the design. From the few images we have, something about the design just doesn't seem timeless. Maybe it's the slightly trapezoidal floorplate. Maybe it's the slab between each floor, louvered, ribbed, and non-functional... similar to futuristic designs from the '50s. It's got a slightly retro-Jetson's thing going on.

I'm definitely optimistic, but I'm eager to see more renderings and models.

Finally created an account! I have looked at the second renderings in more detail and the second fox image shows a curve to the building if you look closely. Part of the first image may be the upwards/dramatic angle. If you compare the perspectives, everything lines up and it seems to only have the curve on one side. I do agree the building looks slightly bulkier in the low quality renderings and hopefully height is not reduced or could make that worse. It is hard to say how it will look when it is finished, but I don't think the design has been changed and at least they want it to be "architecturally" significant. My greatest concern is if they cut height or "forget" the green roofs.

[KevinFromTexas]

OMG.

http://www.statesman.com/business/sa...inglePage=true

San Diego developer plans 50-story hotel east of Austin Convention Center

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:26 p.m. Friday, June 24, 2011
Published: 10:36 p.m. Friday, June 24, 2011


GENSLER
This rendering shows the downtown hotel planned by Manchester Financial Group. It would include 115,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, plus two restaurants and retail space.

A San Diego hotel developer plans to build a $350 million hotel with more than 50 stories and 1,035 rooms east of the Austin Convention Center. The hotel would be built on land now used for parking at the northeast corner of Red River and Cesar Chavez streets, near Waller Creek.

Manchester Texas Financial Group could find itself in competition with White Lodging Services Corp., which plans a 1,003-room Marriott Marquis hotel on Congress Avenue between Second and Third streets.

Douglas Manchester, founder and chairman of Manchester Financial Group, said Friday that the project has been going "at a pretty fast speed" and that he anticipates starting construction in the next 12 months. The project would take at least 18 to 24 months to build, he said. He said Manchester Financial can put the required equity into the project and attract the loans to complete it.

[Austinite101]

I like the design. It would go well with a certain 830 ft. tower near by......

[Austinite101]

Is there any chance that the developers of both hotels cooperate?

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

I like the design. It would go well with a certain 830 ft. tower near by......

Who Tom Stacy???? I doubt it

[austin242]

Ok forget the marriott marquis just sayin.

[verybadgnome]

So this project is in the Waller Creek floodplain, correct? So the only reason it is happening is b/c of the taxpayer-funded floodplain abatement projects that are going forward, right? If so I don't think the project deserves any fee waivers at all; or at least they should be paying for their share of the necessary infrastructure improvements.

[KevinFromTexas]

I count 51 floors.

[DougRockstead]

Is the project the same project that was listed as the "constellation/ Red River" project on the City of Austin Emerging Projects poster? (#39 on the list)

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/downtown/...ter_sept07.pdf