Will Metropole be incorporated into the hotel name? Maybe: 21c at the Metropole

don't think so

Will Metropole be incorporated into the hotel name? Maybe: 21c at the Metropole

 

No.

Work progressing at the 21c Hotel over Thanksgiving weekend.

 

1. Looking south along Walnut Street.

 

2. Looking north along Walnut Street from 6th Street.

 

3. View from plaza in front of Nada.

 

4. Street-level scene...check out the architectural details uncovered beneath the windows during the renovation.

I was really excited when those architectural details were unveiled. I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like.

Are they going to be using new windows on the building or just refurbishing the old ones?

It would have made quite the statement, if they had included the Cincinnati Streetcar in that rendering.

 

Are they going to be using new windows on the building or just refurbishing the old ones?

 

new.

While they're at it, put some sensible windows in the CAC. 

^And what do you mean by that? Better yet, how about just leave the CAC alone?

^ agreed.

The CAC is just hideous, but that's my interoperation. As for the Metropole/21C, it is new windows. The old ones were not all that ... old, or energy-efficient. They were cheap.

I can't imagine what some of you would do in NYC, London, Madrid, or any other City filled with all kinds of crazy architecture, some good, some bad.

 

There are WAY uglier buildings in Cincinnati to give a damn about.  Think, almost anything built in the 70's.

 

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the windows in the Metropole were about 30-40 years old.  Like Sherman said, nothing special at all. Also, apartment windows & hotel windows are traditionally very different.

As far as postmodern architecture goes (I think that's the correct term), the CAC is pretty good. It's not very flamboyant, the scale is appropriate, and it interacts quite well with the street. Overall much nicer than most contemporary design, IMO.

 

I wonder why they half-assed the cornice in the 21c rendering OC posted.

I don't think it is the intention of this thread but Sherman IMO you are SORELY mistaken - the CAC is beautiful! 

The contrasting styles of the CAC next to the 21C will make for a dynamic and very visually rich block ----- Cincy needs so much more of this contrast and compliment.

This is good news - for Lexington. It was known that a boutique hotel was eyeing that building for a while - this just makes it official.

 

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/10/2145402/lexingtons-first-national-building.html

Updated: Lexington landmark to become a 21c Museum Hotel

 

Louisville philanthropists and art collectors Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown announced plans Tuesday to buy the old First National Building in downtown Lexington and convert it to a 21c Museum Hotel — a combination boutique hotel and contemporary art museum.

 

They opened Louisville's acclaimed 21c hotel in 2006, and Lexington's will be the fourth in the 21c group of hotels.

 

--

 

Some of my photographs from my article on the First National Bank building: http://urbanup.net/cities/kentucky/lexington-kentucky/lexington-kentucky-downtown/fayette-national-bank/

 

 

Center:

All of the buildings to the left in that block were demolished for Centrepointe.

This is good news - for Lexington. It was known that a boutique hotel was eyeing that building for a while - this just makes it official.

 

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/10/2145402/lexingtons-first-national-building.html

Updated: Lexington landmark to become a 21c Museum Hotel

 

Louisville philanthropists and art collectors Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown announced plans Tuesday to buy the old First National Building in downtown Lexington and convert it to a 21c Museum Hotel a combination boutique hotel and contemporary art museum.

 

They opened Louisville's acclaimed 21c hotel in 2006, and Lexington's will be the fourth in the 21c group of hotels.

 

--

 

Some of my photographs from my article on the First National Bank building: http://urbanup.net/cities/kentucky/lexington-kentucky/lexington-kentucky-downtown/fayette-national-bank/

 

 

Center:

All of the buildings to the left in that block were demolished for Centrepointe.

 

Shouldn't this go in the non Ohio projects?

^ no.  This is directly related to the Ohio project of equal name and development.

 

I hope they don't oversaturate with 21C's by adding Columbus & Indianapolis ones.  that would be bad.

21c names Cincinnati general manager

 

21c Museum Hotels has named Gerry Link, a 25-year hotel industry veteran, as general manager of the 156-room downtown Cincinnati hotel opening later this year.

 

Link leaves Pyramid Hotel Group in San Francisco, where he managed properties like The Claremont Resort and Spa and the Hilton Fisherman’s Wharf in the Bay Area. Previously, he spent 13 years at Hilton. Link and his wife Nancy are relocating from Portland, Oregon.

 

It was just across the Columbia River from Portland, in Vancouver, Washington, that Link accomplished his most notable feat. In 2005, he oversaw the pre-opening and opening of a full-service, boutique-style Hilton, a property that has since ranked in the top five of Hilton hotels for customer service. Under Link’s leadership, the hotel also earned “Ecohotel of the Year” from Travel + Leisure magazine.

 

Cont

 

^ no.  This is directly related to the Ohio project of equal name and development.

 

I hope they don't oversaturate with 21C's by adding Columbus & Indianapolis ones.  that would be bad.

 

And yet, it has nothing to do with the Cincinnati location.

