Yeah on Doritos and Mountain Dew

26 minutes ago, savadams13 said:

So seems like the rumors are true, Request for bids have gone out to turn the old IMAX theatre at Newport on the Levee to an Esports Arena, the first of its kind in the region. If this happens, it will be a nice little boost to the area with more foot traffic and spending. 

Love this idea. And it fills a void with Gameworks closing, although the 2 are conceptually different in some ways I don’t think they both would have survived together ( in particular I think Gameworks would have closed eventually due to this eports arena).

 

Sidenote: A Gameworks style place would do very well at The Banks or around Fountain Square 

Edited January 14, 20223 yr by 646empire

16 minutes ago, GCrites80s said:

Yeah on Doritos and Mountain Dew

 

16 minutes ago, GCrites80s said:

Yeah on Doritos and Mountain Dew

LOL hilarious and also kinda true.

GameWorks seems like the kind of place that gets a lot of business from work team building exercises, which is something that hasn't really been happening very much in the last 2 years.

Tons of arcades in Japan closed for good since COVID hit.

Uber Freight signs as office tenant at NOTL:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/12/22/newport-on-the-levee-uber-freight-office.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_6&cx_artPos=5#cxrecs_s

Velocity Esports acquires Newport on the Levee bowling alley Rotolo

 

A bowling alley and bocce court at Newport on the Levee has a new owner that plans to create one of the biggest entertainment venues in the region.

 

Velocity Esports, which opened at Newport on the Levee in March of 2022, has acquired Rotolo Bowling Bocce Eatery from North American Properties, which owns the Northern Kentucky destination. The change in ownership took place on Jan. 1. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/01/23/velocity-esports-acquires-rotolo.html

 

^ This'll be interesting. Velocity looked low-budget and Rotolo was awesome in almost everyway. I hope they don't ruin it. Will be nice if they can put some money in Velocity and it's good they're connecting the two.

Is this same as Margaritaville restaurants?

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/24/margaritaville-resort-planned-at-newport-on-levee.html


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1 hour ago, lobanio0 said:

Is this same as Margaritaville restaurants?

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/24/margaritaville-resort-planned-at-newport-on-levee.html


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I’m assuming they are talking about this part of land 

37 minutes ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

I’m assuming they are talking about this part of land 

I believe they're talking about this piece of land since they mention it being next to the old Imax theater 

43 minutes ago, Cincy_Travels said:

I believe they're talking about this piece of land since they mention it being next to the old Imax theater 

Ahhh.. definitely missed the old part haha 

How tall will a 264 room hotel be at that location?


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13 minutes ago, lobanio0 said:

How tall will a 264 room hotel be at that location?

The article states that it is expected to be 15 floors

The Hampton Inn right down the street is 119 rooms and six stories tall with a slightly longer but narrower footprint.  That being said, I think we can realistically see a 10 story structure at NOTL.  

Glad to hear they are actually moving forward.  It will be tucked right up against the roundabout.   It basically has all the amenities of a full service hotel plus a second pool on the roof. 

Edited April 25, 20232 yr by nicker66

13 hours ago, lobanio0 said:

Is this same as Margaritaville restaurants?

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/24/margaritaville-resort-planned-at-newport-on-levee.html


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Same company, but this is a "resort" not a "restaurant". From the article:

"Tim Perry, managing partner with North American Properties Atlanta, said the planned Margaritaville Resort would bring 264 hotel rooms, three restaurants and amenity spaces including a rooftop pool. The resort is expected to be a total investment of about $140 million."

...

"Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville brand is inspired by the song of the same name. In addition to restaurants, Buffett’s Margaritaville has dozens of hotels with more listed as coming soon."

Amazing news for Newport and getting more users for the Levee. If that massing model is real, this is very exciting and will get the  Newport skyline some great height that Ovation is lacking (and it doesn't have a pitched roof!)

When a city of 14,000 has more tower cranes than a city of 309,000.

In defense of downtown Cincy there is the equivalent of 3 fifteen story residential towers being built, they just don't need cranes because they are renovations, not new builds.

 

Also I will also always want NKY cities to merge together because Newport may only have 14,000 people in it's limits but the obvious reality is that them, Covington, Bellevue etc are just the urban core of Northern Kentucky's 400,000 and don't get any of that funding/respect on the state or regional level. Similar to how Cincy's 300k is really just the most urban portion of Hamiltion Co's 830,000 but that is a conversation for the Ohio Census and Population thread. 

When will Margaritaville Resort come to Newport on the Levee?

 

Cincinnati's legion of Jimmy Buffett fans will soon have a place to get "wasted away again."

 

The Newport Board of Commissioners at its April 24 meeting voted unanimously to authorize and direct City Manager Tom Fromme to execute a development agreement to bring the region's – and Kentucky's – first Margaritaville Resort to Newport on the Levee.

 

Who is developing the Margaritaville Resort?

