Staybridge Suites announced for west side

[mpchicago]

To be built near Woda Front Avenue apartment complex and river: 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2018/0 2/another_riverfront_hotel_comin.html#incart_2box_news_grand-rapids

Edited February 12, 2018 by mpchicago

[GRDadof3]

That's interesting, so Woda's not going to build on their entire site and sold the Northern portion to this hotel group. Front Street really is the next "frontier" for development (get it )

 

[MJLO]

Seems like an odd  dead zone for a hotel.  Not very walkable/welcoming for people who don't know the area.  

[kwl]

15 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Seems like an odd  dead zone for a hotel.  Not very walkable/welcoming for people who don't know the area.  

I feel like the RiverFront on Ann Street is much further away. 

Starting to get a little anxious on hotel projects coming online in the next 2-3 years. Hyatt, AC, Hilton on north Monroe.....Do we think these will put pressure on 28th street hotels? Or will we have excess capacity. 

[thebeerqueer]

58 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Seems like an odd  dead zone for a hotel.  Not very walkable/welcoming for people who don't know the area.  

I couldn't agree more.  Feels so disconnected to downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods, even though it's actually pretty close. 

[GRLaker]

Have to start somewhere when developing underdeveloped areas. Hopefully the emergence of this hotel sparks development around it to provide services to those staying there. 

[GR8scott]

It is an extended stay concept, maybe they like the idea of off the beaten path yet close to a lot?

[MJLO]

1 hour ago, kwl said:

I feel like the RiverFront on Ann Street is much further away. 

Starting to get a little anxious on hotel projects coming online in the next 2-3 years. Hyatt, AC, Hilton on north Monroe.....Do we think these will put pressure on 28th street hotels? Or will we have excess capacity. 

I actually don't think we will see downtown hotel rooms get overbuilt yet.  My understanding is convention center is filling the existing hotels up beyond current capacity even with the recent new ones, and a lack of rooms is preventing them from getting some of the bigger events they are trying to attract.   I also don't think it will put a choke the suburban hotel market which is also growing and caters to a different crowd who like the convenience and not having to pay for parking ect. 

[wingbert]

If not for the damn dams, they could run a water taxi right to the convention center.

[GRDadof3]

5 hours ago, GR8scott said:

It is an extended stay concept, maybe they like the idea of off the beaten path yet close to a lot?

This is for people who want to stay near downtown but can't afford the higher prices. They'll see it on the hotel apps and book it. I would also bet this hotel will run its own shuttle to downtown.

We've done the same while staying in Chicago in the last few years. We usually need two rooms and can't afford $600+/night x 2 rooms to stay downtown, so we'll stay at some remote hotel near the airport that's within walking distance of a train station, for $179/night. 

Here's Chicago the night of June 2nd, pretty much everything downtown is sold out (in red).  I would consider staying at a brand new Staybridge if one popped up well outside of downtown for 1/4 the price. 

 

In Rosemont by the airport, blue "M" is the Rosemont blue-line train station.

 

Interestingly this is GR on the night of June 2nd. Surprised how many places are sold out. So Staybridge would show up on this map, probably in the mid $100's. 

If you're coming to GR that weekend for a wedding or conference, there's probably a good chance you haven't booked your room yet (4 months out). 

 

[GRDadof3]

There's also this in the article about the Woda Group project, which shows a rebuilt riverfront trail along the Front St side. 

[joeDowntown]

I really dislike the parking lot on the riverfront. Seems like if they flipped it and put most of the hotel on the river, it’d have more interesting views from a most of the rooms. 

Joe

[thebeerqueer]

15 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

There's also this in the article about the Woda Group project, which shows a rebuilt riverfront trail along the Front St side. 

I believe this is from the GR Forward plan, particularly the parts about increasing river trail access on the west side north of fish ladder.

[GRDadof3]

6 hours ago, thebeerqueer said:

I believe this is from the GR Forward plan, particularly the parts about increasing river trail access on the west side north of fish ladder.

