Polk County to study new convention hotel?

[DSMman]

I vote for the curvy one.

It's looks very modern and elegant, a much nicer addition to the skyline than a brick wall or a six story hotel barracks.

x2 I think it whould be cool with a lot of lights like LEDs. Something like the Kansas city Marriot I think thats the one with all the LEDs.

[speeder]

I vote for the one that decides to invest its own money with nothing but the same tax abatements the city and county would give to anyone else building a hotel anywhere downtown. On that note I would vote for the curvy one to be built without the tax payers picking up the slack and/or taking the fall if the dreamy profits don't work out.

[Ingersoll1978]

If they choose the curvy one...I wouldn't mind a few million going to it. LOL

[lunksmoo]

The first proposal, aesthetically speaking, was outstanding, and would be quite a statement on the skyline. The second proposal wasn't as striking as the first hotel, but if it was a better deal for the taxpayers, and create more business, I could certainly live with that proposal.

To be selfish and a little direct about the last proposed hotel: Yawn! I thought it sucked.

[QuadCityImages]

Did all of the proposals leave Vets intact? I thought I heard them say that on the video, but both of the highrise hotels seemed like they had a big footprint.

[Cyclonefan]

I like the first one, the wavy building (1st one on KCCI)

[Norwalker]

The 20 story 'S' shaped hotel is easily my personal favorite. It's very easy on the eyes, and it would have an immediate impact on the downtown skyline, especially given the elevated location of the Events Center relative to the most of our high rises. When I saw this story on WHO TV this morning, I thought that they referred to this design as a Sheraton Hotel instead of a Westin, but I had the sound down and may have heard wrong.

Has anyone caught which proposal included an aquatic park of some kind? I've thought that was a neat idea ever since someone suggested it right here on this forum. Who knew what visionaries we are on here?

The other downtown hotel managers are saying that we don't need another hotel right now, and to a point, maybe they're right. On the other hand, they would be in competition with this new hotel and therefore in my mind, their viewpoint isn't entirely objective. Now, if their complaint is about the new guys getting big subsidies that they didn't receive, then I have a little more understanding.

I guess if I had my way, we'd put this off a year, maybe two, and see if the demand for hotel space increases. That would probably give us a better shot of landing one of the bigger, better hotels, and hopefully decrease the amount of financial incentives needed to make it all happen. My fear is like some others have expressed on here -- that the council will make a decision that results in this getting done half-assed, leaving us barely any better off than we were.

[hawk61401]

The second proposal from Mortensen Development of Minneapolis looks like those butt-ugly high rise dorms that Iowa State blew up a year or two ago.

If this proposal was near the Target Center or the Xcel Center, I bet that Mortensen would have come up with something much better than this. Des Moines deserves better.

Because of the hill where the hotel would be located, the building is going to appear taller on the skyline than the actual number of floors. It could possibly be seen from Fleur Drive. Coming into downtown from the east on I-235 it will be imposing.

We have one chance to get it right. We can build a high-rise box, or we can build something that proudly proclaims that this is the new Des Moines.

[NewHtsDSM]

Definitely the first one is the best. Reminds me of some hotels in Vegas. Could live with the second one, too. The last one was the worst, throw it out.

[dsmLA]

It is going to be the 12 story Hilton.

Committee Recommends Events Center Hotel Developer

March 9, 2007--Three developers pitched their hotel plans for the Iowa Events Center today. Proposals were presented to a committee formed by the Polk County Board of Supervisors this morning, and the favorite was chosen.

One proposal called for a six-story 300 room hotel, combined with remodeling Veterans' Memorial Auditorium into a grand ballroom. A second proposal comes from the Hilton hotel chain. It would involve a 12-story hotel. The third option is an S-shaped hotel. The 20-story structure would include 500 rooms.

The committee chose the Hilton chain's plan and are recommending it to the Board of Supervisors. A public hearing is being held Monday where the board is expected to approved the choice of the developer.

The hotel will be built north of the Iowa Events Center, next to Interstate 235.

[dogbo]

I wish they'd provided some reasoning. It is disappointing the 20 story one isn't being recommended, but there must have been something working against it (cost?, subsidies requested?) that put Hilton as the front runner.

[Ingersoll1978]

I wrote the supervisors about it. They may not care, but at least I tried to do something! I told them this hotel needs to be architecturally SIGNIFICANT...you never know...they may change it at their meeting. It wouldn't be the first time they ignored a review committee's recommendation.

You can email the supervisors at:

http://www.co.polk.ia.us (which is newly designed at looks 100x better!)

[NewHtsDSM]

The Business Record says it will be 16 story, I'll take that over 12...

Hilton hotel recommended for Events Center

A Minnesota-based developer's plans to build a 425-room Hilton hotel has been approved by a selection committee appointed to evaluate three proposals for a hotel near the Iowa Events Center.

