I hope the new hotel has an active frontage on both 4th and 5th streets, is tall enough to make an impact on the skyline, and has an interesting roof design. Too many boring, flat roofed buildings on the west side of downtown.

FYI Hilton Cleveland is 600 rooms. This is going to be a good size building.

3CDC leads search for convention center hotel developer

 

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. will take the lead role in finding a developer for a new headquarters hotel for downtown, which will be located just south of the Duke Energy Convention Center at Fifth and Plum streets.

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, Mayor John Cranley, 3CDC CEO Steve Leeper, Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority CEO Laura Brunner and Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Julie Calvertannounced the request for proposal at a news conference on Monday afternoon.

 

“Cincinnati is a world-class city and we deserve a world-class hotel,” Cranley said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/04/29/3cdc-leads-search-for-convention-center-hotel.html

1 hour ago, edale said:

I hope the new hotel has an active frontage on both 4th and 5th streets, is tall enough to make an impact on the skyline, and has an interesting roof design. Too many boring, flat roofed buildings on the west side of downtown.

I believe it will be tall enough to make a pretty large impact on the skyline and should balance the skyline out pretty well. 

1 hour ago, edale said:

I hope the new hotel has an active frontage on both 4th and 5th streets, is tall enough to make an impact on the skyline, and has an interesting roof design. Too many boring, flat roofed buildings on the west side of downtown.

 

In the biz courier article, 3cdc acknowledged that the lot size is so big that they may be able to fit another development on that parcel as well. 

 

It would be neat if they could squeeze both a hotel, and a 2nd tower that is mixed use development with residential and retail next to the new convention hotel. 

1 hour ago, troeros said:

 

In the biz courier article, 3cdc acknowledged that the lot size is so big that they may be able to fit another development on that parcel as well. 

 

It would be neat if they could squeeze both a hotel, and a 2nd tower that is mixed use development with residential and retail next to the new convention hotel. 

 

3CDC needs to make up for the broken promise of two towers on the 84 51 site!

I’d really like to see a design and the height of something similar to this new hotel that will be in Indianapolis. 

 

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/02/22/new-downtown-indianapolis-hotel-would-literally-and-figuratively-change-our-skyline/2952180002/

Interesting to see how this works out. Columbus and Cleveland's new convention hotels have both essentially been public projects, developed with backing from city and county government. Hopefully a 3CDC model with a private developer pencils out. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

I’d really like to see a design and the height of something similar to this new hotel that will be in Indianapolis. 

 

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/02/22/new-downtown-indianapolis-hotel-would-literally-and-figuratively-change-our-skyline/2952180002/

 

The Signia Hilton Indianapolis is getting a ton of push back now amongst the other major hotels in the city. Lawsuits are being discussed to stop the project before it even breaks ground. Which could be interesting, piss off that developer in Indianapolis, and lure them to Cincinnati instead. 

5 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

I’d really like to see a design and the height of something similar to this new hotel that will be in Indianapolis. 

 

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/02/22/new-downtown-indianapolis-hotel-would-literally-and-figuratively-change-our-skyline/2952180002/

 

“Indianapolis has had to pass on more than 200 events in the past decade, Gahl said, and the added space would allow the city to bid on some of those events and conventions it previously missed out on.”

 

So even in Indianapolis which is supposedly winning the game there’s a distinct arms-race tone surrounding the convention business and this type of development. This hotel may end up being a good project but I would caution Cincinnati not to give away the farm and to look for ways to compete asymmetrically in this expensive business. 

20 minutes ago, thebillshark said:

 

“Indianapolis has had to pass on more than 200 events in the past decade, Gahl said, and the added space would allow the city to bid on some of those events and conventions it previously missed out on.”

 

So even in Indianapolis which is supposedly winning the game there’s a distinct arms-race tone surrounding the convention business and this type of development. This hotel may end up being a good project but I would caution Cincinnati not to give away the farm and to look for ways to compete asymmetrically in this expensive business. 

 

 

I am completely skeptical of everything convention-related.  We are endlessly told that hotels are filled by conventions and conventions alone. You know what else fills hotels?  Youth swim meets, dance competitions, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, etc.  We never hear about that, because none of that requires a $500 million convention center expansion.  

 

If you deliver food or drive for Uber, you will regularly see hotels that are completely sold out for events that aren't conventions.  

 

 

The convention center is used for events for things like dance, gymnastics and cheerleading.  Obviously they don't host traditional sports that require a specific kind of field or court but most other indoor sports/activities take place in convention centers.  