You're right. I wasn't sure if this was just "visioneering" or actually going to happen? 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

I really dislike the parking lot on the riverfront. Seems like if they flipped it and put most of the hotel on the river, it’d have more interesting views from a most of the rooms. 

Joe

Yeah that was my first thought, kind of seems like a no brainer.  I guess this way there will be a solid presence on Front.  It will be interesting to see when this area will see more development, some mid-rises would be great.  A pedestrian bridge between Leonard and 6th street would be great too, there's a pretty large gap of river with no crossing.

[Raildude's dad]

21 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

I really dislike the parking lot on the riverfront. Seems like if they flipped it and put most of the hotel on the river, it’d have more interesting views from a most of the rooms. 

Joe

It looks like the trail is on the riverside to me. (front and down in the sketch) Looks like 2 pipes which I assume is the riverside.

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, Raildude's dad said:

It looks like the trail is on the riverside to me. (front and down in the sketch) Looks like 2 pipes which I assume is the riverside.

It is. The building on the left is the woda project, not the proposed hotel. It's an old image. This is what he's talking about. 

[Raildude's dad]

I see what he's talking about now. Not very creative use of the riverfront.

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, Raildude's dad said:

I see what he's talking about now. Not very creative use of the riverfront.

Yeah, I guess it begs the question: if you put any project on Front Street right on the river, does that make Front Street feel like a bunch of parking lots? Does anyone foresee Front Street being a "walkable business district" with buildings built out to the street? Maybe that's even required by the planning commission..

Think about Traverse City and US31, not the downtown portion but the portion on the East Bay, where all of the hotels are right on the beach and 31 is parking lot after parking lot on one side, and fast food joints on the other side. 

[RegalTDP]

38 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Yeah, I guess it begs the question: if you put any project on Front Street right on the river, does that make Front Street feel like a bunch of parking lots? Does anyone foresee Front Street being a "walkable business district" with buildings built out to the street? Maybe that's even required by the planning commission..

Think about Traverse City and US31, not the downtown portion but the portion on the East Bay, where all of the hotels are right on the beach and 31 is parking lot after parking lot on one side, and fast food joints on the other side. 

Better to front the river in my opinion.  Make the riverside trail be the walkable side of this strip, and leave the cars on Front.  They could even add another foot bridge over the river to Canal Park.

[GRDadof3]

Just now, RegalTDP said:

Better to front the river in my opinion.  Make the riverside trail be the walkable side of this strip, and leave the cars on Front.  They could even add another foot bridge over the river to Canal Park.

If there really are concrete plans to create a riverfront trail, I'd agree. I think it'd take decades and decades to get all of those Front Street businesses to sell and build a traditional style business district, maybe it would never happen?

[RegalTDP]

Just now, GRDadof3 said:

If there really are concrete plans to create a riverfront trail, I'd agree. I think it'd take decades and decades to get all of those Front Street businesses to sell and build a traditional style business district, maybe it would never happen?

Just had another thought: I also wonder if the hotel architects are thinking it's better for the building to face 131, since that's where most people will see it.  Still would rather it face the river though.

[GRDadof3]

5 minutes ago, RegalTDP said:

Just had another thought: I also wonder if the hotel architects are thinking it's better for the building to face 131, since that's where most people will see it.  Still would rather it face the river though.

It can do a little of both, just flip the whole plan over mirror image.  And it would still have a portion that fronts Front Street. 

Fixed.  This would be looking Southwest. Well.... nix that driveway that goes out into the river. Haha. Could this hotel even have boat slips? docks? 

 

[GRLaker]

That isn't a really attractive area of the river. It's wide, straight, and contains walls on both sides. There's nothing natural looking about it. Downtown is the view most would want, but you can get that view with either layout. 

[thebeerqueer]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

If there really are concrete plans to create a riverfront trail, I'd agree. I think it'd take decades and decades to get all of those Front Street businesses to sell and build a traditional style business district, maybe it would never happen?

I believe one of the goals of GR Forward plan wasn't to acquire those properties but to get easements along the river to develop a narrow park/trail that ran along the river and the businesses could remain. It's such an odd area but has so much potential.