AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

there's plenty of street parking in that area. you should be fine. you can also pay to park at most garages in that area, which there are also plenty.

Thanks. I'll look around for specifics. Haven't been over in that area too much, and I drive a pickup (makes me nervous in the downtown area with potentially tight street spots). I'll probably pay for parking.

The band in my profile pic will be playing there May 12. Tickets aren't on sale quite yet. Y'all should check them out. 3 Mexican sisters playing rock music. They're really good.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

Thanks. I'll look around for specifics. Haven't been over in that area too much, and I drive a pickup (makes me nervous in the downtown area with potentially tight street spots). I'll probably pay for parking.

The band in my profile pic will be playing there May 12. Tickets aren't on sale quite yet. Y'all should check them out. 3 Mexican sisters playing rock music. They're really good.

Uhhhh, you spelled GREAT wrong! If they ever decide to crossover, they will be MASSIVE!

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by urbancore

Uhhhh, you spelled GREAT wrong! If they ever decide to crossover, they will be MASSIVE!

I didn't want to oversell too hard.

Crossover how? I think they already have what it takes to be mainstream. It's rock/hard rock, but they have their softer stuff, ballads, etc.

I've seen them live 4 times already, met them 3 times, and will see them two more times in May. Love this band!

[Tyrone Shoes]

Just curious and wanting opinions from others...there are a number of proposed and under construction hotels going up in the downtown area (I guess up to and including west campus) what brands are not represented - under represented and I guess over represented? Could we benefit with a second Hyatt Regency or would a Grand Hyatt better suit us? Do we have enough Marriotts or could they have a niche property that'll slide in? Weston, Sheraton, Ritz who else is missing?

[Werdman89]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoes

Just curious and wanting opinions from others...there are a number of proposed and under construction hotels going up in the downtown area (I guess up to and including west campus) what brands are not represented - under represented and I guess over represented? Could we benefit with a second Hyatt Regency or would a Grand Hyatt better suit us? Do we have enough Marriotts or could they have a niche property that'll slide in? Weston, Sheraton, Ritz who else is missing?

There are a number of high end chains that we don't have. We are getting a 1 Hotel in the Waterline, but there is no Edition, St. Regis, Aman, Raffles, and many cities with an aged Four Seasons like ours have a second newer Four Seasons. We seem to be lacking a couple IHG Brands - Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, though we're getting an Atwell Suites and a new Kimpton. We don't have a Yotel which tend to be reasonably priced.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by Werdman89

There are a number of high end chains that we don't have. We are getting a 1 Hotel in the Waterline, but there is no Edition, St. Regis, Aman, Raffles, and many cities with an aged Four Seasons like ours have a second newer Four Seasons. We seem to be lacking a couple IHG Brands - Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, though we're getting an Atwell Suites and a new Kimpton. We don't have a Yotel which tend to be reasonably priced.

-Aman would be killer - But, I don't see it. There are only 7 Aman's in North America (and none in Canada).

-An Edition and/or a St. Regis would be nice.

-Raffles - not a chance. There is only one Raffles in the Western Hemisphere and it's not yet open (in Boston).

-Austin had an InterContinental for years. It's now Royal Sonesta.

-Crowne Plazas are passé


*Question - Which cities, like Austin, have two Four Season hotels?


I'd think Austin could be home to an Andaz, NoMad or Waldorf Astoria in the coming decade or two. In fact, an Andaz was planned roughly 10 years ago - but that project never came to fruition.

[Echostatic]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

*Question - Which cities, like Austin, have two Four Season hotels?

US Cities with 2+ Four Seasons:

• Boston
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York City
• San Francisco

[We vs us]

Marriott as a brand is over-represented IMO -- and almost all of that is because White Lodging has made us such a focus city. I currently work at a hotel in the Marriott family that's not part of White Lodging and we have a devil of a time carving out our own reliable business.

Hilton needs more upscale product in the CBD -- we need that Conrad and the Waterloo Hotel, which is a Curio, to hurry up and start building. We could also use some of the lower-scaled brands -- Tru and Home 2 Suites.

Hyatt, for a smaller brand, has a lot of representation here -- the Regency, the Thompson/Tommie, the Driskill, the Hyatt Place, the Centric, Miraval out by the lake, and Lost Pines resort. I could see a Grand Hyatt show up near the convention center . . . but those aren't small -- they start at 600 rooms and go up -- so would need a significant lot to build on. Also, Andaz (upscale boutique) seems like a natural fit for Austin, too.

IHG is waaaay under represented. They lost their Intercontinental flag to Sonesta at the Stephen F Austin a year or two ago, and then proceeded to lose the Kimpton flag at the Van Zandt a few months back. There's no IHG full service product anywhere in the city. The Kimpton at Q2 will help, but not being representated DT is a big one.

