April 12, 201411 yr Just to clarify considering the budget and the building they had to work with, I think the developer did a nice job. My only problem is with the exposed guardrails.
April 12, 201411 yr If you look closely at both the rendering and the pic MayDay posted it to me it looks like the facade of the hotel's garage is not complete. In the rendering it looks like the parking lot is not visible, except for the small west facing corner of the building...not nearly as visible as it is in MayDay's pic. My guess is another screening element will be put in place before all is said and done. Maybe it's being left more open for ventilation for now while workers are still in that confined space.
April 12, 201411 yr You can see on the right side they have started installing the panels that will cover the garage. Compare it to the rendering. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
April 12, 201411 yr I've said it before on their Facebook page and will say it again here, the brown and cream ruin any attractiveness this project could have, but the interior should be very nice.
April 18, 201411 yr yeah if those guard rails stay thats not good. ANyway the signage continues and Urban Farmer is becoming more apparent
April 18, 201411 yr If you look at the 2nd picture from Clueless you will see what appears to be some type of cover to the guard rails on the far left of the floors. Hopefully this is purposeful.
April 18, 201411 yr I'm all for saving buildings and adaptive reuse, and it's hard for me say to actually say this, but this is one project in downtown that would have been better served via a demo and starting from scratch. I shake my head that buildings like the Columbia can't be renovated into a 4 star hotel, but an ugly building like this, with its prominent display of parking deck can undergo such a "makeover". However, I'm sure the rooms inside will be quite nice. What really makes me cringe is seeing the boarded up building across the street from the bottom picture in Clueless's post. Here we are, about to have a brand new 4 star hotel open up to visitors with the Urban Farmer restaurant, and *that* happens across the street. I haven't been down by that intersection in quite some time, but I hope that plywood is temporary ...
April 18, 201411 yr I'm all for saving buildings and adaptive reuse, and it's hard for me say to actually say this, but this is one project in downtown that would have been better served via a demo and starting from scratch. I shake my head that buildings like the Columbia can't be renovated into a 4 star hotel, but an ugly building like this, with its prominent display of parking deck can undergo such a "makeover". However, I'm sure the rooms inside will be quite nice. What really makes me cringe is seeing the boarded up building across the street from the bottom picture in Clueless's post. Here we are, about to have a brand new 4 star hotel open up to visitors with the Urban Farmer restaurant, and *that* happens across the street. I haven't been down by that intersection in quite some time, but I hope that plywood is temporary ... It is temporary. The garage/building is under renovation.
April 18, 201411 yr I used to work in the boarded up building [Lincoln Building] across from the Westin. Based on my experiences, it will be boarded up for a very very long time.
April 21, 201411 yr here a pretty neat hotel idea - what about a theme hotel like the marriott epicurean in tampa? i saw it on the today show. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/epicurean-hotel-opens-as-legacy-to-berns-steak-house-founder/2157514 i guess it doesnt matter what theme, tampa isnt known for food, just one that would be a draw. it looks like they aligned with berns steakhouse across the street? maybe an iron chef version for cle w/symon? that would be fun.
April 22, 201411 yr Thankfully it looks like they are taking off the parking railing... I think. If you look at the right side you'll see the difference. And the new sign is up.
April 22, 201411 yr The "Wes." I dig it... Sounds like a hostle...hey man...over on the window sill...
April 25, 201411 yr Michelle J. McFee @mjarboe 2m Urban Farmer sign going up on southwest corner of new @WestinCLE in downtown #CLE. Hotel opens next month. pic.twitter.com/gBILLYAbZk "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 25, 201411 yr I don't care what anyone says, this building looks so much better than it did. Damn right.
April 25, 201411 yr ^not with exposed parking like that on St. Clair. While it's certainly not the best aesthetic choice; it would be a hard case to make that the renovation, in its entirety, it not substantially better than its predecessor.
April 25, 201411 yr I can't imagine the Westin executives looking at the front of this hotel and deciding to leave the guard rails exposed like they currently are in the parking garage. They're hideous and I can't imagine the remedy would break the bank. Just cover them up and be done with it.
