Birmingham Development News - Page 11

sabre0link · #**201** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 6:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazer85

The crane you've seen just east of the Red Mtn Expressway is actually Craneworks (a place where you get cranes), so it's just an advertisement rather than a development.

Ahhh... Maybe I had seen it before, just that night I couldn't read anything on it? Haha... Well, at least they have tower cranes in B'ham.. heh. :\

---

Re: New Hotel...

I'm sitting here refreshing numerous news pages waiting for something to show up. lol. Sad!

Sulley · #**202** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:33 PM**

Me too. I haven't heard a THING about it.

Speaking of hotels, you guys must check out the renovated Sheraton.

It's trendy... and all of the furniture actually matches!!!

SouthSky · #**203** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:43 PM**

So, any word on this new hotel? If no, please someone post a news link whenever possible after it comes out. Thanks in advance.

I'm pulling for a new name... big money no whammies

sabre0link · #**204** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:43 PM**

No brand announced....

The company Harbert is teaming with is Concord Hospitality... www.concordhotels.com They mainly have Mariotts, but they have a Radisson under their name... Could they be bringing Radisson back (since Doubletree replaced the other one)? Could they be bringing a Renaissance (Mariott property) to downtown (Ross Bridge is the present Renaissance property) or will they go outside what they have elsewhere in their portfolio? Otherwise, most of the choices are the "value" level, and/or they already exist in the area... the only one that doesn't, in their portfolio, is Radisson...

From: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/business/

Raleigh firm to join Harbert on hotel project
Posted by Birmingham News business staff April 30, 2007 2:26 PM
Categories: Business

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Co. of Raleigh, N.C., is teaming with Harbert Realty Services to replace the old Regions Financial Corp. headquarters downtown with a luxury hotel, the companies said today.

Officials said negotiations are not complete on the brand of the hotel that will be placed in the 17-story building at Fifth Avenue and 20th Street North.

Concord operates 49 hotels with 6,100 rooms in 11 states and Canada, with combined annual revenue topping $200 million, according to the company's Web site. It operate hotels under banners including Renaissance, Marriott, Holiday Inn and Radisson.

Birmingham's Hoar Construction and the Goodwyn Mills & Cawood architecture firm, also are involved in the project.

Harbert Realty is one of the companies tied to Birmingham businessman Raymond Harbert.

Dawn Kent

Blazer85 · #**205** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:50 PM**

Quote:

It operate hotels under banners including Renaissance, Marriott, Holiday Inn and Radisson.

If it is to come of that list, I hope and believe it clearly won't be a Holiday Inn.

Radisson recently left the downtown area (where DoubleTree now is), so I can't imagine it's them unless they wanted a new start in another section of downtown.

Could be Renaissance or Marriott I suppose. Seems like actually a fairly uneventful press conference if those are the only details released.

sabre0link · #**206** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazer85

If it is to come of that list, I hope and believe it clearly won't be a Holiday Inn.

Radisson recently left the downtown area (where DoubleTree now is), so I can't imagine it's them unless they wanted a new start in another section of downtown.

Could be Renaissance or Marriott I suppose. Seems like actually a fairly uneventful press conference if those are the only details released.

Yeah, I added into my post above with some similar writings...

Possibly full service Mariott? Since the Residence Inn (by Mariott) is being constructed next to Doubletree, I'd think Mariott would have a little stipulation over similar brands in proximity to each other (a Hilton and a Hampton Inn within distance is no issue, different target market...), so no Residence Inn or Courtyard or any of the other Mariott partners (Fairfield, etc)...

*has an idea about a graphic* Hmm... *zooms off to work on that*

Sulley · #**207** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 7:58 PM**

It's probably a Hairy-ott.

They build Marriotts next to each other all the time... so this is no biggie.

Blazer85 · #**208** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:03 PM**

I know clearly not all hotels look alike, but I just don't see a Marriott going in that 17-story tower. It's certainly possible, but not many of their hotels are that size... even full-service ones. Same goes for Radisson. There are always exceptions to the rule, but that's a mighty large facility for those hotel brands it would seem.

sabre0link · #**209** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:11 PM**

Could they put retail on the street level?

Also, I know that building is small/whatever, but... Could it be a Marquis?

http://marriott.com/hotels/hotel-pho...riott-marquis/

The NYC Marquis looks similar (sans the bowed deal at the base of the tower)...

http://marriott.com/hotels/hotel-pho...-times-square/

Granted, apparently, it'd be the 3rd Marquis hotel.... so not likely?

It'd be nice....

Blazer85 · #**210** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:16 PM**

They had said it would have a spa, ballrooms, and a restaurant... probably the resaurant might be on the ground floor. Documents indicate the building is about 240,000 square feet. So that seems quite large, again, for just 255 units (even if it includes a spa, ballroom, and a restaurant).