And Omni is topped up here, IMO -- between Omni Downtown -- which just renovated -- and the Omni Barton Creek -- which ALSO just finished a major reno a couple of years back -- I can't see them adding anything else in this market for a bit.

Things I think we could see here:
-- Virgin Hotel
-- 21C Museum Hotel (owned by Accor, which also owns Fairmont)
-- Dream Hotel (owned by Hyatt)
-- another Kimpton downtown
-- another medium to large group hotel near the CC, IMO that Grand Hyatt is most likely. But again, would have to be on a big lot to deal with the large floorplates a ballroom needs.
-- the Domain/Gateway/Broadmoor/Uptown/whatever is going to need several more upscale hotels. Right now the bulk of them are select service, but they'll need more Archers, etc. and potentially another group house, like the Westin.
-- More resorts. I don't know much about resort-specific brands, but I really feel like the hill country is underutilized in this regard, and the market could bear it. Everyone I know who works in the resort tier in our market is packed all the time.

[ATX2030]

I was really looking forward to the Conrad. I've sent them a few emails the last couple of months and they don't even bother replying anymore. I'd be pleasantly surprised if they broke ground this year but I'm not holding my breath.

The Ritz is another I don't see happening anytime soon if ever. They still haven't secured financing for their Nashville project which they said would start before Austin's.

[SproutingTowers]

An Atari Hotel was also initially planned but not sure the current status.

[Echostatic]

This would be a pretty big shift. Austin would be the second largest city in the US with no parking minimums, behind San Jose. Although we may have passed San Jose in population last year.

https://austin.towers.net/austin-pre...tywide-in-2023

Interesting to see who sponsored the bill:

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

This would be a pretty big shift. Austin would be the second largest city in the US with no parking minimums, behind San Jose. Although we may have passed San Jose in population last year.

https://austin.towers.net/austin-pre...tywide-in-2023

Interesting to see who sponsored the bill:

Yes, I'm surprised that Pool joined in. I'm pretty sure Vela and Harper-Madison are on board as well, but they can't co-sponsor without it being a foregone conclusion. But I think we can count the votes anyways.

[ATX2030]

Cities Keep Building Luxury Apartments Almost No One Can Afford

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/featu...uverify%20wall

[randalls]

Wow. Quite the spotlight on Austin in this article.

Originally Posted by ATX2030

Cities Keep Building Luxury Apartments Almost No One Can Afford

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/featu...uverify%20wall

[Airwave Dynamics]

Caught these pink granite looking clouds recently (super early morning), which matches the rocky cliffs of Highway 360. No filter used -- complete raw photo..

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrZL_PousZ6/
https://flic.kr/p/2ovoAjP

[bismuth96]

I guess I'll be the one to poke the "Austin observation deck" bear again...

https://austin.towers.net/south-cent...ervation-deck/

South Central Waterfront Tower Plan Could Build Austin an Observation Deck

"This update would increase the requested height to 540 ft. to allow for the addition of unique architectural elements and a possible viewing deck without increasing the original request for a floor-to-area ratio of 15:1.
— Planned Development Agreement Amendment, 507 South First"

It's still far from certain, but maybe a new South Shore Skyline could be a home for touristy things like an observation deck once it actually gets built up a lot more in the next decade or two.

I think the article makes it a little obvious that the writers over at AustinTowers are watching over us and "drama" here in the threads...

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by bismuth96

I guess I'll be the one to poke the "Austin observation deck" bear again...

https://austin.towers.net/south-cent...ervation-deck/



It's still far from certain, but maybe a new South Shore Skyline could be a home for touristy things like an observation deck once it actually gets built up a lot more in the next decade or two.

I think the article makes it a little obvious that the writers over at AustinTowers are watching over us and "drama" here in the threads...

That bear has been poked numerous times now, please use the search feature before posting.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=254021

[bismuth96]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

That bear has been poked numerous times now, please use the search feature before posting.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=254021

Sorry, I didn't realize the O********** D*** cj had moved on to another thread that wasn't this one where they were all moved...

[KevinFromTexas]

Our dog is missing. She got out today after workers left the gate open. She's a brown miniature poodle. We live on Libyan Drive in South Austin near Stassney Lane. Someone said they saw someone picking up a poodle near a bus stop near Stassney Lane. She's super sweet and is microchipped. If anyone around South Austin sees her, please call us at 512 937 4419 and 512 567 9807. If someone takes her to the vet and they scan the microchip, the vet will be able to contact us.

This is a photo of her from last week.

[the Genral]

Damn, I sure hope you get her back soon. I know the pain of losing a beloved pet. My loss is different as I just buried one of my dogs yesterday who lived to be almost 17. If you haven't already, try posting on social media for a wider audience than this forum. And please keep us updated as we are all hoping you are reunited soon. Hang in there.