April 25, 201411 yr Does anyone else think that Urban Farmer sign is a little bit POW! in your face and oversized? And judging by the additional standoffs higher up, the sign will be even bigger. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
April 25, 201411 yr Personally, I think this project has been totally botched; and that's a crying shame. What a wasted opportunity. If you stand back and think about it objectively, the Westin will be THE UGLIEST hotel in town. Even the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn have better street presence. I am mystified by their exterior design choices. Unfortunately, it looks like they have made equally poor choices on the inside. While the original interior renderings showed a cool, grey modern look (much like their original exterior renderings), it appears that they have ditched that approach, and adopted a very fugly Brady-Bunch look. (Take a look at the hotel website) Well, at the least the outside and inside will match. :| Apparently, $65 million dollars couldn't buy much. Unless one is an avid SPG points collector, I cannot imagine why anyone, ever, would choose the Westin over Cleveland's existing, and certainly upcoming hotels.
April 25, 201411 yr ^ thats a pretty polarizing opinion. Survey 100 and i bet 5 feel the way you do. I would most certainly stay there over any of the hotels you listed. Way to early to say a project has been totally botched. Westin has a very large following and im sure they will hold true to their brand.
April 25, 201411 yr I hope the end-product turns out well, but this does not bode well. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure the Marriott (and Hilton, and the Metropolitan, and Kimpton) is breathing a sigh of relief.
April 25, 201411 yr Personally, I think this project has been totally botched; and that's a crying shame. What a wasted opportunity. If you stand back and think about it objectively, the Westin will be THE UGLIEST hotel in town. Even the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn have better street presence. I am mystified by their exterior design choices. Unfortunately, it looks like they have made equally poor choices on the inside. While the original interior renderings showed a cool, grey modern look (much like their original exterior renderings), it appears that they have ditched that approach, and adopted a very fugly Brady-Bunch look. (Take a look at the hotel website) Well, at the least the outside and inside will match. :| Apparently, $65 million dollars couldn't buy much. Unless one is an avid SPG points collector, I cannot imagine why anyone, ever, would choose the Westin over Cleveland's existing, and certainly upcoming hotels. [/quoI ^ thats a pretty polarizing opinion. Survey 100 and i bet 5 feel the way you do. I would most certainly stay there over any of the hotels you listed. Way to early to say a project has been totally botched. Westin has a very large following and im sure they will hold true to their brand. I feel the exact same. The brown is hideous for how modern and sleek the bottom looks. Plus the exposed parking is ridiculous. Fix those flaws and the Westin would look so much better.
April 25, 201411 yr I hope the end-product turns out well, but this does not bode well. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure the Marriott (and Hilton, and the Metropolitan, and Kimpton) is breathing a sigh of relief. I think you all are placing too much stock in the exterior. I think Marriott, Hilton and Kimpton would think the opposite--Westin is a formidable competitor located outside the doors of the Convention Center and will attract lots of guests who will probably never consider the St Clair Ave facade in their booking choice.
April 25, 201411 yr I have no idea whether it will impact operations, but if gruver's photo is representative of the Westin's new room interiors, I definitely have to agree with him/her on the ick reaction. Not at all what I was expecting. I'm also a bit disappointed with the exterior, but for sure it's an improvement over what was there before.
April 25, 201411 yr From the looks of their Facebook page, that interior is nothing like how the rooms will look. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Westin-Cleveland-Downtown/194026300740713 Gruver - what is your source for that picture?
April 25, 201411 yr I hope the end-product turns out well, but this does not bode well. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure the Marriott (and Hilton, and the Metropolitan, and Kimpton) is breathing a sigh of relief. I'm not a fan of this decor either, but looking at the Westin's website this is the decor in all of the hotels due to open up.