The key distinction is that the convention and trade show industry is not allowed to claim square footage used for competitions as part of their industry figures.

1 hour ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

 

I am completely skeptical of everything convention-related.  We are endlessly told that hotels are filled by conventions and conventions alone. You know what else fills hotels?  Youth swim meets, dance competitions, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, etc.  We never hear about that, because none of that requires a $500 million convention center expansion.  

 

If you deliver food or drive for Uber, you will regularly see hotels that are completely sold out for events that aren't conventions.  

 

 

 

Can't forget concerts and events downtown. We had family in town for Jason Aldean downtown a few months back and they stayed at the Renaissance, and the place was slammed for either people going to the concert or in town for weddings.

1 hour ago, Cincy513 said:

The convention center is used for events for things like dance, gymnastics and cheerleading.  Obviously they don't host traditional sports that require a specific kind of field or court but most other indoor sports/activities take place in convention centers.  

 

Yeah but those events are also held at high schools, at the Cintas Center, and at random suburban indoor soccer/batting cage facilities.  

 

Those meets are all for-profit enterprises organized by gyms or even individual people who can pocket $50k+ from a single weekend event.  They pay the premium to put them in a convention center or a big place like Cintas to try and lure far-away teams to come by making the whole thing seem more prestigious than it is.  Up in Columbus a ton of this stuff happens on the state fairgrounds, an option that Cincinnati doesn't have.  

 

I worked a lot of these events from about 2005-2012.  Like hundreds of days of my life were spent at youth sports meets.  Up until the recession these things were gigantic.  Stuff in Ohio drew people from everywhere west of the Rockies + Canada.  I remember one gymnastics meet where a team appeared from...El Savador.  

 

It all came tumbling down (pun intended?) with the economic collapse.  I'm guessing it's big-time again, with the wealthy driving their kids cross-country in Yukons to a damn softball tournament...but the convention center business keeps peddling the thought that convention centers are filled with important business conventions, not one youth sports meet after another.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple things on this:

 

1) The corner of Elm and 5th is really nice, quality Post-Modern architecture. Noteworthy architecture. If you don't like it, it's because of taste, not because it isn't good. I also don't mean to indicate that anyone has bad taste if they don't appreciate Post-Modern architecture. It has certainly taken a long time for it to grow on me. (I had plenty of professors who used Post-Modern as a derisive critique, which could be the reason why its taken me some time to appreciate it). I also love the billboard Cincinnati on the west side. I think it is something really unique for the city. I just wish there was a giant park or plaza in front of it so you could actually enjoy the sign from anywhere but Price Hill when you aren't in a car. 

2) The convention center we see today is not what is has always looked like. The original convention center (not music hall) was built in 1967, I believe. And it looked like the attached. RIP Sweet Brutal Baby. I wish I was alive to see you in person.

3) 6th Street, north of the convention center was a market street. So just like Findlay Market, Court Street, Piatt Park, Fountain Square, Pearl Street and others, 6th Street for the two blocks of the convention center was extra wide. How did car oriented designers of the 20th century respond? Get rid of the public space and expand the Convention Center north.  

Edited May 2, 20196 yr by Chas Wiederhold

To a particular age group, mid-century modern is ugly ugly. Yet these days its having quite the comeback. Maybe keep the look of the convention center for 40 years more or so. Maybe people will love the look then. They can look at it from their flying cars.

3 hours ago, Chas Wiederhold said:

A couple things on this:

 

1) The corner of Race and 5th is really nice, quality Post-Modern architecture. Noteworthy architecture. If you don't like it, it's because of taste, not because it isn't good. I also don't mean to indicate that anyone has bad taste if they don't appreciate Post-Modern architecture. It has certainly taken a long time for it to grow on me. (I had plenty of professors who used Post-Modern as a derisive critique, which could be the reason why its taken me some time to appreciate it). I also love the billboard Cincinnati on the west side. I think it is something really unique for the city. I just wish there was a giant park or plaza in front of it so you could actually enjoy the sign from anywhere but Price Hill when you aren't in a car. 

 

 

Which part of the corner are you talking about? If you're trying to say that Saks is good, noteworthy architecture, then I definitely disagree. I was never a fan of the 8451 building, but that's more because of the height rather than the building itself, though I don't love the black facade and I feel it will become dated pretty fast. I actually like the Race St. side of the Macy's though. The rounded glassy corner is cool. There isn't enough porosity for an urban block, but that is understandble given that it was designed as a department store, which don't like to have multiple entrances and exits. Punch some openings into the base, and some windows on the second and third floors, and I think it'd be alright. Obviously the last remaining building on that corner, the Hilton Netherland Plaza, is a gem.

