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There’s also another major hotel coming to that area in EaDo, just like 2 blocks from the convention Center. The Hotel RL. It’s an interesting concept because most hotels base their brands off their full service hotels (like Marriott and Hilton) and then have smaller scale hotels as their secondaries (springhill by Marriott). While the Red Lion Hotel bases their brand on the smaller scale hotels and uses its “upscale” Hotel RL as an upgrade to their norm. So interesting concert.
Basically, they’re “upscale” hipster hotels. There’s one in Brooklyn, NOLA, Miami Beach, St Louis and places like that. So EaDo fits the description perfectly. The W Hote and Hotel RL will definitely give the vibrant feel it’s starting have even more.
There’s also another major hotel coming to that area in EaDo, just like 2 blocks from the convention Center. The Hotel RL. It’s an interesting concept because most hotels base their brands off their full service hotels (like Marriott and Hilton) and then have smaller scale hotels as their secondaries (springhill by Marriott). While the Red Lion Hotel bases their brand on the smaller scale hotels and uses its “upscale” Hotel RL as an upgrade to their norm. So interesting concert.
Basically, they’re “upscale” hipster hotels. There’s one in Brooklyn, NOLA, Miami Beach, St Louis and places like that. So EaDo fits the description perfectly. The W Hote and Hotel RL will definitely give the vibrant feel it’s starting have even more.
I forgot about that one! The W Hotel, Hotel RL and the new Conservatory/Prohibition location are going to enhance EaDo. It's crazy how fast EaDo is shifting. Construction is also supposed to start in the summer of this year, but I haven't seen any news since last year. Wonder if this is still the projected date.
The Margaritaville opens in Conroe this summer. It's crazy how many new higher-end hotel flags have been planned and are opening here, I haven't been able to keep up. I'm going to make a list soon.
Sad to bring some bad news about hotels in the Houston area.
I saw a for sale sign in front and signs stripped off the Drury Inn in the Energy Corridor while driving on I-10 around New Year. Confirmed on the website that the Energy Corridor and Hobby Airport locations are closed, so there are still 3 locations out of the 5 still in operation. These were some of the first hotels for the company in Texas as the Houston locations (and the lone Austin hotel) are renovated 1980s-era hotels.
The majority of the Texas locations are now in the San Antonio area. I stayed in the recently-built Frisco hotel for a conference a couple years ago. The second near State Farm in Richardson is about to open next month. Dallas and Houston may be at parity (or lower) in the number of locations soon.
That may have been due to the "weekend shopping / entertainment excursion" demand from upscale residents in other metros like OKC, Tulsa, and West Texas cities. Houston just didn't seem to get much of that - our potential was intercepted by SA / Austin / NOLA and even Galveston.
Galveston? There are only two sizable hotels on the island, The Hotel Galvez and the San Luis. Both are dated, one a century old and the other from the Brutalist era a few decades ago.
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Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag
The Post Oak-River Oaks-Uptown are has transformed by far to the most luxurious place in obviously Houston and possibly Texas.
The Galleria/Uptown area is definitely the most luxurious place in Texas and this is what is inhibiting hotel growth in DT. Travelers are used to Ubering/taxiing from IAH or HOU to the Galleria hotels along Post Oak and IH-610.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LocalPlanner
And, as you admit, the W won't bring the sizzle either, because you need sizzle in the city to begin with, and we don't have it, at least for the coastal hipster crowd.
Houston isn't a hipster magnet, but it is a magnet for the coastal establishment. The Establishment knows that Houston has the sizzle compared to the rest of Middle America.
Quote:
Originally Posted by madrone2k
I absolutely detest valet parking in places that have dozens or even hundreds of empty spots. I can understand the need for it where parking is limited, but I view it as an annoying pretense elsewhere. (Do I need someone to brush my teeth for me?)
I suppose that this is an issue that perhaps is too petty to be of concern for TF. However, I wish this weren't so. I don't fly in and out by helicopter.
Valet parking is seen as classy and upscale in status-conscious L.A. Had a professor who hated valet parking for a passion--don't understand the hate Texans (or native Houstonians) have for this service.
