AUSTIN | JW Marriott Convention Center Hotel | 408 FT | 34 FLOORS | T.O.

[KevinFromTexas]

This would be Austin's 2nd convention center hotel. It'll be located across the street from the Austonian.

1,003 rooms
27 to 30 floors

It would be Austin's largest hotel. It would be one of the tallest hotels in the city, maybe the tallest.

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

Developer revives Congress Avenue convention hotel

By Shonda Novak | Friday, June 17, 2011, 12:51 PM

White Lodging Services Corp. intends to start construction in about nine months on a 1,003-room Marriott Marquis convention hotel on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, and the city will consider waiving up to $4.3 million in development-related fees for the project, which had been shelved during the recession.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Deno Yiankes, president and CEO of investment and development for Indiana-based White Lodging. “To be this close and hopefully be in a position to start this is very exciting, not only for us but for the city.” The hotel would be the city’s largest.

Yiankes said the building’s height is still to be determined, but it could rise between 27 and 30 stories. The hotel would have about 103,000 feet of banquet and meeting space, and would take about 32 months to build, he said.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...-downtown.html

Plans back on for 1,000-room downtown Marriott

Austin Business Journal
Date: Friday, June 17, 2011, 1:47pm CDT - Last Modified: Friday, June 17, 2011, 2:03pm CDT

Plans to build Austin's largest downtown hotel are apparently back on the table, according to reports on Friday.

White Lodging Corp. said last year it would shelve plans for a 1,000-room, $185-million Marriott hotel on Congress Avenue and Second Street. But an Austin American-Statesman report quoted officials saying construction will begin in about nine months.

[KevinFromTexas]

Here are all the renderings I've saved of it so far of the current design (2013).





























Some screen caps of the renderings from this link:

Video Link

[KevinFromTexas]

Old design:


White Lodging Services - http://www.whitelodging.com/

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/mar...t-1556003.html

Marriott deal is worth the wait
Editorial Board

Published: 6:48 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Austin needs the rooms, jobs and income the planned Marriott Marquis hotel project would generate. And the proposed deal does not require the city to put up tax dollars as incentives. It's a good deal with minimal risk to taxpayers. Nonetheless, Mayor Lee Leffingwell is right to ask that today's scheduled City Council vote be delayed by a week.

White Lodging Services Corp. had postponed plans for the hotel, on Congress Avenue between Second and Third streets, since 2008 as the economy plummeted. Some might remember that the site was home to the beloved Las Manitas restaurant, which closed its doors and has not reopened. White Lodging wants to start construction in nine months, and a delay will not upset that timetable. An extra week would help Austin residents get a better idea of what the project is and what it is not.

The hotel project is not another deal in which the city is giving away financial incentives in the way of public dollars or tax abatements to private companies that move to Austin. What the city is doing in this case is waiving $4.3 million in development-related fees to White Lodging. So the city won't be putting up public dollars, but rather waiving fees it otherwise would have collected.

[KevinFromTexas]

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

Council kicks convention hotel incentives to special June 28 meeting

By Shonda Novak | Thursday, June 23, 2011, 12:59 PM

The Austin City Council today postponed until next week a vote on $4.3 million in fee waivers for a development firm to build a 1,003-room convention hotel on Congress Avenue.

The proposal now has been set for a special meeting next Wednesday — the first one for newly elected Council Member Kathie Tovo, who will be sworn in Tuesday.

But Heather Way, an affordable housing advocate, said she has made a request that the vote be postponed.

Way contends that the zoning request is a way for developers to bypass an interim city ordinance that in part aims to increase the stock of more moderately priced housing downtown. The ordinance requires developers seeking additional height and square footage in their proposed projects to include public benefits, such as affordable housing, or pay a fee in lieu into a city affordable housing fund, or for other community benefits.

[KevinFromTexas]

By the way, originally I had heard it would have 1,016 rooms, but the current number being quoted in articles seems to be 1,003 rooms.

[KevinFromTexas]

And...apparently they have some competition. A 2nd convention center hotel has been announced a few blocks away. Basically it'll be a race between the two developers to see who can get the farthest along so they can secure the fee waivers. The City is also offering to kick in 500K for utility upgrades in a shared cost with the developer.

Of course, it would be nice if we could have two new 1,000+ room hotels.

There's no mention of height for this 2nd hotel, but it'll probably be in the area of 30 floors also since both are the same size and working with the same size blocks.

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.