 

Also, what billboard on the west side are you talking about. I seldom made it over to the West Side, so I probably haven't seen this billboard, but you've piqued my interest!

12 minutes ago, edale said:

 

Which part of the corner are you talking about? If you're trying to say that Saks is good, noteworthy architecture, then I definitely disagree. I was never a fan of the 8451 building, but that's more because of the height rather than the building itself, though I don't love the black facade and I feel it will become dated pretty fast. I actually like the Race St. side of the Macy's though. The rounded glassy corner is cool. There isn't enough porosity for an urban block, but that is understandble given that it was designed as a department store, which don't like to have multiple entrances and exits. Punch some openings into the base, and some windows on the second and third floors, and I think it'd be alright. Obviously the last remaining building on that corner, the Hilton Netherland Plaza, is a gem.

 

Also, what billboard on the west side are you talking about. I seldom made it over to the West Side, so I probably haven't seen this billboard, but you've piqued my interest!

 

I think he is referring to the NW corner of 5th and Elm, not Race being the post modern entrance to the convention center, and then talking about the "CINCINNATI" spelled out along the western facade of the convention center. 

@savadams13 is right, I was refering to the Convention Center in my post... meant to say Elm and 5th. Whoops! Corrected.

13 hours ago, RJohnson said:

To a particular age group, mid-century modern is ugly ugly. Yet these days its having quite the comeback. Maybe keep the look of the convention center for 40 years more or so. Maybe people will love the look then. They can look at it from their flying cars.

 

As advocates for urbanity and the built environment (big assumption about the people here on UO) we can either perpetuate the cycle of buildings thought to be ugly by a vocal group of people connected to the power of the bulldozer, or we could have an attitude that architecture tells a story of a time and a place and for that reason alone, respecting styles from the past is an important ethic to uphold. The opposing view to this is that society didn't really care too too much about historic architecture until the advent of the museum so why should we be active in preserving anything. The museumification of places certainly creates new conflicts that humans haven't really prioritized up until the last 400 years. This isn't my position... I'd rather live in a world that continues to build and repair over time as needed in a sort of urban wabi sabi way. 

5 hours ago, Chas Wiederhold said:

@savadams13 is right, I was refering to the Convention Center in my post... meant to say Elm and 5th. Whoops! Corrected.

 

Ok that makes more sense. I was wondering why 5th and Race, a “billboard” on the west side (don’t think of the Cincinnati sign as a billboard), and the old, brutalist design of the convention center were being grouped in one post! 

 

As for the convention center’s entrance at 5th and Elm, I do not think it’s very attractive but I do kind of enjoy that interior lobby space. The outside is is pretty hideous, and that dull brown color of the walls feels dated and gross. I think it’d be great if the entrance could be redone, perhaps with more glass and a little more grandeur and openness to the corner. It doesn’t have the whimsy that I associate with post modern buildings- just seems cheaply done with a tacky sign out front. 

Edited May 2, 20196 yr by edale

Cleveland will host the 2021 NFL draft, Kansas City 2023.

 

I've come to the conclusion it's not a city image issue..it's that our convention situation and surrounding hotel suck. 

 

Crappy arena, crappy convention center that's small, crappy millennium hotel....how did city leaders let it get this bad.

 

For a city that's on the rise, we can't be held back on things like this. It kills our ability to bring tourists and large convention goers. This crap needs to be fixed. 

We do have a major convention issue, but we didn't miss out on the draft because of that.  It's usually hosted in outdoor venues and we have plenty of hotels to accommodate out-of-towners.

 

1. We probably didn't have a group together lobbying the NFL for it

2. Looking at Nashville, I'm not sure we currently have a good street to hold all of those people.  If the stage was set up in front of PBS on Freedom Way, the road may be too skinny and we need the garages there capped.  The best potential spot would be a capped FWW if that ever happens, it could hold a ton of people trying to watch.

1 minute ago, 10albersa said:

We do have a major convention issue, but we didn't miss out on the draft because of that.  It's usually hosted in outdoor venues and we have plenty of hotels to accommodate out-of-towners.

