Omaha: Midtown Crossing at Turner Park

[jhuston]

Element by Westin Hotel coming to Midtown Crossing

Opening In 2010, Element Omaha Midtown Crossing Starwood's First Omaha Property

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced an agreement with Mutual of Omaha to open an Element hotel at Midtown Crossing at Turner Park. Element Omaha Midtown Crossing is scheduled to open in late 2010 as part of an exciting, new mixed-use development.

Inspired by Westin(TM) Hotels & Resorts, Element is Starwood's newest hotel concept and the first hotel brand to mandate that all hotels pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED certification. As Starwood's first property in Omaha, the 132-room, new-build hotel will offer a new extended stay experience with inspiring public spaces, modern style and eco-friendly design.

Awaken to Smart Design

The Element brand's unique design philosophy is evident the moment guests arrive. After passing through a signature portal that provides a literal bridge to the Element interior, guests will be greeted with streams of natural light from a multi-storied window wall.

'Every aspect of Element Omaha Midtown Crossing will be designed to help guests recharge and be at their best while they are traveling,' said Brian McGuinness, Vice President of Element and Aloft Hotels. 'Our guests will be able to experience a whole new perspective on extended stay travel in the dynamic city of Omaha, as well as easy access to the area's artistic, cultural and recreational offerings.'

The smart design and clever use of space in the hotel's guest rooms will rejuvenate and energize guests for work or play. Guests will be able to customize their rooms to meet their needs with the multi-purpose, modular furniture, swiveling flat-screen televisions, large desks with open shelving and custom-designed closets. Rooms will also offer a fully equipped kitchen that features modern, ENERGY STAR-rated appliances and all the utensils necessary to prepare a gourmet meal. Guests will rest soundly in the signature Heavenly(R) Bed, and wake up and recharge each morning in a sleek, spa-inspired shower.

A Vital Travel Hub

Element Omaha Midtown Crossing will be part of Omaha's most exciting, new development - a million-square-foot, mixed-use project that combines luxury condominiums and apartments with restaurants, retail and entertainment venues anchored by the revitalized and expanded Turner Park. Located at the western gateway to downtown Omaha and just minutes away from four Fortune 500 headquarters and two major universities, Midtown Crossing is the ideal location for this new extended stay hotel.

'We're thrilled to welcome Starwood's newest lifestyle hotel brand to Midtown Crossing at Turner Park. Element Omaha Midtown Crossing brings an exciting and upscale new dimension to our project and to Midtown Omaha,' said Mutual of Omaha Senior Vice President John McClelland. 'Corporate extended stay housing has always been an important part of our plans for Midtown Crossing, and through this stylish new Element, we can meet that need as well as serve traditional travelers.'

Space to Live Your Life

A signature breakfast offering, fitness area and uninterrupted indoor/outdoor public spaces will deliver everything the guests need to work, relax or socialize on their schedule. Intuitive staff will provide guests the personalized attention they need and the space they desire to maintain balance while away from home.

Element Omaha Midtown Crossing will also feature approximately 1,000 square feet of meeting space, an integrated technology center and library, as well as café seating, a workspace and a flexible lobby space. For breakfast, guests will be able to choose among several options, including its signature hot breakfast sandwich, fresh fruit and cereal bar.

Great for the Earth, Great for Guests

Element is making history by requiring all its hotels to pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED certification. The brand's green features are cleverly designed to be as aesthetically appealing as they are eco-friendly, so guests never compromise on style and comfort. Element Hotels will be equipped with energy-efficient, stainless steel appliances and lighting, amenity dispensers in the showers to reduce waste and water-efficient faucets and fixtures. Guests can continue daily routines such as recycling papers and plastics, as well as using green materials. Even the ubiquitous 'Do Not Disturb' sign will be replaced with an environmentally-friendly magnet.

About Midtown Crossing at Turner Park

Owned by Mutual of Omaha and developed by ECI Investment Advisors, Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is a 15-acre, mixed-use urban development in the heart of Omaha's historic midtown neighborhood. Built around an expanded and revitalized Turner Park, the million-square-foot development includes nearly 500 condominium and apartment units as well as more than 220,000 square feet for restaurants, retailers and entertainment venues along with parking for more than 3,000 vehicles.

[DTO Luv]

More info. I heard from the same source that told me about this hotel last week that the grocery store would be a Trader Joe's.


http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10442739

The eight-story hotel will be on the southeast corner of 33rd and Dodge Streets, with the lobby on a cul-de-sac off Dodge Street and an urban grocery store on the first floor.

Mutual is negotiating with a potential tenant for the grocery store space, McClelland said.

[jhuston]

[DMRyan]

That is without a doubt Omaha's coolest development underway. I like the fact that it didn't take years of public study to get it started, Mutual of Omaha just took the lead and got it done. I still think this comes at the expense of getting some of these amenities into downtown Omaha in the future, but you can't argue that this is a tremendous boost to urban Omaha.

[Mastermind]

I know I am jealous!

[jhuston]

Midtown Crossing nearing completion (W Hotel still underway at center)


Farnam Street (turned two way with angled parking)


Turner Park adjacent Midtown Crossing


Looking southwest


Looking northeast










'Dine in' movie theatre

[DMRyan]

I have to hand it to Omaha, this is a massive development for a metro under a million in population. The aerials show the scale of this and it appears much larger to me than I ever thought previously. From the air, the color scheme makes this appear bland, but the ground shots show the amount of glass and attention to detail that was put into the project.

I still speculate that leasing/purchasing of the residential space in this project goes slow and saps some of the inertia out of the new urban residential market just on the sheer scale of the project, but at least it's built and ready for the future when you can actually get financing for a condo unit again.

[jhuston]

I'm really doubting that Wallstreet Tower will ever be built under all this pressure ... but construction on the second Riverfront Place tower is underway.

[DMRyan]

I have to tip my hat to Omaha on somehow getting the 2nd Riverfront Place condo project off the ground at this time. There might only be a handful of cities in the country that have new midrise condo projects starting right now. It must be the great riverfront location and a tenacious developer with great banking connections to make upscale condo housing work at a time like this.

[Brad in Omaha]

Nice Aerials!

Midtown is truely an "If you build it, they will come" project. They did not have many tennant commitments during construction, but now that people can see the finished project, things are really picking up!