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Hotel and Apartment Projects in the Downtown LR Area


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As noted before, it was originally conceived with another floor and structured parking.  I'm wondering if they're regretting that at this point, given the demand.

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if MT does a lot of looking back. They have Legion Village under construction and by what they have been saying I would expect them to announce a new project soon. 

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I read today where Marriott is buying Starwood.  Starwood owns hotel brands Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, W, Le Meridien, and Aloft.  I wonder how this will affect any possibility of the Aloft Little Rock. 

Marriott Buys Starwood for $12.2 Billion 

Probably not at all...if so, there are already like 800 "Marriotts" in downtown Little Rock, so surely the Aloft would be a plus!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I spoke to someone close to the Aloft project and they have recently restarted the project.  CHG is doing its best to acquire the MM Cohn Building next door to look at constructing another Starwood hotel brand.  But Scott Reed has been doing his best to mess things up as he likes to do and has been blocking the sale of the MM Cohn Building to Chi.  That family has said repeatedly that they are ready to go with the Aloft project but moving forward has always depended on their ability to acquire the MM Cohn.  I wonder why Mr. Reed feels like he needs to continue to mess with Main Street.  

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3 hours ago, LRretail said:

I spoke to someone close to the Aloft project and they have recently restarted the project.  CHG is doing its best to acquire the MM Cohn Building next door to look at constructing another Starwood hotel brand.  But Scott Reed has been doing his best to mess things up as he likes to do and has been blocking the sale of the MM Cohn Building to Chi.  That family has said repeatedly that they are ready to go with the Aloft project but moving forward has always depended on their ability to acquire the MM Cohn.  I wonder why Mr. Reed feels like he needs to continue to mess with Main Street.  

Some good news at least...that move by Mr. Reed reminds me of the childish tantrum Mr. Schickel pulled back in the early 2000's by purchasing a piece of property smack in the middle of the Midtown Development, effectively holding up the project for 3-4 years.  I still wince patronizing Pleasant Ridge because of it.

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On 7/7/2015 at 11:36 AM, skirby said:

MT has broken ground on their newest project. Legion Village will be a 36 unit apartment complex along with the old Legion building containing 7,500 sq ft of restaurant/commercial space.  The apartments will face Rock between Capitol and 6th with  the opening planned for May 2016.

 

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Plans went before the Historic District Commission for the Capitol side of this development. MT is working with a developer out of Tulsa to bring a "Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge" to the old Legion building. Plans call for a restaurant, bar and bowling alley and they were approved with minor changes. Next door the developer wants to open Fassler Hall, a restaurant along the lines of a German beer hall, in the Paragon building. The Commission  deferred until January on this project.

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38 minutes ago, skirby said:

A new hotel in being planned for 6th and Cumberland, which is just southwest from the Legion Village project. Plans for the hotel will go before the Board of Adjustments later this month.

Interesting spot for a hotel. They need to deal with the homeless problem in that area. IMO, I would move the Central Arkansas Transit station elsewhere as it attracts a rough crowd and bus pollution, I'm sure that would cause an uproar though. 

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54 minutes ago, Heartland25 said:

Interesting spot for a hotel. They need to deal with the homeless problem in that area. IMO, I would move the Central Arkansas Transit station elsewhere as it attracts a rough crowd and bus pollution, I'm sure that would cause an uproar though. 

As for the bus pollution that should not be much of a problem because the system is in the process of changing over to natural gas. If they ever decided to move the station I'm sure MT would offer them a good deal on the property.

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9 hours ago, Heartland25 said:

Interesting spot for a hotel. They need to deal with the homeless problem in that area. IMO, I would move the Central Arkansas Transit station elsewhere as it attracts a rough crowd and bus pollution, I'm sure that would cause an uproar though. 

I didn't realize that people who can't afford cars or choose not to drive a car and use public transportation are a rough crowd. It was ok for the transfer station to be there when there was not much around it but now that there is development it is a detriment. Where would you suggest that the transfer station move in the downtown area?