 

1. We probably didn't have a group together lobbying the NFL for it

2. Looking at Nashville, I'm not sure we currently have a good street to hold all of those people.  If the stage was set up in front of PBS on Freedom Way, the road may be too skinny and we need the garages there capped.  The best potential spot would be a capped FWW if that ever happens, it could hold a ton of people trying to watch.

Smale Park or Washington Park would be a perfect backdrop to host the draft.

 

I am surprised they cant make it happen. Is the Brown family the problem here? Otherwise, I can see it coming. Cleveland makes sense in 2021 as the 75th anniversary (err 72nd if you count the 3 years the Clowns were gone). KC has paid their dues too.

Just comparing to Philly's draft or Nashville's, I don't think we have the raw space to accommodate that many people in a way that could allow views of the stage.  Smale is cut by the bridge and other permanent fixtures.

Washington Park wouldn't have any room to view, the stage and team desks would cover the entire grassy area.

 

It would have to be on the west end of Freedom Way, with PBS as the backdrop and the home base for NFL draft day operations and the waiting room for the top prospects waiting to get chosen. The banks has all your basic tourist accommodations to boot. The riverfront parks, the levee, and OTR will be plenty busy with spillover and the Roebling should be kept ped only for the weekend.

 

Another option may be the Newport music venue with the skyline as the backdrop and the Levee as the main tourist accommodation space, but the powers that be wont let it go to Newport.

Edited May 23, 20196 yr by 10albersa
more

The Newport music venue is going to hold a few thousand. Not the crazy crowds that we saw at Nashville. 

50 minutes ago, 10albersa said:

Just comparing to Philly's draft or Nashville's, I don't think we have the raw space to accommodate that many people in a way that could allow views of the stage.  Smale is cut by the bridge and other permanent fixtures.

Washington Park wouldn't have any room to view, the stage and team desks would cover the entire grassy area.

 

It would have to be on the west end of Freedom Way, with PBS as the backdrop and the home base for NFL draft day operations and the waiting room for the top prospects waiting to get chosen. The banks has all your basic tourist accommodations to boot. The riverfront parks, the levee, and OTR will be plenty busy with spillover and the Roebling should be kept ped only for the weekend.

 

Another option may be the Newport music venue with the skyline as the backdrop and the Levee as the main tourist accommodation space, but the powers that be wont let it go to Newport.

 

Philly closed the Ben Franklin Parkway for it. We're closing 2nd Street for American Ninja Warrior. 2nd Street could accommodate the draft.

Cincinnati is never gonna get the NFL Draft and that has nothing to do with space, venue, or city momentum. It's because we have a below average team with below average ownership leading to below average market support. It would be like the MLB hosting the AllStar game in Tampa Bay. Nothing wrong with that city, but it isn't an MLB priority because the market doesn't make MLB a priority. 

Just now, Pdrome513 said:

Cincinnati is never gonna get the NFL Draft and that has nothing to do with space, venue, or city momentum. It's because we have a below average team with below average ownership leading to below average market support. It would be like the MLB hosting the AllStar game in Tampa Bay. Nothing wrong with that city, but it isn't an MLB priority because the market doesn't make MLB a priority. 

Cincy will get the draft at some point if they express interest in it.  It just went to Nashville which has a mediocre team and fanbase and it's going to Las Vegas next year which has no fanbase.  The NFL is rotating the draft around to each teams city so it's just a matter of how bad you lobby to get it.  It will come here eventually. 

Plans for new downtown Cincinnati hotel moving forward - https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/plans-for-new-downtown-cincinnati-hotel-moving-forwardPlans for new downtown Cincinnati hotel moving forward - https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/plans-for-new-downtown-cincinnati-hotel-moving-forward

 

New convention hotel will officially be revealed by the end of the year. City wants to fast track this, so hopefully we can see construction similar to the pace of the Kroger building and begin spring of 2020. 

Another plot of nearby land becomes available for development (thank goodness). If you look on google maps this place has had tarps on various parts of it's roof for years. https://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/convention-place-property-poised-for-redevelopment

3 hours ago, SleepyLeroy said:

Another plot of nearby land becomes available for development (thank goodness). If you look on google maps this place has had tarps on various parts of it's roof for years. https://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/convention-place-property-poised-for-redevelopment

 

Thank god. Such an eyesore.

 

Now the question becomes, will 3cdc use this additional land for the new convention hotel and expand the footprint of the hotel or will it be used for a different development entirely?

 

I would definitely be supportive of some type of mixed use attraction that could cater to convention folks. 

1 hour ago, troeros said:

 

Thank god. Such an eyesore.

