Hampton Inn, South of Court

[wmjindsm]

OK I started a new topic that was suggested...

The Des Moines Business Record says that developers are close to cloing on a deal to bring a 140 room Hampton Inn & Suties to an area near High Life Lounge at 101, 121 and 114 S.W. Second St..

http://businessrecord.com/main.asp?Sect ... cleID=8482

According to their website...

http://hrchotels.com/index.htm

they are also building a Hampton Inn and Suites in Marshalltown

[wmjindsm]

Also (which I didn't know) Hampton is under the Hilton umbrella so in a couple years we will now have two Hilton brands in Downtown Des Moines. The Hotel Fort Des Moines being the other.

[Mototail]

Here's a view of the proposed purchase:

http://www.assess.co.polk.ia.us/cgi-bin ... ldgid_opt=

[wmjindsm]

by Mototail on Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:41 pm

Here's a view of the proposed purchase:

http://www.assess.co.polk.ia.us/cgi-bin ... ldgid_opt=

well that would pretty much make it a riverfront property. One building I think use to house a fitness gym.

[dogbo]

So this is the block on the river. Cool! We lose a couple non-significant decrepit buildings and more importantly…another surface lot!!! That said, they're going to have to have parking. I wonder how that will work (or will they use a couple nearby parking garages?) Also, I wonder if they'll take advantage of the location and put a restaurant/bar at street level (facing the river)? I'm not sure if that fits their business model however as I can't recall the last time I stayed at a Hampton Inn.

I assume height-wise, it will be as tall as neighboring buildings? (e.g.. Brown Camp, Waterstreet Lofts).

@%#@#!!! it is nice to have something new to talk about!

[MrMafia]

140+ rooms on a small city block like that... It must be of pretty substantial height. Any renderings or building permits floating out that that reveal this information?

Also I know its not the place for it but what happened to the Hilton they were going to build up by The Well?


Some other 140 room hotels:

http://www.chinahotelsreservation.com/i ... l_Wuxi.jpg

http://www.doncasterhill.com/images/Hotel.gif

http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/08 ... eline3.jpg

[hawk61401]

A little speculation. The Hampton Inn and Suites Greenville River Place on the riverfront in Greenville, South Carolina might be something to use as a comparable. Looks like they have an impressive riverfront. I'm not certain, but I think Des Moines/Principal leaders went to Greenville for ideas for the Des Moines riverfront.



http://www.hamptoninnandsuitesgreenville.com/

more of the riverfront: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=greenville+riverwalk
http://www.greenvilledailyphoto.com/ind ... iver-walk/

[DMRyan]

Greenville has an incredible riverfront that is very inviting. Do look up photos of this location because it's exactly the type of place-making we need here in Des Moines. They're river is more like a creek though and probably doesn't have the flood/hydro concerns of the Des Moines River.

This won't be a high rise or even a midrise. There is a height limitation along the riverfront of 75 ft. There are ways to get a waiver of this height requirement, but if this hotel gets built, it should be on the same scale as the buildings to the north.

[Mototail]

Some how I'd have to think that this project would be more than 75 ft. being that it's 140 rooms. I can't think of any other buildings that would be compromised as far as view if it went over the 75 ft. height limitation. It's not like the area were Capitol Village Lofts and the Iowa State Bank financed lofts. That was a tussle that ensued between those on the city council. So the only minor obstacle is the alley way which shouldn't be a problem.

[dogbo]

In checking out a couple of their different locations on the web, they don't appear to offer a restaurant/bar on the premise. That said, they seem to heavily promote those that are within walking distance. This should make them a hit with the other establishments in the area.

[Keepgrowingdsm]

This is what I talked about on the downtown des moines post a few weeks back. Glad it got announced. From what I heard originally, they were talking about a 5 story hotel. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

[Ingersoll1978]

Actually, this will be the THIRD Hilton branded property downtown after the Hilton Hotel Fort Des Moines and the Embassy Suites.

[armface]

how long has this project been in the works ive never heard of it till now

[Mastermind]

I believe Keepgrowingdsm mentioned it a few weeks ago but wasnt able to give any details.

[dogbo]

how long has this project been in the works ive never heard of it till now

there was mention of it in the Hotel Fort DSM thread in a link to a Business Record article about downtown hotels.

[PlatonKarataev]

This would a very nice improvement over what is currently there.





