Like I said, my example above assumes no setbacks. And I'm sure there will be. So my point is that the property is large enough that, if only half of it was built upon and standard-sized rooms were included, 650 rooms could easily fit into a 19-story building.

 

Its not you, it's me. For some reason my creative mind can't properly visualize this.

A good visual height comparison might be the Marriot tower at Key.

I might be there...

A good visual height comparison might be the Marriot tower at Key.

 

IIRC, the Marriott is 29 story's and 400 rooms/suites.  I used the Marriott and other hotels as visuals and that is why I'm having trouble visualizing the height and boundaries.  The marriott is taller and has less rooms, granted I don't think the foot print is the same.

 

We have to also think about a lobby, bar & restaurant(s), convention services/ballrooms, pool, gym, spa, business center, etc.  Not to mention a floor or half floor for an elite level lounge.

A good visual height comparison might be the Marriot tower at Key.

 

IIRC, the Marriott is 29 story's and 400 rooms/suites.  I used the Marriott and other hotels as visuals and that is why I'm having trouble visualizing the height and boundaries.  The marriott is taller and has less rooms, granted I don't think the foot print is the same.

 

We have to also think about a lobby, bar & restaurant(s), convention services/ballrooms, pool, gym, spa, business center, etc.  Not to mention a floor or half floor for an elite level lounge.

 

Probably makes sense to table all this height talk until we actually get some design renderings.

A good visual height comparison might be the Marriot tower at Key.

 

IIRC, the Marriott is 29 story's and 400 rooms/suites.  I used the Marriott and other hotels as visuals and that is why I'm having trouble visualizing the height and boundaries.  The marriott is taller and has less rooms, granted I don't think the foot print is the same.

 

We have to also think about a lobby, bar & restaurant(s), convention services/ballrooms, pool, gym, spa, business center, etc.  Not to mention a floor or half floor for an elite level lounge.

 

Probably makes sense to table all this height talk until we actually get some design renderings.

 

Completely agree.  he he he he

The footprint of the actual tower for the Marriot is small.  The lower floors are twice as large as the tower itself.

Like I said, my example above assumes no setbacks. And I'm sure there will be. So my point is that the property is large enough that, if only half of it was built upon and standard-sized rooms were included, 650 rooms could easily fit into a 19-story building.

 

Its not you, it's me. For some reason my creative mind can't properly visualize this.

 

Everytime I close my eyes I picture the 5/3 bank building on Superior. 

 

I have no reason for this, it just happens.  :)

Like I said, my example above assumes no setbacks. And I'm sure there will be. So my point is that the property is large enough that, if only half of it was built upon and standard-sized rooms were included, 650 rooms could easily fit into a 19-story building.

 

Its not you, it's me. For some reason my creative mind can't properly visualize this.

 

Everytime I close my eyes I picture the 5/3 bank building on Superior. 

 

I have no reason for this, it just happens.  :)

 

OK, I can kind of see that.

A rooftop bar and other ideas are on the wish list for the new Cleveland convention center hotel

 

Clevelanders want the city’s new convention center hotel to have an iconic design, a big impact on the skyline, a rooftop bar that’s open year round, and restaurants and retail shops close to sidewalks on the ground floor.

 

Those were some of the ideas about the design of a new $260 million convention center hotel that emerged in a free public forum today at the Cleveland Public Library.

 

Roughly 85 community members, including architects, developers, young professionals and civic leaders spent two hours batting ideas around with representatives of the Atlanta architecture firm of Cooper Carry.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2013/08/a_rooftop_bar_and_other_ideas.html

A rooftop bar and other ideas are on the wish list for the new Cleveland convention center hotel

 

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2013/08/a_rooftop_bar_and_other_ideas.html

 

Architect Steven Kordalski said he expected the new hotel to be a compelling piece of architecture “as opposed to the Medical Mart, [Global Center for Health Innovation] which is non-compelling.”

 

Fair enough, I'm sure he can say that from his amazing portfolio:

http://kordalskiarchitects.com/projects/high-pointe-corporate-park/index.html

whoops....

^Ha!

arrgh my eyes - thats the worst non-architecture i have ever seen.

 

take the rooftop bar back quick - do the opposite of that guys opinion lol!

 

Man, you guys are mean!  A rooftop bar would be cool, but I think I'd be even more excited by a big 3-season terrace overlooking (but not too high above) the Mall to add some reliable signs of life to that space.

arrgh my eyes - thats the worst non-architecture i have ever seen.

 

take the rooftop bar back quick - do the opposite of that guys opinion lol!

 

A rooftop bar should be a part of a convention oriented hotel.  Not only will it draw tourist and hotel guests, it will draw locals.  I don't want anything like Drai's at the W Hollywood.

 

But like the ROOF at the Doubletree Wit in Chicago or the Sun Dial lounge at the Westin Peachtree. 

Man, you guys are mean!  A rooftop bar would be cool, but I think I'd be even more excited by a big 3-season terrace overlooking (but not too high above) the Mall to add some reliable signs of life to that space.

 

yes a terrace facing the mall is just as important as making modern public use of the roof. ideally the terrace could have both open and enclosed sections. maybe it could be connected to a restaurant. what a great view that would be.