 

The project is being spearhead by North American Properties, which purchased Newport on the Levee at the end of 2018 with the goal of investing $100 million to transform it into a retail and entertainment center on the banks of the Ohio River.

 

North American Properties plans to partner with Atlanta-based Stormont Hospitality Group on the Margaritaville Resort. The two firms partnered on the Hotel at Avalon outside of Atlanta.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/25/margaritaville-resort-explainer.html

 

33 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

When will Margaritaville Resort come to Newport on the Levee?

 

Cincinnati's legion of Jimmy Buffett fans will soon have a place to get "wasted away again."

 

The Newport Board of Commissioners at its April 24 meeting voted unanimously to authorize and direct City Manager Tom Fromme to execute a development agreement to bring the region's – and Kentucky's – first Margaritaville Resort to Newport on the Levee.

 

Who is developing the Margaritaville Resort?

 

The project is being spearhead by North American Properties, which purchased Newport on the Levee at the end of 2018 with the goal of investing $100 million to transform it into a retail and entertainment center on the banks of the Ohio River.

 

North American Properties plans to partner with Atlanta-based Stormont Hospitality Group on the Margaritaville Resort. The two firms partnered on the Hotel at Avalon outside of Atlanta.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/25/margaritaville-resort-explainer.html

 

I really hope this happens (more so about the height of the project and not that’s it’s a margaritaville resort) and isn’t one like when the Ferris Wheel was planned and now we just go back and look at the news stories and wonder what could have been. 

Was just thinking, NOTL and this part of Newport has really become one of Cincy's premier music destinations. With newcomers like Ovation and Shiners, mainstays including Thompson House and Southgate House revival, soon-to-be-opened 16 Lots (which I've been told has half a million a year in their budget for live music), and now Margaritaville. Living here in the summer seems like you could go to a concert damn near every night. 

12 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

I really hope this happens (more so about the height of the project and not that’s it’s a margaritaville resort) and isn’t one like when the Ferris Wheel was planned and now we just go back and look at the news stories and wonder what could have been. 

The Ferris wheel, due to it's location on the Army Corps controlled earthen levee was very problematic. Even once they got an approval from the Army Corps the foundation alone would have cost so much money it just didn't make sense. This is a ready to go site, on top of a parking garage and while it's a goofy hotel brand at the end of the day it's just a hotel and that's easier to get financing for than an urban amusement attraction. Remember the Ferris wheel project in Staten Island proposed around the same time? I think those just turned out to be a fad across the country with only Vegas and Orlando actually building them. 

Jimmy Buffet passed away today. Could this affect the Margaritaville hotel planned? I don’t know how much influence if any he had in the hotel developments.  

On 9/2/2023 at 9:12 AM, Ucgrad2015 said:

Jimmy Buffet passed away today. Could this affect the Margaritaville hotel planned? I don’t know how much influence if any he had in the hotel developments.  

He sold naming rights and licensing use for the developers that are building Margaritavilles all over the country. If anything whomever is executor of his estate will still get some sort of earnings check from the continued use instead of Jimmy

Newport on the Levee's Margaritaville Resort lands first approval for $33 million in incentives

 

Newport on the Levee’s multimillion-dollar hotel that’s expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the region has notched its first approval for a major incentive package.

 

The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority (KTDFA) Sept. 20 gave preliminary approval to Newport Hotel Associates for nearly $33.4 million in incentives to build the region’s first Margaritaville Resort at the Levee. The hotel is expected to represent a total investment of $133.6 million, according to a news release from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s office.

 

“We just celebrated our best year on record for Kentucky tourism in 2022 and with exciting projects like Margaritaville being announced, we know this success will only continue,” Beshear said in the release. “This resort will help drive visitors to the Campbell County area, boosting the local economy and creating 282 new jobs for Kentuckians. We are grateful to these leaders for choosing Kentucky and our workforce.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/20/newport-on-levee-margaritaville-incentive-package.html

 

rendering & report from the Lexington Herald Leader:
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article279569624.html

26 minutes ago, jack.c.amos said:

rendering & report from the Lexington Herald Leader:
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article279569624.html

Interesting, I thought the exterior would be more flashier/ more color.

Edited September 26, 20231 yr by 646empire

27 minutes ago, 646empire said:

Interesting, I thought the exterior would be more flashier/ more color.

I was thinking the exact same thing. It looks like an Embassy Suites. I was at least thinking it would have some sort of tropical themed colors or something to give it a resort feel. 

18 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

I was thinking the exact same thing. It looks like an Embassy Suites. I was at least thinking it would have some sort of tropical themed colors or something to give it a resort feel. 

 

Embassy Suites for sure lol.

Im thinking you better hope it looks like an embassy suites. Look what happened with ovation. no crowning A frames, just lots and lots of apts. Then there is the building that is purposed for the lot next to the suspension bridge. omg

There is a new Margaritaville hotel in Nashville.  It's boring:

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1546469,-86.7764934,3a,45.5y,34.37h,103.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8zH7kZvUi3wQEtVGWcuKGQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

17 hours ago, 646empire said:

 

Embassy Suites for sure lol.