Speaking of helicopters, Kobe's vice finally got to him. R.I.P.
To me, valet parking is laziness because you need someone to park for you when you can easily park yourself. It's like wealthy people who hire personal chefs, you mean you're that lazy to where you can't make your own meals? Come on. If I ever get wealthy, I refuse to become lazy. I'm not hiring anyone to do what I can do myself.
Galveston? There are only two sizable hotels on the island, The Hotel Galvez and the San Luis. Both are dated, one a century old and the other from the Brutalist era a few decades ago.
The Galleria/Uptown area is definitely the most luxurious place in Texas and this is what is inhibiting hotel growth in DT. Travelers are used to Ubering/taxiing from IAH or HOU to the Galleria hotels along Post Oak and IH-610.
Houston isn't a hipster magnet, but it is a magnet for the coastal establishment. The Establishment knows that Houston has the sizzle compared to the rest of Middle America.
Valet parking is seen as classy and upscale in status-conscious L.A. Had a professor who hated valet parking for a passion--don't understand the hate Texans (or native Houstonians) have for this service.
Speaking of helicopters, Kobe's vice finally got to him. R.I.P.
I don't think Galveston is anywhere near the upscale magnet of SA/Austin/NOLA for weekend leisure visits, but it's fair to say it outshined Houston in that regard for many years, at least during warmer months and obviously major events (Mardi Gras etc.).
Yes, the coastal establishment would come to Houston. During the week. If they were going somewhere Friday-Sunday nights, it wasn't Houston. Has that changed? Because this is a major point I'm trying to make - our traditionally (very) weak Friday-Sunday night business was making luxury and upscale hipster hotels financially infeasible. Those kinds of hotels have high operating expenses, and you need more than 4 nights a week of good occupancy at high room rates to make them work. That's why you would find them in those other cities and not Houston. I'm hoping that has changed.
I don't think Galveston is anywhere near the upscale magnet of SA/Austin/NOLA for weekend leisure visits, but it's fair to say it outshined Houston in that regard for many years, at least during warmer months and obviously major events (Mardi Gras etc.).
Yes, the coastal establishment would come to Houston. During the week. If they were going somewhere Friday-Sunday nights, it wasn't Houston. Has that changed? Because this is a major point I'm trying to make - our traditionally (very) weak Friday-Sunday night business was making luxury and upscale hipster hotels financially infeasible. Those kinds of hotels have high operating expenses, and you need more than 4 nights a week of good occupancy at high room rates to make them work. That's why you would find them in those other cities and not Houston. I'm hoping that has changed.
It depends on how you're looking at it. Has it changed? No doubt. If you think it hasn't changed you either don't live here or you never leave home or never leave whatever suburb you stay in. Has it changed as much as you want it to? Depends on your criteria. But the only way to doubt that the weekend market hasn't shifted is if you never visit the areas. This is why so many hotels have and are opening starting the last decade from more medium upscale ones like Le Meridian and Intercontinental to ultra luxury hotels like the Rosewood and the Post Oak. They're not magically beginning to open for no reason. But again, it depends on your criteria. Is it Vegas? Obviously not but is it far superior to 80s Houston? Without a doubt.
Also looking back to the W Hotel adding "sizzle" to the Avenida Houston district, I actually think it will have this effect because even though there's already a lot of activity in the Avenida Houston-EaDo area, the addition of the W Hotel and Hotel RL give it two new major developments that bring it two new types of places that fill well into the vibe of the area. W Hotel brings the "young and boujee" crowd while the Hotel RL brings in the "vibrant hipsters".
If you need proof of what individual projects do to areas, check out the dramatic shift that happened with the addition of the Marriott Marquis. Business will go through another very major boom even before the completion of the projects with the anticipation of them opening. Not to mention the Conservatory/Prohibition which is a major development on its own moves into the area in May.
To say you don't see the weekend shift is to say you've never been.