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6 hours ago, theman said:

I didn't realize that people who can't afford cars or choose not to drive a car and use public transportation are a rough crowd. It was ok for the transfer station to be there when there was not much around it but now that there is development it is a detriment. Where would you suggest that the transfer station move in the downtown area?

I regularly get hit up for money walking near the station. Sometimes they become angry/aggressive if ignored or not given what they want (bus money usually). It's why my friend moved out of MacArthur park and why I never considered the area when searching for an apartment near downtown.

I'm glad people use the service to get to work, I'm not saying get rid of it. They could ask the people who regularly use it where it would best serve them. I don't think people who stay in hotels or upscale condos use it personally.

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Here's the press release from Best Western about the hotel.  Seems as if Best Western knew they were going to build there in August of 2015.

Best Western announces 5 new hotels.

8/24/2015

PHOENIX (August 24, 2015) Best Western International announced today that it has five additional VībSM, deals signed; all of which are anticipated to be open by the end of 2016. Since announcing Vīb (as in Vibrant), Best Western’s new urban boutique concept last October, the brand has eight Vīb projects under development and is actively negotiating deals in key U.S. cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans, Scottsdale and San Diego. 

“Since the launch of Vīb we have had tremendous interest from hotel developers and are especially pleased with the response from developers who have not previously developed Best Western hotels,” said Ron Pohl, senior vice president Brand Management. “Vīb is really gaining traction because it is the only boutique concept designed for the upper midscale hotel segment and fills a niche that developers and customers want.” 

Vīb was designed for today's connected traveler who is looking for social engagement, technology integration and consistent service. Vīb 's vibrant lobby, stylish design and focus on convenience and technology integration will exceed their expectations. This unique concept has a minimal footprint, is cost effective to build, efficient to operate, and as a result of Best Westerns leading industry revenue contribution and fee structure, creates a highly profitable business model. 

In addition to the previously announced Vīb hotel projects in Chicago, Miami and Seoul, South Korea, the following Vīb hotels are expected to be open by the end of 2016: 

• The 200-room Los Angeles Vīb 
• The 150-room Miami Vīb. This is the second Vīb under development in Miami. 
• The 81-room Staten Island Vīb 
• The 112-room Little Rock Vīb 
• The 90-room Springfield Vīb 
For more information on development opportunities with Best Western please visit bestwesterndevelopers.com. 

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC. 
Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,000+* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers six hotel products to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS®, BEST WESTERN PREMIER®, BEST WESTERN PLUS EXECUTIVE RESIDENCYSM, VībSMand BW Premier Collection SM. Now celebrating 69 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 25 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, Minor League Baseball, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western continues to set industry records and accolades, including Business Travel News naming BEST WESTERN and BEST WESTERN PLUS as the best mid-price and upper mid-price hotel chains, four consecutive Compuware Best of the Web gold awards for best hotel website and six consecutive AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year awards. Best Western branded hotels worldwide won four times more TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence awards than industry average. 

For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com. 

*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate. 

 

Here's a link to the Vib hotel developers site. http://www.bestwesterndevelopers.com/portfolio/vib.php

Interesting drawings.  

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, adman0468 said:

This hotel just seems a bit too far off the beaten path. I realize the River Market area is growing (and Main Street is, too), but right now it doesn't seem like the right place for it. Same goes for the Aloft IMO.

"The beaten path" is not that far away. It will be one block from the new bowling alley and beer garden. Less than three block from The REP and the soon to be tech park.

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4 hours ago, adman0468 said:

This hotel just seems a bit too far off the beaten path. I realize the River Market area is growing (and Main Street is, too), but right now it doesn't seem like the right place for it. Same goes for the Aloft IMO.

Frankly, the more these get strung apart (but not TOO far apart), it creates and activates the spaces in-between. Either way, I completely disagree about your assessment of the Aloft.  There is all KINDS of development now coming online along Main.  Even if there weren't, you could make an argument that Capitol and Main is the absolute center of downtown, even the state.  That hotel should do very well to serve the financial district, if onthing else.  It is frustrating that ancillary issues have delayed construction.

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