AUSTIN | Fairmont Hotel | 595 FEET SPIRE/456 FT ROOF | 37 FLRS | Complete

[drummer]

Since we were talking about the Fairmont wall facing Cesar Chavez on the Quincy thread, I decided to ask a question here so I don't take that one too far off-topic. On Google Streetview, I noticed that there are some glass windows and doors on the Cesar Chavez side. Are those for future retail or something else? Hard to tell.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by drummer

Since we were talking about the Fairmont wall facing Cesar Chavez on the Quincy thread, I decided to ask a question here so I don't take that one too far off-topic. On Google Streetview, I noticed that there are some glass windows and doors on the Cesar Chavez side. Are those for future retail or something else? Hard to tell.

You would think they could be for retail but nothing has come of it and it almost seems like its just doorways to get into staff areas for the ballrooms but I don't know for sure.

[The ATX]

That sidewalk along the podium is rather narrow for Great Streets, and all the traffic on Cesar Chavez makes for an unpleasant and noisy pedestrian experience during the day.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by drummer

Since we were talking about the Fairmont wall facing Cesar Chavez on the Quincy thread, I decided to ask a question here so I don't take that one too far off-topic. On Google Streetview, I noticed that there are some glass windows and doors on the Cesar Chavez side. Are those for future retail or something else? Hard to tell.

Those are almost all doors serving the exit stairs from the meeting rooms above. Hopefully they never open.

[drummer]

Interesting. It seems like having retail right there could be pretty good on a lot of levels, especially as development continues south of Cesar Chavez. Between the CC crowds and residents and guests along Rainey, why not have something there?

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by drummer

Interesting. It seems like having retail right there could be pretty good on a lot of levels, especially as development continues south of Cesar Chavez. Between the CC crowds and residents and guests along Rainey, why not have something there?

It's not only an emergency exit it's that's the back-of-house service hallway, plus storage, housekeeping, culinary, etc etc -- whatever else they could cram back there. That's why it's a wall all the way up to the top of the podium -- there's a service hallway behind each ballroom floor, too.

From what I can tell, the glass facing Cesar Chavez is purely decorative. There's no real opportunity within the Fairmont footprint to add any sort of retail there at all. And I really don't know why they decided to have the entrance on the north face -- though I wonder if it's a strategy for traffic management. Cesar Chavez would be a HUGE cluster if potentially hundreds of cars per event were entering and leaving directly onto it.

[the Genral]

Are there actually any hotels around with retail built in? I've never seen any. Seems counter productive to me.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Are there actually any hotels around with retail built in? I've never seen any. Seems counter productive to me.

They have the same requirements as offices and residential towers do to get density bonuses for increased FAR. But most retail ends up being restaurants and bars which is what hotels generally have anyway.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Are there actually any hotels around with retail built in? I've never seen any. Seems counter productive to me.

The W downtown has retail -- they have an Urban Outfitters. Really, the W is essentially the model for what all downtown hotels should strive to be. Bars, restaurants, retail, coffee shop, concert venue, and a neat Willie Nelson statue.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

The W downtown has retail -- they have an Urban Outfitters. Really, the W is essentially the model for what all downtown hotels should strive to be. Bars, restaurants, retail, coffee shop, concert venue, and a neat Willie Nelson statue.

I think it should be mandatory for each new hotel in CBD to have a Willie Nelson statue.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

The W downtown has retail -- they have an Urban Outfitters. Really, the W is essentially the model for what all downtown hotels should strive to be. Bars, restaurants, retail, coffee shop, concert venue, and a neat Willie Nelson statue.

Proper will have retail (Bank of America) in addition to the food outlets. ZaZa looks like it might have an open spot or two. The Hilton has a boutique just off its lobby (Capra and Cavelli) — though there’s very little true street presence to speak of.

So yeah, retail can and does happen, in all kinds of different forms.

[zrx299]

Aloft at 7th & Congress has worked out pretty well too

[chinchaaa]

South Congress Hotel has retail, restaurants, bars and coffee shops all on the ground floor.

[We vs us]

The JW has excellent street presence, though no pure retail to speak of. It's all restaurants. TBH, I love their burger bar best -- to me that's very Austin-y.

All of this, of course, is to say that the Fairmont really is a bundle of fail in a variety of different ways.

[Jdawgboy]

Ha!


I found out why all the light effects are never used
They don't have anyone who specifically does the lighting. Instead it's done by their security and apparently they don't know how to do the patterns or the colored lights on the spire... lol

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Ha!


I found out why all the light effects are never used
They don't have anyone who specifically does the lighting. Instead it's done by their security and apparently they don't know how to do the patterns or the colored lights on the spire... lol

Need a part time job?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

Need a part time job?

A second job that lasts one hour. I mean how hard could it really be to set up color patterns for holidays and events. I'm suprised they didn't have any training in the first place.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Ha!


I found out why all the light effects are never used
They don't have anyone who specifically does the lighting. Instead it's done by their security and apparently they don't know how to do the patterns or the colored lights on the spire... lol

Wait....there can be *colored* lights on the spire??!?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Wait....there can be *colored* lights on the spire??!?

Yes. Along with the flood lighting pointed at the spire which we see all the time, the spire itself has built in lights which ring around each of the segment connections where the rings jut out a bit. So if they actually knew how to operate them, the spire can be lit up in colors including moving patterns. There was an in depth press release back before the Fairmont opened that focused on the light system they were installing which boasted about how many lighting effects it could do. I mean really, why waste that much money on a light system that advanced, (would be the most impressive lighted building in Austin) if it's not going to be used because nobody in their security department knows how to operate it... Either train someone or hire a person solely to operate the system. Even my source who is an employee at the Fairmont thinks it's ridiculous.

[futures]

The incompetence on this project is astonishing.

From the endless construction woes to the unbelievable interior design choices to this. What a joke for what should have been a crown jewel for the downtown hotel segment.