It depends on how you're looking at it. Has it changed? No doubt. If you think it hasn't changed you either don't live here or you never leave home or never leave whatever suburb you stay in. Has it changed as much as you want it to? Depends on your criteria. But the only way to doubt that the weekend market hasn't shifted is if you never visit the areas. This is why so many hotels have and are opening starting the last decade from more medium upscale ones like Le Meridian and Intercontinental to ultra luxury hotels like the Rosewood and the Post Oak. They're not magically beginning to open for no reason. But again, it depends on your criteria. Is it Vegas? Obviously not but is it far superior to 80s Houston? Without a doubt.
Also looking back to the W Hotel adding "sizzle" to the Avenida Houston district, I actually think it will have this effect because even though there's already a lot of activity in the Avenida Houston-EaDo area, the addition of the W Hotel and Hotel RL give it two new major developments that bring it two new types of places that fill well into the vibe of the area. W Hotel brings the "young and boujee" crowd while the Hotel RL brings in the "vibrant hipsters".
If you need proof of what individual projects do to areas, check out the dramatic shift that happened with the addition of the Marriott Marquis. Business will go through another very major boom even before the completion of the projects with the anticipation of them opening. Not to mention the Conservatory/Prohibition which is a major development on its own moves into the area in May.
To say you don't see the weekend shift is to say you've never been.
I didn't say there hasn't been a weekend shift, I said I didn't know if the improved nightlife and other leisure activities was driving weekend roomnight at upscale hotels, where they don't have to significantly discount the rates anymore. Downtown and Uptown hotels in the past offered almost scandalously low rates on the weekends due to lack of business.
I live in Houston (not a suburb) and fully recognize the improvement in the "fun" quotient in Downtown, EaDo, Museum Park / Almeda, etc. The question has been whether that is enough to support a large amount of weekend hotel occupancy at high room rates. The influx of new upscale hip hotel chains would indicate that hotel development professionals think so.
Of course the Marriott Marquis had a major impact - it was specifically developed to enable more and larger meeting groups at the GRB and onsite that were hindered previously by the lack of large enough room blocks within short walking distance (the Hyatt Regency, not a close walk, had previously been the overflow hotel, or attendees would be bused to Uptown hotels). So, business at the GRB has increased a whole bunch just from nearby room block availability alone. That's very different from what the smaller upscale boutique and hipster hotels are supposed to do.
I didn't say there hasn't been a weekend shift, I said I didn't know if the improved nightlife and other leisure activities was driving weekend roomnight at upscale hotels, where they don't have to significantly discount the rates anymore. Downtown and Uptown hotels in the past offered almost scandalously low rates on the weekends due to lack of business.
I live in Houston (not a suburb) and fully recognize the improvement in the "fun" quotient in Downtown, EaDo, Museum Park / Almeda, etc. The question has been whether that is enough to support a large amount of weekend hotel occupancy at high room rates. The influx of new upscale hip hotel chains would indicate that hotel development professionals think so.
Of course the Marriott Marquis had a major impact - it was specifically developed to enable more and larger meeting groups at the GRB and onsite that were hindered previously by the lack of large enough room blocks within short walking distance (the Hyatt Regency, not a close walk, had previously been the overflow hotel, or attendees would be bused to Uptown hotels). So, business at the GRB has increased a whole bunch just from nearby room block availability alone. That's very different from what the smaller upscale boutique and hipster hotels are supposed to do.
The evidence is right in front of you. The hotels aren’t discounting weekends anymore and hotel flags of both mid, high and ultra high scale are popping up in the city in addition to the ones already here not doing weekend discounts anymore. Economically, this answers your question, yes the hotel sector has had a dramatic weekend occupancy rate shift. Again, to the level of Vegas? No. Far ahead of what it was in the 80s? Yes
The evidence is right in front of you. The hotels aren’t discounting weekends anymore and hotel flags of both mid, high and ultra high scale are popping up in the city in addition to the ones already here not doing weekend discounts anymore. Economically, this answers your question, yes the hotel sector has had a dramatic weekend occupancy rate shift. Again, to the level of Vegas? No. Far ahead of what it was in the 80s? Yes
This ^^^
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