It is actually not a bad move to build it like that. Hotels are risky and if this venture fails as a Margaritaville, it can be repositioned into another brand pretty easily. 

 

7 hours ago, Lazarus said:

There is a new Margaritaville hotel in Nashville.  It's boring:

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1546469,-86.7764934,3a,45.5y,34.37h,103.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8zH7kZvUi3wQEtVGWcuKGQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

There is just something about the urban fabric that just does not really go with Margaritaville. At least the Newport one is part of an entertainment center and on water. When I think Margaritaville resort, I want sand, sun and a large pool. 

I think the brand's schtick is very tacky but I would imagine this is going to be very successful. Those views are going to be amazing and it's wild it has taken this long for a publicly available space with this height to get built along the river.

The view from the Cincy side looks much better from what we can see.

 

 

11 hours ago, RJohnson said:

Im thinking you better hope it looks like an embassy suites. Look what happened with ovation. no crowning A frames, just lots and lots of apts. Then there is the building that is purposed for the lot next to the suspension bridge. omg

This isn't corporex though like the other two projects you mentioned, Newport on the Levee is North American Properties. 

Looks like a normal hotel which is totally fine with me.  Very happy to be adding a new 15 story building on the riverfront.  That rooftop will definitely be popular if it's open to the public. 

This looks great! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is there any other hotel with a rooftop pool and terrace in the region. I'm curious how warm they'll heat the pool and how long they can extend the "swimming season". Those rooms with balconies overlooking the river and Cincinnati's skyline will have great views. 

I think the new Hard Rock hotel should have a rooftop pool, but I think you’re correct.

4 hours ago, ucgrady said:

I think the new Hard Rock hotel should have a rooftop pool, but I think you’re correct.

Are we ever going to get that Hard Rock hotel? Been a rumor for quite some time now. 

6 minutes ago, Broman said:

Are we ever going to get that Hard Rock hotel? Been a rumor for quite some time now. 

On one of the more recent "Above the Fold" podcast episodes they had the manager of the Hard Rock Cincinnati on to talk about the casino.  He mentioned that it's still on, but Hard Rock Corporate has a couple of other hotels ahead of us that are on their priority list before we get our turn. I imagine we're 5 years out.

https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-hotel-newport

 

Margaritaville has a Newport page. 

What is everyone's gut feeling about how the Margaritaville hotel is going to do? I can undertsand certain demographics wanting to stay at a Margaritaville hotel when doing a beach vacation, but are visitors to Cincinnati really going to want to stay there? Is it more aimed at locals wanting to do a staycation?

I can see people coming into town for events wanting to stay there. If I was coming to town for a concert I would want to stay at a fun place like this, especially if it's at Megacorp or Heritage Bank so you could just walk over but it's even a relatively easy trip to Riverbend. It's also walking distance to the stadiums so I see it as an event or fun weekend kind of hotel, but due to the theme music seems like the most obvious kind of user.

 

When I recently went to Atlanta for a concert I chose to stay at the Hard Rock hotel instead of the more typical hotel brands downtown. It's not the exact same vibe as a Margaritaville, but is a similar feeling of "I'm here to have fun / party" kind of a hotel where you can stay up late on the rooftop and have other people in your hotel on the same wavelength as you vs staying at the Hampton Inn across the street.  

Looking at their site, it's bizarre that Newport is in the mix. All other locations are in bona fide tourist destinations.
Does this have something to do with how much Cincinnati loves Buffet? Seems like a thin justification for building one here, but they must know what they're doing, right?

Demand is just too high at the moment for it to be an instant failure. If it flames out after hotel capacity gets caught up, it'll just get reflagged to another brand or converted to residential.

1 hour ago, zsnyder said:

Does this have something to do with how much Cincinnati loves Buffet?

 

That's what I was thinking. If Jimmy Buffet was still alive and performing, there would be a lot of people staying there for his concerts, maybe even charter bus service offered from there to Riverbend.

 

47 minutes ago, Dev said:

Demand is just too high at the moment for it to be an instant failure. If it flames out after hotel capacity gets caught up, it'll just get reflagged to another brand or converted to residential.

 

True as well. It can easily be rebranded to another hotel if Margaritaville doesn't work out.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2024/02/01/mini-golf-coming-to-newport-on-the-levee-this-summer/72437302007/



Urban mini course coming, say what you want about the new owners but honestly as a young parent we are spending more and more time at NOTL.
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2 hours ago, lobanio0 said:

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2024/02/01/mini-golf-coming-to-newport-on-the-levee-this-summer/72437302007/



Urban mini course coming, say what you want about the new owners but honestly as a young parent we are spending more and more time at NOTL.
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Agree completely but why only 9 holes? Lots of wasted space in that floor plan and I feel like 18 could’ve squeezed in there.