 

I'm actually kind of bummed that Lexington and some town in Arkansas (I mean...Arkansas!?) are also getting 21cs.  I thought it would be cool for the only two locations to be Louisville and Cincinnati, as it would certainly make the project here a little more special.

I'm actually kind of bummed that Lexington and some town in Arkansas (I mean...Arkansas!?) are also getting 21cs.  I thought it would be cool for the only two locations to be Louisville and Cincinnati, as it would certainly make the project here a little more special.

 

Not just some random town in Arkansas--the hometown of Walmart!

And Lexington is a lot wealthier than many would think.

 

Median Household Income, Median Income for Family, Per Capita

Cincinnati

$29,493, $37,543, $19,962

 

Lexington is higher incomed, booming in population.

$39,813, $53,264, $23,109

 

Bentonville is also higher incomed and booming in population.

$39,936, $46,558, $20,831

Sherman, you know better than to compare Cincinnati stats with Lexington stats!  We both know the city limits are so vastly different for these two places that it isn't worth comparing. 

Huh? Just saying that the demographics are there for both Lexington and Bentonville for a 21c Museum Hotel. There is no reason why they wouldn't choose Lexington or Bentonville - or other upcoming cities. Just because it's Kentucky or Arkansas doesn't mean there isn't wealth or isn't special.

I am not so much concerned about where they are but more the number of them.  As mentioned previously the 21c is a cool idea but a lot of that is derived from its uniqueness.

I agree - I wonder if it is almost becoming a chain. They had plans for an Austin, Texas hotel but those numbers just did not work out in light of the recession - yet, Cincinnati (and now Lexington and Arkansas) are now being pushed forward. I really like 21c's Museum Hotel in Louisville - it is unique, chic and not that expensive.

seems like they are targeting second tier southern cities where there's not much of a boutique hotel presence and relatively cheap land/buildings, so I wouldn't be suprised to see Nashville, Memphis, Augusta, Birmingham, Montgomery, etc pop up in the near future...

 

a small portfolio of 21c hotels would actually be a good thing -- better brand recognition and better utilization of resources from an operational perspective. with thier local, art-centric concept though they have to be careful they don't just turn into another boutique hotel chain a la W or Kimpton and really keep it special.

^^Well, of course it's becoming a boutique chain.  I feel bad for the folks in Louisville who thought "now Cincinnati and Arkansas are getting one?  F that!"  But hey, it was inevitable.

back to the Cincinnati one though -- I walked by this morning. Yesterday and today they are removing the old fire escapes in the alley between the hotel and Nicholson's. It REALLY opens that space up and I can't wait to see how to translates into outdoor dining or bar space.

Huh? Just saying that the demographics are there for both Lexington and Bentonville for a 21c Museum Hotel. There is no reason why they wouldn't choose Lexington or Bentonville - or other upcoming cities. Just because it's Kentucky or Arkansas doesn't mean there isn't wealth or isn't special.

 

Ok fine.  Then what was the point of comparing the city's?  We all know throwing those numbers up for Cincy is not a good comparison to Lexington's consolidated numbers.  A better point of reference would've been what percent of the region earns over XXXX number of dollars.  Gives you a better rep. of certain types of buying power.  I have seen this referenced numerous times when discussing/figuring out why boutique chains are/aren't opening in the various East Coast cities. 

A successful concept looking to expand into other markets?  How dare they?  Name recognition is good and I don't think they are even close to watering down the brand with a handful of locations.

 

I will say Bentonville and Lex are head-scratchers.  (Lex less so.)  I would have thought the next step would be Nashville, Savannah or Charleston.  Don't ask me why.

 

And there's no need for a dick-off between Cincy and Lex.  We all know both cities are awesome in their own right and are completely different in so many ways.  In fact Lexington would be totally cool if one didn't have to deal with all the UK t-shirts in your face ad nauseum.  Seriously, do people have anything other than that in their closets?

I have nothing against Lexington, but it's largely a college town with a metro population roughly equal to Canton.  Louisville is a river city with some really cool neighborhoods, big national events, and a history of fine dining and hotels.  I wouldn't have a problem with 21c opening in Nashville and Savannah, as both of those cities have pretty vibrant art scenes and are nationally known.  Cincinnati's is going right next to the CAC, across from the Aronoff and Weston Gallery where it makes sense to have an art focused boutique hotel.  Idk about the Arkansas and Lexington locations...

Cincinnati is one of the 30 largest metros in the country. Lexington isn't in the top 100, and Bentonville is a very small city.  The first two 21C's seemed to be heading in the direction of creating a chic, urban brand.  These latest two will have a much different feel.  It seems as if there isn't a comprehensive direction or strategy.

Bentonville is home to Walmart and other companies like P&G have set up offices down there to do business with them. I would assume 21c has done some kind of research that tells them there is a need for more hotel rooms at their price point/amenity level. When I have stayed at the Louisville hotel, during the week, I noticed many of my fellow guests were business travelers and that is probably the market they are looking to capture in Bentonville.

 

Lexington makes sense because it is the other big city in Kentucky and it will probably be a relatively smoother expansion than going out of state. The only hotel I have ever stayed in when going to Lexington is that one huge Marriott, which is nice and all, but a brand new 21c will be much more tempting. 

