New Hotels

[richyb83]

True Dan...that's an interesting location for a hotel....there are some nice places along the periphery of Gardere area....no telling what the hotel might do to spur further devlopment.

[itsjustme3]

I'm not surprised at all.

Mark my words, Gardere Ln will be changed in the next decade.

Gardere should be paved over IMO. Buy out the residential homes, enforce building codes for the rentals and clear the area out. The area is blight with a capital B.

[Antrell Williams]

Gardere should be paved over IMO. Buy out the residential homes, enforce building codes for the rentals and clear the area out. The area is blight with a capital B.

Bring this to another thread if you want to talk about the make-up of Gardere. I can move it for you and reply to you there if you would like. I have something I'd like to say regarding your post and the future of the area.

[cajun]

Gardere should be paved over IMO. Buy out the residential homes, enforce building codes for the rentals and clear the area out. The area is blight with a capital B.

There is plenty of crime near the area around those four plexes off GRSI. It's all subsidized housing, and it all substandard construction.

If the crime and blight can be controlled, then the place will turn around relatively quickly. Unfortunately you are right about paving over. The housing stock (the four plexes mostly) is almost completely obsolete.

It may surprise you, but I remember crime being much worse there about 10 years ago. The area around Gardere/Burbank was in bad shape. It's doing better now....and the new hotel should help out with that.

Edited October 4, 2012 by cajun

[richyb83]

The new Hampton Inn not far from completion on Main at Lafayette Street

Sorry for blurry pic; inside car

[dan326]

That Hampton looks really impressive from River Rd.

[richyb83]

The River Road view looks cool...way better than the surface parking lot! I like the rounded corner of the hotel...really makes the block look nice with Kress & Levy bldg.....Looking forward to see it when finished!

Just maybe one day i won't be able to take a pic(top pic) from that same location on River Road...something nice finally at the old Advocate site(with the fence in front) in front of it...blocking the view???

The new Hampton Inn not far from completion on Main at Lafayette Street

Sorry for blurry pic; inside car

Thanks Buckett...glad you liked the pics!

Edited October 17, 2012 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Renaissance Baton Rouge named Marriott's 'Best New Product'

Two years ago, the unfinished Jimmy Swaggart Ministries dormitory building off Bluebonnet Boulevard was a 12-story eyesore, nothing more than a canvas for Baton Rouge's budding graffiti artists. The 206,000-square-foot shell of a building had been that way for the better part of two decades, after construction on the complex was halted in the fallout of the Swaggart sex scandal in 1989. But the vision Wampold Companies initially laid out in 2007 to renovate the building into an upscale hotel, then shelved due to the recession—then recommitted to in December 2010—has come to fruition. Just weeks after celebrating its one-year anniversary on Oct. 28, the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel has received Mariott International Inc.'s highly coveted "Best New Product" Award. The 256-room hotel also features 13,000 square feet of meeting space and is home to the Tallulah Crafted Food & Wine Bar. In a prepared statement, Renaissance owner and developer Mike Wampold says his team is honored to receive the award and that they "look forward to sharing [their] commitment to hospitality excellence with the people of Baton Rouge and visitors [from] near and far." Marriott only gave a "Best New Product" award to one other hotel in its chain this year: the Louisville Marriott East in Kentucky's largest city. In its first year in operation, the Renaissance also received the AAA Four-Diamond Award and, more recently, a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence.

Read more from Business Report here: http://www.businessreport.com/section/businessreport0113#ixzz2C8aQ6pqp

[itsjustme3]

Stayed in the Renaissance a few times. The first floor bar could be bigger but the rooms are nice.

[byrde]

That Hampton Inn really looks nice from River Rd. Can't wait until it is finished.

 

I have also stayed at the new Renaissance and it is very nice.

[richyb83]

Gonna have to take a pic of this soon...the rounded corner really makes this hotel!

 

 

The $17 million Hampton Inn & Suites is nearing completion at the corner of Lafayette and Main streets in downtown Baton Rouge. The seven-story, 137-room hotel is expected to open in April. It will include 1,000 square feet of meeting space, an executive board room, a business center and exercise room. Pride Construction is the general contractor. Bounds and Gillespie Architects designed the hotel.