 

Now the question becomes, will 3cdc use this additional land for the new convention hotel and expand the footprint of the hotel or will it be used for a different development entirely?

 

I would definitely be supportive of some type of mixed use attraction that could cater to convention folks. 

 

If you look at this Friday's Planning Commission packet, the city is asking to establish an air lot above the garage ramp for the adjoining garage (Item 8 ).

 

There could either be an overbuild on just that parcel keeping or demolishing the existing building or it could be an expansion of the neighboring lot. 

 

I'm ambivalent as to whether Convention Place should continue to exist. It has a weird 1970's-esque vibe that the city does not have a lot of. On the other hand, its ugly and forgettable. 

Kansas City and Indianapolis are planning or building 800 room convention hotels in their downtown markets. KC is planning a Lowes Hyatt $310 million 20 to 22 story hotel tower and Indy is building I believe 2 hotels in one 38 story Signia Hilton tower. I really hope Cincinnati goes with the Indianapolis format on this project with the height at least. The west end of our skyline really needs something tall and special. But knowing Cincinnati they will propose I'm guessing something on the lines what KC is planning

6 hours ago, cin614 said:

Kansas City and Indianapolis are planning or building 800 room convention hotels in their downtown markets. KC is planning a Lowes Hyatt $310 million 20 to 22 story hotel tower and Indy is building I believe 2 hotels in one 38 story Signia Hilton tower. I really hope Cincinnati goes with the Indianapolis format on this project with the height at least. The west end of our skyline really needs something tall and special. But knowing Cincinnati they will propose I'm guessing something on the lines what KC is planning

I think the signia hotel would look  well in our skyline and would balance it out   Nicely. The plot of land that the Kc hotel is in looks pretty large. I’m assuming that the Cincinnati lot is much smaller and would be more around the Indianapolis size.

Edited June 4, 20196 yr by Ucgrad2015
Typos

If you take the footprint of the Indy hotel and then look at 4th/5th > Plum/Home footprint they are about the same size.

 

Edit: KC is bigger 250'x435' approx.

Edited June 4, 20196 yr by Rabbit Hash

18 hours ago, JYP said:

 

If you look at this Friday's Planning Commission packet, the city is asking to establish an air lot above the garage ramp for the adjoining garage (Item 8 ).

 

There could either be an overbuild on just that parcel keeping or demolishing the existing building or it could be an expansion of the neighboring lot. 

 

I'm ambivalent as to whether Convention Place should continue to exist. It has a weird 1970's-esque vibe that the city does not have a lot of. On the other hand, its ugly and forgettable. 

 

The Convention Place building is actually good urbanism. Mixed use, street facing retail with sidewalk awnings. It’s definitely not the worst thing in the western half of downtown (the worst thing would be the old gym structure on the NE corner of Sixth and Elm that has an oversized skywalk across Sixth to the Millenial. And because sixth street doglegs there it feels like a tunnel and a barrier to pedestrians on Sixth.) I think Convention Place could fit well into a revitalized area if they wanted to save some millions reusing it instead of demoing. 

Edited June 4, 20196 yr by thebillshark

Alot of this will come down to the brand flag selected for the project. I dont forsee any additional Marriott brands in the city. The two largest operators in the city did not respond to the RFP and they have a tight relationship with Marriott to put there foot down on competition in there backyard. We recently talked with Hyatt and they feel they have enough brand presence in the market. It will be Omni, Loews, Intercontinental or possibly a Hilton Signia (brand designed for convention centers).

5 minutes ago, thebillshark said:

 

The Convention Place building is actually good urbanism. Mixed use, street facing retail with sidewalk awnings. It’s definitely not the worst thing in the western half of downtown (the worst thing would be the old gym structure on the NE corner of Sixth and Elm that has an oversized skywalk across Sixth to the Millenial. And because sixth street doglegs there it feels like a tunnel and a barrier to pedestrians on Sixth.) I think Convention Place could fit well into a revitalized area if they wanted to save some millions reusing it instead of demoing. 

 

 

True, my initial impression of it was based entirely on the lack of maintenance. Things like the water leaks, rust and falling soffits can be fixed as long as the current owner is out of the picture.  

37 minutes ago, thebillshark said:

 

The Convention Place building is actually good urbanism. Mixed use, street facing retail with sidewalk awnings. It’s definitely not the worst thing in the western half of downtown (the worst thing would be the old gym structure on the NE corner of Sixth and Elm that has an oversized skywalk across Sixth to the Millenial. And because sixth street doglegs there it feels like a tunnel and a barrier to pedestrians on Sixth.) I think Convention Place could fit well into a revitalized area if they wanted to save some millions reusing it instead of demoing. 