 

the ground floor could have patio seating and something more casual.

 

of course, the whole idea with all of this is that it would be an inviting building, so even locals who are not staying at the hotel would want to go there too.

 

So according to this RFQ from DodgeReports the size of the building will be 600,000sq ft. In comparison the new EY at FEB is 450,000 sq ft. or about 27,000 ft per floor. So I am still hoping for 24-28 floors. Maybe they will use a smaller footprint than what is available, much like the Marriott. How about adding 10 floors of residential. That would be nice.

Good find. - Still, I suspect the square footage mentioned above includes a footprint of up to 5 floors of excavated underground parking, that will fill the entire lot edge-to-edge.

 

now its down to "600-650" rooms? It used to be "650--give or take 50 either way" ... meaning the potential for 700 rooms.....

Well if you go by just what was posted above it's also now 0 stories.

So according to this RFQ from DodgeReports the size of the building will be 600,000sq ft. In comparison the new EY at FEB is 450,000 sq ft. or about 27,000 ft per floor. So I am still hoping for 24-28 floors. Maybe they will use a smaller footprint than what is available, much like the Marriott. How about adding 10 floors of residential. That would be nice.

 

In my mind this would be a perfect chance for a "public-private" partnership to allow for those residential floors to be built.  Condos on top of there were sell well--I can imagine the attorneys buying there for the quick access to the courts!

Funding questions regarding the convention hotel. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/314886/45/Investigator-Reservations-about-Cleveland-convention-center-hotel

So according to this RFQ from DodgeReports the size of the building will be 600,000sq ft. In comparison the new EY at FEB is 450,000 sq ft. or about 27,000 ft per floor. So I am still hoping for 24-28 floors. Maybe they will use a smaller footprint than what is available, much like the Marriott. How about adding 10 floors of residential. That would be nice.

 

Would even be better for Public Square.....add offices to the mix

 

In my mind this would be a perfect chance for a "public-private" partnership to allow for those residential floors to be built.  Condos on top of there were sell well--I can imagine the attorneys buying there for the quick access to the courts!

Funding questions regarding the convention hotel. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/314886/45/Investigator-Reservations-about-Cleveland-convention-center-hotel

 

And what of this "Investigator"?  There is no mention as to his qualifications or purpose.

http://www.wkyc.com/company/bios/meyer.aspx

Cleburger said it earlier. Make the hotel a mixed use project with apartments or condos on the top floors. It would guarantee a constant income flow, and the location and views would ensure a high price per square foot.

Funding questions regarding the convention hotel. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/314886/45/Investigator-Reservations-about-Cleveland-convention-center-hotel

 

He is not comparing apples to apples with other government owned hotels. In fact, there is no one to compare to since CLE is the first with a Med. Mart type facility.

That Hyatt at McCormick Place in Chicago is way outside the center (interesting parts) of town.  The only people likely to the McCormick Hyatt are those who need to be tied by the neck to a convention center.  Those attending conferences don't want to stay there, they stay downtown in the middle of things - um like where the new CLE Convention center is going.

Funding questions regarding the convention hotel. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/314886/45/Investigator-Reservations-about-Cleveland-convention-center-hotel

 

He is not comparing apples to apples with other government owned hotels. In fact, there is no one to compare to since CLE is the first with a Med. Mart type facility.

Well apparently the events booked for the Med Mart and Convention Center are pretty underwhelming that's why they are looking for a new operator. Hearing that makes me nervous about this hotel and makes me want apartments involved.

^Could you cite you source for this?  I don't recall reading anything to the effect since the annoucnement was made but I could have missed it.

^Could you site you source for this?  I don't recall reading anything to the effect since the annoucnement was made but I could have missed it.

It's in that Channel 3 investigator story posted above, Tom Myers mentioned after 2 months they are searching for a new operator.

^Thanks.  I do see that in that article but I don't know how credible it is.  It appears to be speculation by some out of town expert who stated this must be the case because the county is looking to replace MMPI (when others have suggested other reasons such as MMPI is devesting itself of these types of facilities nation wide).  It appears to be an off the cuff comment by somebody who really does not know the facts or even made an effort to do the analysis in this regard (but I am sure he feels real important being asked questions by THE TOM MEYER).  Maybe it is true but the county has not stated that this is the reason it is looking for a new operator as far as I am aware.

^Could you site you source for this?  I don't recall reading anything to the effect since the annoucnement was made but I could have missed it.

It's in that Channel 3 investigator story posted above, Tom Myers mentioned after 2 months they are searching for a new operator.

 

Good grief :roll:

Cuyahoga County begins temporary relocation of offices to make way for demolition

 

By Andrew J. Tobias, Northeast Ohio Media Group

September 22, 2013 at 2:00 PM, updated September 22, 2013 at 6:02 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County has begun vacating the county administrative building, the first step of a process that will eventually end in 2014 with a new county headquarters at the former Ameritrust complex.

The move will happen in two main stages. In phases between now and October, county operations located in the current county headquarters at Ontario Street and Lakeside Avenue are scattering to seven other county-owned buildings.