In any event, the Birmingham Business Journal article states that it will be a 4-star hotel. This would be the 2nd new 4-star hotel to be planned downtown... the other being the Federal Reserve Tower.

But this leads me to another question... are most Marriotts or Radissons 4-star hotels? I'm thinking not. Renaissance may be. Justin probably knows more about this than me from his knowledge of the hotel industry.

Blazer85 · #**211** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:33 PM**

BTW... Innovation Depot officially opened today as well.

sabre0link · #**212** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:41 PM**

From a few seconds of Google searching.... Mariott, Mariott Marquis, JW Mariott, Radisson... and even Renaissance.. have 4 star hotels.. however I couldn't find a hotel in B'ham over 3 stars... And the Wynfrey wasn't ranked.

And here's an article on not believing any of the star stuff.... http://www.usatoday.com/travel/colum...grossman_x.htm

Meh. I need to head to work anyway.

Blazer85 · #**213** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 8:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabre0link

From a few seconds of Google searching.... Mariott, Mariott Marquis, JW Mariott, Radisson... and even Renaissance.. have 4 star hotels.. however I couldn't find a hotel in B'ham over 3 stars... And the Wynfrey wasn't ranked.

And here's an article on not believing any of the star stuff.... http://www.usatoday.com/travel/colum...grossman_x.htm

Meh. I need to head to work anyway.

Yeah, I knew a few of them that were (especially the Marriott Marquis and JW Marriott), but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule for both the standard Marriott and the Radisson.

DruidCity · #**214** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 9:21 PM**

Sulley or anyone else familiar with hotels, any opinions of new chains "Cambria Suites" (Choice Hotels Group) and "Hyatt Place" ?

The latter apparently has 2 in the Hoover area: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/place/about/coming-soon.jsp

Blazer85 · #**215** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 9:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DruidCity

Sulley or anyone else familiar with hotels, any opinions of new chains "Cambria Suites" (Choice Hotels Group) and "Hyatt Place" ?

The latter apparently has 2 in the Hoover area: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/place/about/coming-soon.jsp

I don't know much about them, but I think there's a 6-story Hyatt Place planned for midtown in Birmingham.

nimsjus · #**216** Posted **Apr 30, 2007, 10:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazer85

But this leads me to another question... are most Marriotts or Radissons 4-star hotels? I'm thinking not. Renaissance may be. Justin probably knows more about this than me from his knowledge of the hotel industry.

Mobile recently added two Renaissance 4 star hotels. The old Riverview ( http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/mo...w-plaza-hotel/ ) is currently being renovated and the BattleHouse Hotel ( http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/mo...issance-hotel/ ) is also being rennovated. Both have the ballroom,spa, restaraunt type ammenities you are talking about and I believe they would be comparable in size/room numbers.

Blazer85 · #**217** Posted **May 1, 2007, 3:32 AM**

Tentative street-level rendering (looks very nice, I might add)...

Some more of the details...

Estimated cost: $52 million

Construction start: Mid 2008

Construction end: 2009

Other details: Current parking deck associated with the building is expected to be doubled in size. The former Regions HQ building still holds about 400 office workers now. Not sure where they'll be relocated to, but this is to take place before mid 2008.

Blazer85 · #**218** Posted **May 1, 2007, 3:53 AM**

BTW... while we're on this explosion of hotel developments downtown, apparently Radisson IS planning to build another hotel downtown.

It will be on 20th Street somewhere on the Southside. I'm not sure why they left the previous location unless it was either too large or too small for their purposes... or maybe they just wanted a change.

In any event, I wonder if the proposed Radisson for 20th Street is associated with that Corporate Realty development proposed for 20th Street or if this is altogether different.

At the same time, this news would seem to dispel any possibility that the hotel conversion at the old Regions HQ would be a Radisson.

Sulley · #**219** Posted **May 1, 2007, 4:27 AM**

Where did you hear about the new Radission?

BTW, Radisson had nothing to do with their old proptery's re-flagging. That was entirely up to the franchisee.

Interesting rendering.

sabre0link · #**220** Posted **May 1, 2007, 7:39 AM**

Ok, my graphic is made...

I did this so I could see if my thoughts were right, and it seems they are...

I noticed the proposals and current hotels all seemed to be on one or two streets, so I put it on a graphic, and thus the result.

Thanks to a bit of research I had to do, I learned that once-upon-a-time, most of B'hams hotels were constructed on 5th Ave... which appears to be what we are returning to, as well, but it is to spread the hotels out a bit more in the city (that and available land...); most of the hotels center around 20th St... a nice long spur... Which, to me, means that something is right for developers to continue this trend, and with the fleshing out around 5th Ave N, that trend is starting to spread...

Now to just continue that trend and flow into other areas as well.