 

It's wayyy undersized for a prominent location in the CBD. Definitely not even approaching the highest and best use of the land. 

 

I think it should be demolished, and the site should be included in with the parking lot slated for the convention center hotel. That would give some more frontage to the hotel, and could potentially screen the ugly garage from public view on 5th. 

I think the Loews hotel in Chicago would also look really nice. 

City to sell Convention Place building for redevelopment

By Mitchell Parton  – Intern, Cincinnati Business Courier

Jun 7, 2019, 2:23pm EDT

 

 

The Cincinnati Planning Commission voted unanimously Friday morning to sell a 95,000-square-foot building at Elm and Fifth streets next to the Duke Energy Convention Center. 

The Hamilton County Land Reutilization Corporation will remediate and redevelop the eight-story building at 435 Elm St., also known as the Convention Place building. It will then transfer the property to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. 

 

MORE

Hamilton County, city resolve hotel tax dispute

 

 

Hamilton County officials confirmed that a deal has been reached with the city of Cincinnati to amend their convention center cooperative agreement, WVXU reports.

 

Hamilton County commissioners approved the agreement Thursday. Cincinnati City Council is next in line to vote on a change to the transient occupancy tax. Commissioners and City Council need to approve a plan allowing the city to use money from the hotel/motel tax to meet the financial obligations it made to the FC Cincinnati stadium project.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/06/07/hamilton-county-city-resolve-hotel-tax-dispute.html

3CDC pauses plan to find developer for new convention center hotel

 

A plan to find a developer to build a new headquarters hotel south of the Duke Energy Convention Center has been put on hold while Hamilton County works with a local developer to redevelop the Millennium Hotel, downtown’s current convention center hotel.

 

“(We) understand that the county is pursuing an acquisition of the Millennium Hotel with a local developer,” said Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. CEO Steve Leeper, whose organization was leading the search. “As this is a significant event that would ultimately affect our ability to issue and complete a successful RFP, we have decided to pause our activity until there is additional clarity on the project.”

1 minute ago, taestell said:

3CDC pauses plan to find developer for new convention center hotel

 

A plan to find a developer to build a new headquarters hotel south of the Duke Energy Convention Center has been put on hold while Hamilton County works with a local developer to redevelop the Millennium Hotel, downtown’s current convention center hotel.

 

“(We) understand that the county is pursuing an acquisition of the Millennium Hotel with a local developer,” said Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. CEO Steve Leeper, whose organization was leading the search. “As this is a significant event that would ultimately affect our ability to issue and complete a successful RFP, we have decided to pause our activity until there is additional clarity on the project.”

 

I know from a couple sources this came out of nowhere on the county and a developer trying to purchase the Millennium. There was alot of momentum from April til now and then this just sort of hit the brakes on the new hotel. In my opinion, we need a new hotel that has larger room, higher ceilings, bigger bathrooms. More up to date with the expected standards of todays travelers. The millennium is a much older property limited by what they can do even for a major renovation. 

So what will become of the empty lots across the convention center?

 

Would this mean that the millennium property gets redeveloped and the surround lot becomes some sort of mixed use development?

 

I really hope 3cdc has something planned, that entire stretch of ugly parking garages and empty parking lot craters is such an eyesore for first time visitors to witness.

I assume this would not actually derail plans for the lot, but part of the pitch 3CDC made to hotel operators likely included “and BTW look how shitty your competition is over here.” Well, if it turns out the competition *isn’t* that shitty, that would be something the operators would want to know. Likewise if the Millennium is up for a conversion into residential. I read this as 3CDC just wanting to make sure the RFP is completely fair so there’s no delay on the back end of it. 

I guess I dont understand the way this works, why cant both things happen at once?

This doesn't necessarily mean that a new hotel or something else won't be built on the vacant lot south of the convention center at some point. Just that 3CDC is going to step back and not get in Hamilton County's way while they pursue a rehab of the Millennium. It's not a bad thing IMO.

 

It's not like the Millennium was going to be imploded after the new 3CDC hotel opens. Millennium would just sit there deteriorating and declining into a "budget" hotel. They might as well rehab it now and make it semi-nice. After the convention center expansion, there may be demand for an upper tier hotel (Conrad/JW Marriott/Park Hyatt) in the vacant lot.

 

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