AUSTIN | JW Marriott Convention Center Hotel | 408 FT | 34 Floors | Complete - Page 23

MightyYoda · #**441** Posted **Nov 22, 2013, 11:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austlar1

Nope. I like the texture they provide in the area. A little low-rise is nice in a dense area. It brings things down a notch and lets in a little bit of sky.

They aren't ugly and bring a more dynamic fabric to downtown, what I have heard others call the human element. We have tons of properties downtown that need redevelopment over some row houses.

KevinFromTexas · #**442** Posted **Nov 24, 2013, 6:16 AM**

myFOXaustin - Via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/myfoxaustin/photos_stream

AusTex · #**443** Posted **Nov 24, 2013, 8:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

These images tell me that the designers of this building believe/hope a new tower building will eventually be built on the three lots not part of the JW. The blank wall...with the exception of narrow vertical windows...is clearly not up to the standards of the rest of the facade. Even the facade of this lower tower section is not "ugly". I am glad they put those windows in.

austlar1 · #**444** Posted **Nov 25, 2013, 4:56 AM**

So far, I think the entire western facade is disappointing. Hopefully when the base is completed it will dress things up a bit. Right now is it just starting to look like a great big hotel. I wonder why they decided to put all that 🞵🞵🞵🞵 glass on the eastern side only?

JACKinBeantown · #**445** Posted **Nov 25, 2013, 10:08 PM**

Whereas I prefer the western facade (the brown part). I think there's too much blue glass in modern architecture, and anything different shows at least some originality on the part of the architect. But I respect your opinion.

MightyYoda · #**446** Posted **Nov 26, 2013, 12:15 AM**

Keep in mind the bottom wont be just the white material. They haven't started putting up anything else yet so judging the bottom is premature. The blank wall with glass down the middle doesn't bother me much and will only be seen from congress as 3rd and Colorado will block it mostly. Can anything even be built in front of it? Not sure if those 3 buildings are historic designated or not.

austlar1 · #**447** Posted **Nov 26, 2013, 1:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyYoda

Keep in mind the bottom wont be just the white material. They haven't started putting up anything else yet so judging the bottom is premature. The blank wall with glass down the middle doesn't bother me much and will only be seen from congress as 3rd and Colorado will block it mostly. Can anything even be built in front of it? Not sure if those 3 buildings are historic designated or not.

Well, the brown is a richer and darker shade than the standard issue sandy beige found all over downtown. Hopefully the glass in the windows will have a seamless fit with the brown walls to give it a very sleek look. Is the white material on the windowless wing facing Congress at 3rd St. going to remain white? What are they going to do with the base? Can somebody post (or repost) some renders that show these plans?

austlar1 · #**448** Posted **Nov 26, 2013, 1:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Another view of the hotel from The Austonian.

http://impactnews.com/articles/jw-marriott-moving

I just located this from many pages back. The blank wall looks slated to remain blank and white.

bearinaustin · #**449** Posted **Nov 26, 2013, 2:05 PM**

http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/inside-look-at-downtown-jw-marriott

There is a video in the attached URL as well

Quote:

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The JW Marriot on Congress is still more than a year away from opening, but it already has more than 200,000 room nights booked.

Thanks to conventions booking at the hotel that's why so many rooms have been reserved through the year 2020.

But that's not counting SXSW or ACL. The marketing director for the hotel said they haven't starting booking for those events yet.

KXAN was given the first peak inside to see what the guest rooms will look like. At 411 square feet, it will be the largest single hotel rooms in the city.

Because the new hotel is still a shell, mock rooms were built inside an office building across the street.

They’ve used it to test out wood flooring, carpet, and faucets for the 1,012 guest rooms

Their marketing team also uses the room to show meeting planners what to expect when booking a convention and it's working.

"We have groups arriving the first day we open until 2020," said Jay Spurr, Director of Sales and Marketing for JW Marriott.

Because the hotel will boast 112,000 square feet of meeting space it is attracting so many conventions.

"We are a demand driver right now for the city so we are helping bring in groups that could never come here and they are filling up other hotels as well, not just ours," said Spurr.

At the Hyatt off Barton Springs they are adding a 15,000 square foot ballroom.

And it turns out when bigger hotels move into town competitors can reap the benefits as well.

"This is good competition, it's healthy competition," said Lance Stumpf, GM Hyatt Austin. "Hopefully we can get into a few more corporate convention markets, medical market conventions because we need to be able to house them within three or four hotels."

Hotel experts say that is a big attraction for meeting planners who book conventions. Right now in Austin many planners have to spread convention goers between eight or nine hotels. That’s one of the reasons so many conventions were booking in San Antonio instead of Austin .

The JW Marriott will have the 34th and final floor poured in January and the expected completion date is March of 2015.

The hotel will open for general booking a few months before its completion date.

Syndic · #**450** Posted **Nov 27, 2013, 3:34 PM**

That's pretty cool. That's probably a pretty good sign for the Fairmont developers that the demand is very good and more than enough for two large hotels.

KevinFromTexas · #**451** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 12:17 AM**

the Genral · #**452** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 7:04 AM**

Are they about topped out yet?

KevinFromTexas · #**453** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 7:17 AM**

Judging from the webcam, I think they're working on the 31st floor. If that's the case then they only have 3 more to go.

http://oxblue.com/open/tournee/jwmarriottaustin

airreek · #**454** Posted **Dec 14, 2013, 3:53 PM**

They poured concrete for the 29th floor last night. It will top out in January.

jordan · #**455** Posted **Dec 15, 2013, 12:41 AM**

Kevin as always I love your shots. The only other person I can think of at the moment, who took some awsome photos is Mopacs. I have not seen any photos from him in a while.

KevinFromTexas · #**456** Posted **Dec 23, 2013, 6:45 AM**

Syndic · #**457** Posted **Dec 23, 2013, 4:59 PM**

I'm surprised none of us has thought to walk the alley between the Hampton and Hyatt Place to get some shots from there lately. I'm curious to see what that looks like now.

That 2nd Street Market place is going to get so much business when this hotel is done. I like that place. Downtown needs more general stores like that. But hopefully one day they spruce the building up so it doesn't look so much like a parking garage.

DoubleC · #**458** Posted **Dec 24, 2013, 6:32 AM**

Only 3 floors to go? But it doesn't even look like it'll be taller than Congress Plaza, and it's supposed to be 408 feet. Is the building sitting on a ditch?

tie_guy · #**459** Posted **Dec 25, 2013, 11:00 PM**

It does seem a bit short for topping out next month. Hmmmm.. perhaps it's not counting the part of the building that won't be glass at the top. I don't know what to call it, but it'll have the the JW MARRIOTT logo facing east.

12/25 update:

the Genral · #**460** Posted **Dec 25, 2013, 11:50 PM**

The front section of the JW matches up nicely with the Austonian's pedestal from east to west on the southside.