[The ATX]

Now that the city approved the incentives, I hope this can break ground real soon. I wonder how this will affect the other 1k room project that we all like so much better.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

Now that the city approved the incentives, I hope this can break ground real soon. I wonder how this will affect the other 1k room project that we all like so much better.

It will probably be built as well. The hotel space is needed.

[ATXboom]

I believe we need about 10,000 rooms downtown... we have 6000 now. I'd like to see 12,000 rooms. I think Dallas has about 12,000 downtown. I think San Antonio is around 9-10,000. We can't accomodate several weekends of festivals right now... add F1... we still won't with 10,000 rooms.

This allows the convention center to get more and larger conventions as well... so you get the average occupancies necessary.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

Now that the city approved the incentives, I hope this can break ground real soon. I wonder how this will affect the other 1k room project that we all like so much better.

I believe it will. They said 9 months from now...but something tells me it may happen sooner...just a feeling

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Rendering:


White Lodging Services - http://www.whitelodging.com/

Wow, it's the world's first old-timey modern building. Innovative!

[eburress]

^^ Really? Its a very common style that we've now seen repeated possibly hundreds of times all over the world. I hardly think it's the world's first and it's not really even unique.

Still, it is a nice looking building.

[AusHou]

The hotel tower is in the background, but what is the lower rise building in front?

I'm not crazy about the hotel tower look. I guess we need to know what color and materials will be used for the facade.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by AusHou

The hotel tower is in the background, but what is the lower rise building in front?

The lower portion probably has some hotel rooms in it, but I would imagine most of it is meeting space (103,000 square feet), banquet hall space and probably some parking. I'm sure the roof of it has a pool deck.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by AusHou

The hotel tower is in the background, but what is the lower rise building in front?

I'm not crazy about the hotel tower look. I guess we need to know what color and materials will be used for the facade.

I'm really curious as to what the colors/materials will be. I HOPE it isn't all tan and dull. It should at least have a lil something something. I've said it before, but it appears that the lower part may be a material similar to the Moody theatre's exterior.

[Cloud92]

i dont much care for the design

[KevinFromTexas]

The Austin American-Statesman had said the hotel would range from 27 to 30 floors. This press release by White Lodging says it will be 26 floors.

I'll email them soon to see if I can get the official height. It should be in the area of 300 feet. Construction is expected to begin June 1, 2012.

This article also mentions the 17-story Hyatt Place hotel that White Lodging is planning one block away. The article mentions that it will break ground next month.

http://www.whitelodging.com/news/070111-2.asp

AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL APPROVES $4.3 MILLION FEE WAIVER PACKAGE TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MARRIOTT MARQUIS CONVENTION HOTEL

Merrillville, IN (July 1, 2011) - White Lodging Services Corporation announced today after Austin city council approval of a $4.3 million fee waiver package that it will build a 1,003-room, 26-story Marriott Marquis in downtown Austin. With the project equity commitment already secured through internal sources and with the support of the city, the largest hotel in Austin will be developed and managed by White Lodging and owned by White Lodging affiliates. Construction is set to begin June 1, 2012 and the Marriott Marquis is scheduled to open in January 2015.

Located in the heart of downtown on Congress Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets, the Marriot Marquis is two blocks from the Austin Convention Center and poised to take the City of Austin to a new level in the national convention and meeting market. Plans for the hotel include 104,000 square feet of flexible meeting, banquet and exhibition space, multiple food and beverage venues, 374 underground parking spaces, and a 4,500 square foot fitness center.

"We believe this project will make a very positive statement for the City in the eyes of national meeting planners and, in turn, will induce more incremental group business to downtown Austin," said Deno Yiankes, White Lodging's President and CEO of Investments & Development. "In today's environment, a project of this scale will not get completed without the required cash equity in place and thankfully, our owners have committed the internal funds to get this project built."

[KevinFromTexas]

More details are coming out about when we can expect to see construction start.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...ess+Journal%29

Marriott Marquis to open downtown in 2015

Austin Business Journal - by Cody Lyon , Staff Writer
Date: Thursday, August 4, 2011, 5:25pm CDT - Last Modified: Thursday, August 4, 2011, 6:04pm CDT

Marriott Hotels and Resorts will open a 1,003-room Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Austin in 2015 as scheduled, the company announced Thursday.
The Austin Marriott Marquis, which will be owned and operated by White Lodging Services Corp. , is scheduled to break ground mid-2012 and will offer 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

The hotel, at Congress Avenue and Second Street, will be two blocks from the Austin Convention Center. Plans call for multiple food and beverage venues, 374 underground parking spaces and a 4,500-square-foot fitness center.