AUSTIN | Aloft Austin & Element Hotel Downtown | 328 FEET | 31 FLOORS | Complete

[MichaelB]

It's really decent! I think we are lucking out with this brand. We're getting their better designs for one of Starwoods lesser brands.
I like how they approached congress.!!!! Brought warmth to the historic surroundings and appropriately stepped back the glass tower.

Unfortunate we will see a rather plain wall on the south side…. but once again, they have to build with the expectation that another highrise could eventually be built on the south side. They simply arn't going to invest in something that could get covered up.

I'll bet on this one getting built. I don't think Starwood would have gone this far down the road without proper analysis INCLUDING the Fairmont.

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

I'm assuming this is the same project that was just revealed to be the Aloft Hotel? Mods, will you do the retitling honors? and perhaps someone with madd computer skillz can post some of those renderings for us!

Here are a few that weren't already posted...

[MichaelB]

notice from the north elevation this is a combo brand.
"Element " is tucked behind Aloft.!

[jngreenlee]

I see that place called 'Restaurant Restaurant' as corner/ground retail. Is that a real name?

[sammyk]

Originally Posted by jngreenlee

I see that place called 'Restaurant Restaurant' as corner/ground retail. Is that a real name?

Looks like a placeholder for a restaurant name facing different streets.

[Syndic]

Wow. This instantly became one of the most exciting projects in Austin. I love how they made a conscious effort to incorporate the lines of the rest of the buildings on the street into their own so that it fits in with its environment and activate the street in multiple ways (I love balconies).

To those of you talking about the market, I think Austinites need to move into a different mindset. There's supply and demand and then there's competition. We don't think we're good enough for competition, but maybe we are. This would be a popular hotel, no matter what other buildings get built. The location and sexiness of it would give it an appeal of its own. And don't forget that there are different markets. The Fairmont is going to be incredibly expensive. J.W. Marriott probably moderately less so, but still really high. It all depends on what price level we're talking about here. Not to mention that if it's between this and The Fairmont and J.W. Marriott and this is $10-20 cheaper? Wouldn't you stay here instead? I might choose Aloft above the others even if they're the same price because of the location/surroundings. It's more central. And, I mean, for God's sake, look at it! It's beautiful!

[lzppjb]

I agree. It's not like these hotels need to be at capacity to turn a profit. How many people decide to stay in San Marcos when COTA's big weekend hits? Think of the big conventions we will be attracting, practically year-round. I think we can handle more hotels.

Any idea how many rooms this will be? Add in Fairmont, IHG and Magellan...let the hotel games begin!

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

Any idea how many rooms this will be? Add in Fairmont, IHG and Magellan...let the hotel games begin!

450 rooms according to this article from January:
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...ss-avenue.html

[lzppjb]

Duh...450 in the OP.

JW Marriott 1012
Fairmont 1054
Aloft 450
Van Zandt 308
IHG 180-200
Zaza 160
Magellan ???

That's 3,164 - 3,184 not counting Magellan. Intense.

[KevinFromTexas]

The Westin on 4th Street will have around 300. I would imagine the Magellan one would have 150 to 200 easily. And that's not even counting the hotel at Green and the Waller Park Place hotel, or that 14-story one on East Avenue.

[East7thStreet]

The IHG will have 298 rooms total. The Westin will have 366.

That brings the total (without Magellan, Kimber Modern, or Homewood Suites) to 3,648. Probably over 4,000 when you add the others.

[lzppjb]

Ok, I looked at the permit for IHG and it says 294. Was there another update where they added 4? I got the 180-200 from the first post in that thread.


JW Marriott 1012
Fairmont 1054
Aloft 450
Westin 366
Van Zandt 308
IHG 294
Zaza 160
Magellan ???

Total 3,644

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

Ok, I looked at the permit for IHG and it says 294. Was there another update where they added 4? I got the 180-200 from the first post in that thread.


JW Marriott 1012
Fairmont 1054
Aloft 450
Westin 366
Van Zandt 308
IHG 294
Zaza 160
Magellan ???

Total 3,644

Emerging Projects shows IHG as being a 164 room Holiday Inn Express and a 134 room Hotel Indigo, so that would be 298 rooms. Also, the 308 rooms for the Hotel Van Zandt was the original mixed-use plan that would have included 55 condos. The current plans call for 326 rooms.