 

I agree that it benefits Cincinnati if no new expansions are set for Indianapolis or Columbus. 21c is certainly a destination hotel on top of being great option for business travellers. We do compete with those cities for regional tourism. This being UrbanOhio, I hope Columbus gets an awesome new boutique hotel too, just not 21c!

^^^ Columbus is, in the Short North. Called The Joseph http://www.columbusunderground.com/short-north-boutique-hotel-to-begin-construction-this-summer

 

Indy has a CONRAD which is far, far better than anything in Columbus or Cincinnati right now, but it still more of a business hotel rather than a true botique.

 

Anybody else wonder if 21c will be big enough competition to force the big Cincy hotels (Westin/Hyatt/Hilton/Millenium) to consider remodeling? All 4 of those properties are extremely dated and worn. Not appropriate for a big business city like Cincinnati...

The Westin just remodeled like 2 years ago. Of the big downtown hotels, the Millenium is really the one in most need of a rennovation.

Got to disagree with you. The Cincinnatian and Netherland Hilton are still elegant and classy. Each has first-class restaurants suitable for business entertaining.

The Westin only remodeled their public spaces during that time. Their rooms are probably the best downtown (aside from the brand new Residence Inn), but still have old box TVs and are quite worn.

 

The Hilton has great public spaces that have been cared for over the years, but the rooms are a mess. Very dated furniture, old TVs, dirty carpet, poor lighting, no WiFi in the rooms (100% unacceptable for a upscale hotel catering to business travellers)

 

I haven't stayed in the Hyatt for probably 3 years, but even back then it was not comprable to Hyatts in other major business cities that I've travelled to.

 

Don't even get me started on the Millenium...it's owned by a Singapore-based real estate group that have literally put no money into improvements since they bought it. It's also well known that the Lindner brother who controls the Cincinnatian has no interest in investing any money into it. Again, very dated rooms (but the service and restaurants in there are solid)

 

If you guys don't believe me, go read some reviews of these places on TripAdivsor which echo my thoughts. I also hear these comments echoed from people that come into town for my downtown employer.

I think the 21c will do well in Lexington. The horse industry seems to attract plenty of moneyed visitors.

I would agree that the Hilton has some of the best public spaces, but its rooms and meeting spaces are fairly dated. They have old furniture, old televisions and generally bad lighting - and their WiFi service is next to non-existant in much of the building. There were issues with the internet the entire time when we hosted a conference for 500+ two years ago.

 

The Cincinnatian is nice - but compared to what it used to be, it's top-notch. The Westin is nice, but their televisions are not what my parents at least expected (CRT's) - especially since other Westins that they have stayed at have been totally renovated top to bottom. I haven't been in the Millennium, but the reviews for it are not that good.

The room I had at the netherland hilton last year had like-new furniture, carpets, and drapes. Was that room an exception in some way?

The event was held two years back, so I'm glad it was upgraded. I haven't been inside since. I do remember the Wi-Fi being spotty throughout, which they blamed on the construction of the building.

Maybe they are in the process of remodeling then becuase I stayed there in January of this year and had a small suite that was pretty embarassing...and I'm Hilton Honors Diamond too! We're supposed to get the nice rooms!

 

I wish I had taken a picture of the sofa that was in my room...it was actually pretty funny how late-80s it was.

Would the Mariott River Center (Covington) be considered the nicest hotel in the urban core?

I do agree the "Big Four" hotels are outdated but I did a tour of the Residence Inn @ Lytle Park and it was a fantastic renovation.

I would really like to see the Terrace Plaza Hotel restored and reopened. It would have been perfect for 21c (as it was packed with artwork and sculpture when it opened), although the Metropole has great proximity to other art amentities and I do not regret the decision to rehab it for 21c.

 

CPA has put together a great brochure on the Terrace Plaza:

http://cincinnatipreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/Terrace_Plaza_Cincinnati.pdf

I would really like to see the Terrace Plaza Hotel restored and reopened. It would have been perfect for 21c (as it was packed with artwork and sculpture when it opened), although the Metropole has great proximity to other art amentities and I do not regret the decision to rehab it for 21c.

 

CPA has put together a great brochure on the Terrace Plaza:

http://cincinnatipreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/Terrace_Plaza_Cincinnati.pdf

 

+1

In the State of the City the mayor said hotel attendance was a record high in 2011.  That's really great news across the board.  While Obviously 21C will be unique and pricier, it's good to see the overall hotel market doing well.

 

The most recent news I've heard is that the 21C will open "between Halloween & Thanksgiving".  This would be a 2-3 week delay from their original opening target (october 2012) that they set well before construction had started.  Not a big deal.

See 3CDC's latest newsletter for an update on the 21c Hotel: http://www.3cdc.org/images/editor/March%20Monthly%20Report(1).pdf

 

Looks like they are aiming to open in early November!

I was poking around their website today and you can book rooms now! No earlier than 12/12/12 though. So is that the date of opening their aiming for? Or are they already booked up?