This morning, the selection committee recommended that the Polk County Board of Supervisors proceed with negotiations with Mortensen Development Inc. for a 16-story, 294,000-square-foot hotel, which would be built north of Veterans Memorial Auditorium and south of Crocker Street. The estimated cost for the hotel is $92 million. Mortensen's plans call for part of the cost to be paid by some form of subsidy.

[butters]

We have some great architecture here in Des Moines and I don't think the hotel design the supervisors chose compliments that in any fashion.

I realize these renderings are very rough at this point, but I can't help but be dissapointed in this design. I think some of you may be excited simply because of it's height, and I can understand that (it's been a while since something of meaningful height has been built), but I would take great design over height any day.

[Ingersoll1978]

We have some great architecture here in Des Moines and I don't think the hotel design the supervisors chose compliments that in any fashion.

I realize these renderings are very rough at this point, but I can't help but be dissapointed in this design. I think some of you may be excited simply because of it's height, and I can understand that (it's been a while since something of meaningful height has been built), but I would take great design over height any day.

I completely agree. That was my argument in my email. This building will be there for decades, if not a century. It will alter the Des Moines skyline...and should be held to higher design standards.

EMAIL THE SUPERVISORS!

[dogbo]

Here's the rendering for the Hilton:

from http://www.whotv.com website:



from http://www.KCCI.com website:

[spacebetween]

Panel Announces Hotel Developer
Group Choose Minneapolis Company For Its Flexibility

POSTED: 12:16 pm CST March 9, 2007
UPDATED: 12:42 pm CST March 9, 2007

Email This Story | Print This Story

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Members of the events center hotel search committee announced Friday morning that the Mortensen Walsh Bishop Group out of Minneapolis won them over.

Plans call for a hotel to be built on the north side of Veterans Auditorium in the area that is now set aside for special parking. The hotel would face south toward the main entrance to the venue.

Committee members heard presentations on Thursday from three developers.


NewsChannel 8 found out that the hotel will likely be a Hilton. The recommended proposal calls for 16 stories filled with 425 rooms, a restaurant, a bar and event rooms. The total cost is estimated to be $92 million.

Global Spectrum, the company that runs the Iowa Events Center, would get first dibs on 85 percent of the rooms for a couple of years after the hotel's opening. That was a big draw for the committee.

A spokesman said they were also impressed with the developer's flexibility.

Greg Edwards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau said that the panel asked the candidates what would they do if the county decided to add on to the plan and he said the Minneapolis-based company replied they it would work with them regardless.

There are still questions to be answered such as how much, if any, public money will have to go into the project.

The hotel's impact on earnings at Hy-Vee Hall and the Convention Center complex will also have to be examined. Organizers said it could hurt them.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors will meet on Monday to talk about the project in greater detail

[speeder]

Greg Edwards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau said that the panel asked the candidates what would they do if the county decided to add on to the plan and he said the Minneapolis-based company replied they it would work with them regardless.

There are still questions to be answered such as how much, if any, public money will have to go into the project.

...if the county decided to add on to the plan...

...still questions to be answered such as how much, if any, public money will have to go into the project.

Anybody else find something strange those two quotes? Those two statements, the 'county adding on' and 'public money' along with the financial analysis posted earlier in this thread are not giving this resident of Polk County much confidence in not having to bail out an even bigger project than originally planned... awesome.

And you know there will be public money involved if the Polk County Supervisors are involved, otherwise wouldn't the developers just be asking to purchase the parking lot from the County and applying for building rights with the City?

Our public money, and the supervisors time (and again our money) could be spent on better public projects that encourage private investment, instead of providing crutches for risky investments.

[hawk61401]

When I look at the Mortensen design, the lighter areas remind me of the Marriott with it's pre-fab concrete and square windows. The darker areas look like brick and this is the last thing the Events Center area needs. There is already too much brick. Vets is nothing but brick, there's brick in the Hy-Vee Hall, brick in the WFA. A new hotel needs glass.

I swear, this building looks like something from East Berlin.

[Cyclonefan]

ugly, better than nothing though. I WANT THE WAVY ONE!!!!!

[Better Life dude]

I'm wondering with this proposal that was picked, what did the chosen developers want to do with the inside of Vets auditorium? I think at least one of the proposals called for gutting the interior of Vets and adding meeting rooms and a huge ballroom. Maybe that's the potential extras that are hinted at in the article?

[DMRyan]

I don't know, it looks like there's plenty of ballroom/convention space already proposed with this hotel if you look at the renderings. I think the proposal that did the most with Vets Auditorium was the short hotel tacked right onto the side.

There must've been reasons for why this proposal was chosen. Maybe it was more realistic in cost, especially so since it will have to be subsidized by tens of millions of dollars. Hopefully the design is significantly tweaked from this conceptual proposal.