Once they're out -- which is scheduled to happen by the end of next month -- demolition will begin on the county headquarters to make way for the publicly-financed construction of a new $260 million, 600-plus room hotel that will connect to the Cuyahoga County Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation, formerly known as the medical mart.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2013/09/cuyahoga_county_begins_temporary_relocation_of_offices_to_make_way_for_demolition.html#incart_m-rpt-2

The number of hotel rooms seems to be dropping with each article!

The number has been 600+ since the beginning. Although vague, isn't the expectation a 650 room hotel?

I've seen articles stating 650-700 rooms.

Why don't we all calm down and wait to see what the final number is, which I expect will be announced within the next 6 months.  Honestly, are we really getting all aflutter over a 50-100 room differential in the estimates that have been tossed around in various media outlets?!?!

Aflutter? Calm down? Now now.... Can't I have some fun asking some chatty, silly questions in this social setting? If I was upset I'd express it better than that. I'd be writing letters to the editor of the newspaper. Protesting on Public Square. Throwing molotov cocktails. You know, just a few actions to pass the time on an otherwise slow day....

^^Agree.  You would think that rather than harping about the number of hotel rooms we would be discussing and marveling at how fast this is happening.  Compared to any other project in Cleveland this is moving like a rocket (which could be a good thing or a thing which board members might be concerned about).

And where's the fun in that??

 

EDIT: life's too short not to have some fun with this or that. Live a little.

 

And yes, I am surprised they're moving so fast that they want to move out of the county administration building in a two-step process.

^^Agree.  You would think that rather than harping about the number of hotel rooms we would be discussing and marveling at how fast this is happening.  Compared to any other project in Cleveland this is moving like a rocket (which could be a good thing or a thing which board members might be concerned about).

 

I'm less concerned about the number of rooms and MORE concerned about the speed with which their moving. 

 

I'd like to see our leaders show some vision here--not just slap up the fastest 600...no 625....no 650 room hotel they can get done.

 

Condos on top!    Retail on the bottom.    Let's make this a project to last well into this century--not the next 20 years while the convention center stays viable.

Condos on top!    Retail on the bottom.    Let's make this a project to last well into this century--not the next 20 years while the convention center stays viable.

 

Great point.

 

How this thing interacts on the ground floor is going to be key.

How this thing interacts on the ground floor is going to be key.

 

And Key (Tower) is a great example of how NOT to have a building interact with its surroundings on the ground floor.

 

EDIT: I prefer positive reinforcement to convey a message. I prefer to say what I want to see happen rather what I don't want to see happen. Problem is, we don't have any hotels downtown I can think of with a ground floor that interacts well with its surroundings. Can someone else think of a positive example?

How this thing interacts on the ground floor is going to be key.

 

And Key (Tower) is a great example of how NOT to have a building interact with its surroundings on the ground floor.

 

EDIT: I prefer positive reinforcement to convey a message. I prefer to say what I want to see happen rather what I don't want to see happen. Problem is, we don't have any hotels downtown I can think of with a ground floor that interacts well with its surroundings. Can someone else think of a positive example?

 

Ugh, with Key's ground floor the word foreboding comes to mind...retrofit possibility?

 

But yeah, the hotel is going to have to counterbalance the Justice Center dead zone!, the Group Plan buildings and Key Tower.

The Marriott at Key is hit-or-miss. It's relates well on the mall-facing side. But along Ontario Street, it may as well be Rommel's bunkers facing the Pas-de-Calais!

How this thing interacts on the ground floor is going to be key.

 

And Key (Tower) is a great example of how NOT to have a building interact with its surroundings on the ground floor.

 

EDIT: I prefer positive reinforcement to convey a message. I prefer to say what I want to see happen rather what I don't want to see happen. Problem is, we don't have any hotels downtown I can think of with a ground floor that interacts well with its surroundings. Can someone else think of a positive example?

 

Aloft? The ugly Comfort Inn at Euclid/18th?

Aloft? The ugly Comfort Inn at Euclid/18th?

 

Those are pretty decent except for the drive-through at the Comfort Inn.

I like the Hyatt in the old Arcade.  The entrance on Superior is pretty cool with the heaters, and of course leading to all things retail inside.  I suppose they couldn't mess that up since they got it right 100 years ago (holding my breath....)

Heard this on NPR this morning ... wonder when we'll get to see some drawings? :)

 

At the end of my tour, I was walking out the door and ran into County Executive Ed Fitzgerald. He had just left a meeting reviewing plans for the new convention hotel, which is in the works to be built next door.

 

Fitzgerald was beaming as he explained what the county is asking of the hotel architects.

 

“How do you figure out a way to design a facility that will be the flagship of this whole complex we’ve established here and then how do you show that it’s a place of innovation but it’s also consistent with Cleveland’s history and the historical architecture you have here? And I’ve seen the initial drafts and I think they’re getting pretty close,” Fitzgerald says.

 

When is the hotel scheduled to be finished?

 

Construction, including demolition of the county building is slated for later this year. The hotel is expected to be completed in 2016.

 

From: http://www.ideastream.org/news/feature/be-well-an-inside-look-at-clevelands-global-center-for-health-innovation