So I come up with:

JW Marriott 1012
Fairmont 1054
Aloft 450
Westin 366
Van Zandt 326
IHG 298
Zaza 160
------------------
3,666 rooms.

3,666 rooms would represent 1,338,090 room-nights per year.

One of the recent articles about the Fairmont stated:

The hotel could help Austin attract additional convention center business and meet pent up demand, according to a market analysis performed for Manchester Financial by Hospitality Valuation Services. From 2006 to 2012, Austin lost an average of more than 1.3 million room nights per year because it didn't have enough rooms downtown, the survey found.

We also have to remember that the Fairmont is expected to take 32 months to complete. If it were to start construction by May 1, it wouldn't be finished until early January of 2017. That's nearly three years from now. It's not like all these hotels are going to be opening at the same time.

BTW, did anyone else notice that the Aloft is the third hotel to have those random vertical lines on the facade, like the JW Marriott and the Westin?

[hookem]

I think even with all the new downtown hotels, the demand will remain strong enough to cover them. What will take the first hit (and be the canary in the coal mine) will be the chain motels outside of downtown. Right now, they are enjoying higher occupancy and much higher rates than they would have in other cities (especially during big events), and that's going to go first.

The new hotels downtown will just provide the needed option for these visitors to be able to stay in a primo location. And the increase in concentration of visitors downtown should help businesses.

That said, not sure how nice it will be for downtown residents with all the new hotels coming up. I'm not sure I want a downtown full of tourists every day -- it would be like living on the Vegas strip. Luckily there are a number of condo and apartment towers going up too...

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

Emerging Projects shows IHG as being a 164 room Holiday Inn Express and a 134 room Hotel Indigo, so that would be 298 rooms. Also, the 308 rooms for the Hotel Van Zandt was the original mixed-use plan that would have included 55 condos. The current plans call for 326 rooms.

So I come up with:

JW Marriott 1012
Fairmont 1054
Aloft 450
Westin 366
Van Zandt 326
IHG 298
Zaza 160
------------------
3,666 rooms.

3,666 rooms would represent 1,338,090 room-nights per year.

One of the recent articles about the Fairmont stated:




We also have to remember that the Fairmont is expected to take 32 months to complete. If it were to start construction by May 1, it wouldn't be finished until early January of 2017. That's nearly three years from now. It's not like all these hotels are going to be opening at the same time.

BTW, did anyone else notice that the Aloft is the third hotel to have those random vertical lines on the facade, like the JW Marriott and the Westin?

Ok. That makes sense with the IHG number.

And great job with that 1.3 million nights fact. That keeps me optimistic about all of these projects.

[ATXboom]

Don't forget 11 story hotel indigo

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

And that's not even counting the hotel at Green and the Waller Park Place hotel, or that 14-story one on East Avenue.

Preliminary plans (according to the emerging projects) are Green - 200 rooms and Waller Park Place Hotel 150 rooms.

What 14-story hotel is going up on East Avenue? The only hotel proposed for East Avenue that I know of is the Kimber Modern Rainey. That one is only 4 stories and is planned to have about 30 rooms.

Originally Posted by ATXboom

Don't forget 11 story hotel indigo

It's already listed. IHG is the 11 story Holiday Inn Express (164 rooms)/Hotel Indigo (134 rooms) project (298 rooms total)

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

Don't forget 11 story hotel indigo

I believe that is the IHG along with Holidy Inn Express.

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

What 14-story hotel is going up on East Avenue? The only hotel proposed for East Avenue that I know of is the Kimber Modern Rainey. That one is only 4 stories and is planned to have about 30 rooms.

http://austintowers.net/another-down...iney-district/

[LoneStarMike]

^^ Thanks! I don't know how I missed that one.

Another thing I like about this 7th & Congress project is it's surrounded on 3 sides by older historical buildings. Stephen F. Austin Hotel to the north, the Littlefield Building to the south, and the Driskill Hotel Annex to the east. I like to see old and new mixed up.

As far as that blank wall goes, I could see something rectangular built between it and the Littlefield Building. The longer side could face Congress Avenue, while the shorter sides would face the Aloft's blank wall and that blank area on the back side of the Littlefield Building.


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