SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread

[ydoc14]

Taken by bobhuang78 @ Flickr

[ydoc14]

Here's another good angle: I-37 @ Fair

[Complex01]

Grand Hyatt Opening postponed Again...



From KSAT.com...
Grand Hyatt Management Explain Opening Postponement

POSTED: 11:18 am CDT March 19, 2008
UPDATED: 12:10 pm CDT March 19, 2008


SAN ANTONIO -- Rather than opening its doors at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Grand Hyatt hotel downtown once again postponed its opening late Tuesday evening.

In a Tuesday e-mail to KSAT 12 News, hotel officials said unexpected developments were the cause of the four-day postponement, but the hotel's managing director expanded on the reasoning Wednesday morning -- specifically the hotel's lack of a certificate of occupancy.

"Well, I think it's unexpected because as the operator, we weren't really aware, and in certain areas that we thought would be finished weren't finished," Tom Netting said. "The city looked at it and it's just not acceptable to them at this time."

About 600 of the hotel's 1,003 rooms are ready with the remaining 400 in final progress, Netting said, and all would be ready for the NCAA Final Four in three weeks.

The postponement came as a surprise to Netting considering hotel officials gave a media tour of the facility Tuesday afternoon, but he said the remainder of the work will be solved before Saturday.

"They're not large things, but as far as what has to take place will get solved over the next couple of days, so Saturday looks like a good day for us," he said.

Hotel officials were able to take advantage of the extra time to get some last-minute testing of different systems on the property.

[ydoc14]

Taken by rebbcat @ Flickr

[ydoc14]

What's that box on top of the Convention Center?

Taken by one2c900d

[matttwentyeight]

Metro | State





Workers bustle as Grand Hyatt has its delayed soft opening

Web Posted: 03/22/2008 10:52 PM CDT

Sara Ines Calderon and Josh Baugh
Express-News
After three delays, the Grand Hyatt San Antonio had a soft opening Saturday morning, albeit with more hotel employees loitering in the lobby than guests, and workers still putting the finishing touches on the $285 million project.

"We're looking forward to welcoming more customers," said Tom Netting, managing director at the Hyatt.

The opening date for the hotel, originally set for Feb. 6, was moved to Feb. 26, then March 19, until it happened Saturday. The hotel will not host a grand opening, Netting said, but a dedication ceremony after the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament, which will be hosted here April 5-7, is in the works.

Saturday morning, hotel employees were still bustling, moving lamps, cleaning windows, painting walls and working on scaffolds.

By the end of the day, 100 or so guest rooms were ready and the hotel's Bar Rojo and Achiote River Café were open for business, as were the 24-hour coffee bar and a meeting space on the second floor, Netting said. With about 600 people on staff, he said more floors would be opening up in quick succession.

While areas were open, not all parts of the hotel seemed ready.

Andrea Arellano, a local resident eager to take in the hotel, stopped by its bar on Saturday afternoon and sipped sparkling white wine. She said the staff had to hunt down a champagne flute after she ordered because the bar wasn't fully stocked.

Hotel officials had some anxious moments Friday afternoon, when they still weren't certain the city would issue a certificate of occupancy — the permit that allows businesses to open. But on Good Friday, a city holiday, several inspectors signed off on a temporary certificate for a portion of the hotel.

Roderick Sanchez, the city's director for Development Services, said late Friday that the Grand Hyatt was approved to use the ground floor, along with floors 6 and 7. The 8th floor was substantially complete, he said, but inspectors declined to add it to the certificate until all work is completed.

"As a matter of fact, most of the guest rooms are done. It came down to plumbing, like a few of the showers didn't have the knobs. But that was about it. The rooms — they're carpeted, all the furniture is in, the TVs are there. It's just very minor things that they needed to do."

The hotel will be put through another set of paces this week as the Final Four's advance team begins arriving.

Preparations continued into the night Friday as some workers pushed dust mops over the lavish floors and others ferried in plasma-screen televisions and mattresses. Still others took a break from a long day's work. In stark contrast to the lobby's ornate chandeliers and heady art, dust-covered men in hardhats lounged in plush orange and black leather chairs, sipping drinks from tumblers and martini glasses.

Sanchez said his staff would be in steady communication with hotel officials, ready to conduct inspections as needed.

For those guests ready to check in, there were plenty of uniformed employees standing in the lobby waiting to assist them.

"We gave the bellboy his first tip," bragged Scott McKinlay, who along with his wife, Cecilia, and two daughters, was one of the first guests to check in Saturday. The family was visiting from Salt Lake City and said they were surprised by all the fanfare, but glad to be staying in the hotel.

[matttwentyeight]

i stayed last night at the menger hotel in alamo plaza, and this morning when i drove by the hyatt on the southern side of the mechanical penthouse was inscribed "THE GRAND HYATT" just like it is on the model and the renderings (and probably every other grand hyatt, too).

the moment i saw it, i was happy and pissed. happy cause i got to see it, but pissed cause i didn't have my camera.

the mechanical penthouse is silver in color and looks like it belongs to a totally different building, yet it's on top of the GH, and i love it!

[ydoc14]

The penthouse is lit!

Taken by Juan Carmen Woodlands @ Flickr



Taken by singing ak @ Flickr

[J.Dskyhigh]

I hope some1 can get a new pic of the back of the penthouse. they finally put up and lit the Hyatt sign. . . . Yey

[ydoc14]

Here's a small look at the cladding on the penthouse. It looks cool, can't wait to see the whole thing finished

Taken by Dave in Houston (Fanj) @ Flickr

[sirkingwilliam]

The more I see the GH the more I want a big ass glass tower downtown!

[oldmanshirt]

Maybe the Tesoro HQ will set off a wave of high-rise office development in Stone Oak, and that can be SA's "modern" downtown

[verbl]

ahhhh we will do more for our DT for sure now that they see how great our skyline can become

[ydoc14]

Click here for a good skyline shot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/efephoto/2367310817/

Taken by kenya1730 @ Flickr

[sakyle04]

i was downtown a few nights ago. had dinner at biga on the banks. the "lantern" atop the hyatt was lit to the south - very nice, sorry no picture of that. here are a couple anyway. spooky quiet, but beautiful.

[ydoc14]

Taken by jamesro @ Flickr

[J.Dskyhigh]

Finally they are just about done with the outside of the mechanical penthouse finishing the front of the Grand Hyatt sign in the front of the building just in the past few days.

[ydoc14]

http://flickr.com/photos/afbicbill/2383035502/

[sakyle04]

Originally Posted by ydoc14

http://flickr.com/photos/afbicbill/2383035502/

that guy has some crazy shots....check the one of the drury plaza tunnel.

[SADWatcher]

I was driving north on Broadway this morning and I saw there were workers tearing down a portion of the southern facad of those condos/ offices that have been half done for the last couple of years. I also saw a sign in one of the windows for Hippo's Groceries. I guess the new owner is starting to work on the site agian.