I frequently make that walk after baseball games, and the warehouse there now is kind of a downer to walk by. A hotel-- even a no-service hotel-- would add some energy to there.

I used to park in that lot for I-Cubs games all the time because it was a short walk and free. A couple of years ago, they started charging for it. Never being one to pay for parking when I can avoid it, I've moved to a different lot, albeit feeling rather stabbed in the back So I'm glad that the cheap traitors are closing up shop.

[dogbo]

Register story complete with reader comments...

Hampton Inn proposed for Court Avenue district
By JEFF ECKHOFF • [email protected] • July 16, 2009

A Michigan-based developer is ready to sign papers to build a 140-room Hampton Inn and Suites along the Des Moines River in downtown once the city agrees to eliminate alleys that cross the property.

HRC Management Co. of East Lansing, Mich., said the hotel likely will appear — assuming the alley issues are resolved — in late 2010 or early 2011 on the block just north of Brown-Camp Lofts bordered by Southwest Second, Vine, Market and Southwest Water streets.

Link to entire article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 0990716019

[hawk61401]

Again, I'm using the Hampton Inn in Greenville, South Carolina as an example. It has an outdoor garden area which provides an area for relaxation and adds to the beauty of the riverfront. I hope that Des Moines gets as much.

It would be a shame and a waste if the east side of the hotel facing the river was a surface parking lot.

[DMRyan]

From a marketability standpoint, I can't imagine the hotel not fronting the river when you have such a view provided. I wouldn't worry about surface parking facing the river. A building not shown above as having to be demo'd is a two story building that is one of the oldest remaining in the city. I believe it was formerly a hotel for railroad workers dating back to 1880, but it doesn't appear very architectural significant from the outside.

How sweet to would it be to see this and the Metro Lofts project getting built at the same time, keeping the momentum going in the Court Avenue area after a year off with not much happening.

[Better Life dude]

How sweet to would it be to see this and the Metro Lofts project getting built at the same time, keeping the momentum going in the Court Avenue area after a year off with not much happening.

I like that. Add in the Rumley building next to the Science Center and Hubble's warehouse conversion on the south side of MLK Blvd (Rocket Transfer). Things could pop nicely in the next 12 months in this area.

[wmjindsm]

Does look like there will not be a restaurant at this location.

The Des Moines hotel would be limited service, with no restaurant, and focused on a combination of business travelers and tourists, he said.

"Our goal is not to get convention business," he said. "Our goal is to be in a town."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 70353/1029

[BenRoethig]

Is this the block just south of the railroad tracks.

[DMRyan]

Yes it is. The closest block to the riverfront, south of the tracks and the Vine Street Lofts/Water Street Brownstones development.

[BenRoethig]

I like the idea of a downtown Hampton, but I'd really have to see the plans before really signing off on it. If done wrong, it has the potential to stick out like a sore thumb.

[hawk61401]

If done wrong, it has the potential to stick out like a sore thumb.

It should be a hotel that looks like it belongs there ... not something you would see in the suburbs.

There are plenty of Hampton Inns that don't follow the usual cookie cutter. Like this one that was built to blend in with the neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio ..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nessachan/2181412263/

[BenRoethig]

It should, but that's why I said I'd like to see the developers plans first. You don't know if they're going to do something that fits or a modified cookie cutter to save money. With the exception of the homewood suites conversion of a block of downtown Indy, this company seems to do cookie cutters.

[Keepgrowingdsm]

I think this will be a great affordable option for people to stay at and take in what Des Moines has to offer downtown. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we see a Marriott Courtyard or another Marriott brand hotel in the same price category be announced in the coming months. (Hint hint)

[GoVerticalDSM]

So will this Marriott affiliate be the high rise we are hoping for?

[Keepgrowingdsm]

Not Unless it goes on top of a current parking structure which was proposed twice over the last few years.

[DMRyan]

At one point about a year or so ago, there was a proposal to build an 8-story Courtyard Inn just to the west of the Savery Hotel. All has been quiet on that front ever since, but there's a thread about this project buried deep in this forum. Keepgrowingdsm, is this the location that you've heard mentioned or is this a seperate proposal?

Ben, there's reason for concern based on this hotel company's portfolio, but I doubt the city would allow a prototypical suburban Hampton Inn to be built on this key riverfront location. I do have hope in that even if it isn't the most attractive hotel proposal to ever get built.