[dsmex]

How often does a city the size of Des Moines have the opportunity to turn down a Westin Hotel? What the h... was the selection committe thinking? And, the design was outstanding. Hilton is a respected name but this proposal is ugly. I hope there are some strong financial reasons for recommending that one.

[Des Moineser]

Maybe it'll look better once it's up.

[DMRyan]

A long road to cross before it's up though. Here's today's Register article on the story. News of note, is that the public subsidy portion will be roughly $28 million (not as much as I originally thought based on a $92 million dollar proposal), and the City of Des Moines will only get involved if the hotel is built where it should be, south of the arena.

Here's a better rendering to show the tentative planned location in relation to the IEC.

Hotel proposal preliminary, officials say
Polk County leaders say selection of a developer for the hotel near the Events Center was only a first step.

By JEFF ECKHOFF
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

March 10, 2007

The selection of a Minnesota developer to build a proposed 425-room, $92 million hotel next to the Iowa Events Center does not mean that construction is imminent, Polk County officials stressed Friday.

It does mean, however, that there's a lot more talk ahead.

Polk County supervisors are scheduled to decide Tuesday whether they will open formal negotiations with Mortenson Development, a Minneapolis company that wants to build a 16-story Hilton hotel just north of Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

County officials say Mortenson's proposal, which would require a government subsidy of nearly $28 million, appears likely to survive for the moment despite public statements by three of the five Polk supervisors against use of county money for a hotel.

However, a host of details - the project's design, location and cost to taxpayers - could change drastically before a final deal is struck.

"What I'm encouraging people to do is let's not get hung up on what the initial proposal is," County Administrator Michael Freilinger said earlier this week. "What they've proposed is not necessarily where we'll end up."

Mortenson, which recently completed a $54 million convention center in Coralville, was chosen over two other developers on Friday after a series of closed-door interviews Thursday with members of a Polk County selection committee.

Committee members said Friday the company was more flexible than its competitors - Garfield Traub Development of Texas and Regency Inns Management of South Dakota - and more willing to cede control of up to 85 percent of hotel bookings to the Events Center management.

"Mortenson really came down to being the company that said, 'We're going to work with you regardless of where you want to go,' " said Greg Edwards, a committee member and president of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Flexibility is important, because much remains uncertain about the viability of an Iowa Events Center Hotel.

Mortenson's proposal calls for a 30 percent public subsidy, but Polk County supervisors remain loathe to get involved in any scenario involving public ownership of the hotel.

"I think a hotel makes some sense," Supervisor Robert Brownell said. "But from the county's concern, at least, I think you can get to a point of diminishing returns on this pretty fast."

"I look forward to the next step" in negotiations, Supervisor E.J. Giovannetti said Friday. "My sense is the county certainly has done its share on this issue over the years. I'm certainly anxious to see who comes to the table."

Supervisors for months have pressed the city of Des Moines to provide economic development incentives for the hotel. City Manager Rick Clark said Friday that Des Moines would be hesitant to provide financial help unless the hotel is built on the south side of the Events Center, where it can better feed downtown redevelopment.

[josh]

Turn down a Westin? Pick an ugly hotel instead of a great looking one? Sandwich a hotel with I-235 and Vets?

3 strikes and you're out.

[hawk61401]

City Manager Rick Clark said the most intelligent thing I've heard about a new hotel ..... build it on the south side of the Events Center where it can better feed downtown redevelopment.

I can't think of the name right now .. what's the insurance company on the southwest corner next to Hy-Vee Hall? Make a even swap. The insurance company gets the Polk County Convention Center. The city of Des Moines gets the insurance building site for a hotel. The site is an ideal spot for the Events Center hotel and only a block from Grand Ave.

Regardless of the design, north of Vets is a dumb, dumb location.

Mortenson's design for the new hotel looks a lot like it's project in Coralville. Stack another 8 stories on the Coralville Marriott and you just about have a twin.

http://marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos ... ce-center/

[dogbo]

The insurance company is Allied, but as you might recall they recently sold this to Wells Fargo.

[josh]

City Manager Rick Clark said the most intelligent thing I've heard about a new hotel ..... build it on the south side of the Events Center where it can better feed downtown redevelopment.

I can't think of the name right now .. what's the insurance company on the southwest corner next to Hy-Vee Hall? Make a even swap. The insurance company gets the Polk County Convention Center. The city of Des Moines gets the insurance building site for a hotel. The site is an ideal spot for the Events Center hotel and only a block from Grand Ave.

Regardless of the design, north of Vets is a dumb, dumb location.

Mortenson's design for the new hotel looks a lot like it's project in Coralville. Stack another 8 stories on the Coralville Marriott and you just about have a twin.

http://marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos ... ce-center/

Putting the hotel on the other side of Vets would be a very good decision.

[NewHtsDSM]

Are any renderings of the cool proposal available?