April 25, 201411 yr I hope the end-product turns out well, but this does not bode well. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure the Marriott (and Hilton, and the Metropolitan, and Kimpton) is breathing a sigh of relief. I think you all are placing too much stock in the exterior. I think Marriott, Hilton and Kimpton would think the opposite--Westin is a formidable competitor located outside the doors of the Convention Center and will attract lots of guests who will probably never consider the St Clair Ave facade in their booking choice. Well, yeah, Westin is a good brand and it's in an ideal location. It will surely be very competitive against the Marriott, Hilton, etc, but that doesn't mean it's not ugly. As it stands, the building looks unfinished. Sure, it's an improvement over the monstrosity it used to be, but it's still quite ugly. The exposed garage, those ugly guardrails, and the small portion of glass facade - it looks shoddy and unfinished. It's an improvement, but that doesn't mean it's good.
April 25, 201411 yr "Welcome to the Westin. Where the aesthetics just don't matter. Inside or out." :wtf:
April 25, 201411 yr I think it does look a lot better, and I am very exited they renovated that property, especially after hearing how bad it got before the renovation. That said, the garage there is a huge swing and a miss
April 26, 201411 yr I hope the end-product turns out well, but this does not bode well. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure the Marriott (and Hilton, and the Metropolitan, and Kimpton) is breathing a sigh of relief. I think you all are placing too much stock in the exterior. I think Marriott, Hilton and Kimpton would think the opposite--Westin is a formidable competitor located outside the doors of the Convention Center and will attract lots of guests who will probably never consider the St Clair Ave facade in their booking choice. Well, yeah, Westin is a good brand and it's in an ideal location. It will surely be very competitive against the Marriott, Hilton, etc, but that doesn't mean it's not ugly. As it stands, the building looks unfinished. Sure, it's an improvement over the monstrosity it used to be, but it's still quite ugly. The exposed garage, those ugly guardrails, and the way the small portion of glass facade - it looks shoddy and unfinished. It's an improvement, but that doesn't mean it's good. Well sure its ugly. I was just responding to the comment about Marriott and Kimpton somehow being relieved it was ugly. Maybe there is some personal satisfaction there, but I don't think it will change the business.
April 26, 201411 yr Does anyone else think that Urban Farmer sign is a little bit POW! in your face and oversized? And judging by the additional standoffs higher up, the sign will be even bigger. Drove by the Urban Farmer sign yesterday. I give it two thumbs up! Love the antique look to it and it really is massive. It has a real presence on the street and contrasts really well with the hotel color scheme. Can't wait to see it lit up!
May 1, 201411 yr Love the pics of the Urban Farmer interior shown here on right side of page...: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanFarmerCleveland
May 1, 201411 yr Had a tour of the Westin yesterday and though far from finished, the hotel is beautiful. The interior finishes are top of the line with innovative art installations and light fixtures throughout. I saw two different model suites both with classic mid century feel. The ballroom is huge seating 750. They tell me it is opening in three weeks - looked to me like there was a lot left to finish so they must be working round the clock until then. This will definitely be a hotel Clevelanders will be proud of.
May 2, 201411 yr ^No pics? Shame ;-) The ballroom was one of the nice things about the crown plaza, but it looked its age when I was in there for a conference a few years ago.
May 5, 201411 yr Looking good! It looks like they have removed the fencing and barricades. As a side note, the Cleveland Center building really is in need of some cleaning.
May 5, 201411 yr Looking good! It looks like they have removed the fencing and barricades. As a side note, the Cleveland Center building really is in need of some cleaning. Unfortunately I think it's the metal panels themselves that have discolored... The windows too. Trust me after they get washed there's no difference. Wonder if Citigroup Center In NYC has similar issues? Anyhow back to Westin... There's some activity in the parking garage and it looks like something will be done soon regarding it's appearance. Hopefully those rails are replaced and they do some painting
May 7, 201411 yr Walked by construction site at lunch today to see a major flurry of activity. Exciting to see everything coming together here. Checking the Westin site this evening, they are advertising an opening on May 15 and allowing booking of rooms. I would have guessed rooms would be close to $300. Bookings seem to be at $200... http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3760
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