Read more from Business Report here: http://www.businessreport.com/section/businessreport0113#ixzz2KhiwqWCk

[Antrell Williams]

I agree on the corner.

[richyb83]

Was curious to know what kind of impact the Super Bowl would have on BR hotels...

 

Super Bowl gave big boost to B.R. hoteliers

The spillover into Baton Rouge of football fans attending the Super Bowl festivities and game in New Orleans fueled a 48% increase in occupancy and 117% rise in revenue for local hoteliers during the weekend of Feb. 1-3. That's according to new figures released this morning by Smith Travel Research, which tracks hotel occupancy figures in cities across the globe. Though far from sold out, Baton Rouge hotels were slightly more than 73% full during the first weekend of February—up from just under 50% during the same weekend in 2012. Collective hotel revenue during the weekend was more than $2.5 million this year, the report says, up 117% over the $1.2 million netted during the same weekend last year. "The Super Bowl offered a great opportunity to showcase our city, and this report shows how effectively we prepared and executed," says Visit Baton Rouge President/CEO Paul Arrigo in a prepared statement

Read more from Business Report here: http://www.businessreport.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=daily-reportAM&date=20130221#ixzz2LghHKD82

[cajun]

Gonna have to take a pic of this soon...the rounded corner really makes this hotel!

The $17 million Hampton Inn & Suites is nearing completion at the corner of Lafayette and Main streets in downtown Baton Rouge. The seven-story, 137-room hotel is expected to open in April. It will include 1,000 square feet of meeting space, an executive board room, a business center and exercise room. Pride Construction is the general contractor. Bounds and Gillespie Architects designed the hotel.

Read more from Business Report here: http://www.businessreport.com/section/businessreport0113#ixzz2

KhiwqWCk

Good picture!

The Hotel fits the scale of its surroundings well, and it will add density to the skyline from a ground level perspective. I'm glad it doesn't stand out too much from the Kress building adjacent to it.

The architecture isn't perfect, but the rounded corner does help tremendously. I wouldn't be opposed if two more just like it opened up downtown I'm also greatful that it isn't the suburban style Hampton with surface parking.

You may or may not care, but there are several Hampton properties with a very similar design to this exact hotel throughout the country.

It will contribute to pedestrian traffic and help support retail and entertainment venues downtown in the long run.

Baton Rouge needs a few more downtown hotels of varying size and target markets. Hopefully if occupancy rates pan out, we'll see new hotel projects get larger and larger downtown.

I'm looking forward to the possible redevelopment of the nearby Capitol One building now. I hope it's either another hotel or lofts.

Edited February 25, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

Would another hotel not over-saturate the market? A couple of those law offices in Beauregard Towne could be turned into neat little bed and breakfasts.

[itsjustme3]

Would another hotel not over-saturate the market? A couple of those law offices in Beauregard Towne could be turned into neat little bed and breakfasts.

So a new hotel would be over saturation, but a few new B&B's isn't????

And who would stay in Beauregard town? Someone looking to get robbed?

[buckett5425]

So a new hotel would be over saturation, but a few new B&B's isn't????

And who would stay in Beauregard town? Someone looking to get robbed?

 

 

Really, robbed?

 

Link: BR Incident map, it shows crimes from the previous 7 days. Downtown is noticeably absent of any crime, however other areas of town, some perceived as safe, seem to have more activity....

 

http://brgov.com/reports/public/pmapdist.asp?d=2&i=mvt

[cajun]

It's not uncommon for downtown areas in cities like Baton Rouge to be safer than most precincts.

Bearegard town is nice, IMO. A friend of mine and his wife live on Europe street and love it....save for the sewer problems they've had.

[GeauxDowntownBR]

Hello,

I read the BR threads everyday and don't ever comment. I just want to say that I live in Beauregard Town and it is a very safe place to live. You do have a few random stragglers walking through from across the I-110 but everyone living here keeps an eye out for each other. A good majority are young professionals that work downtown. The more downtown develops the more these houses will be renovated making this an even nicer place to live.

Btw, I thoroughly enjoy reading about the great progress BR is making. Thanks for keeping me informed!

[richyb83]

Welcome to the forum Capt.Beauregard! Thanks for the input! Beauregard Town has always been intriguing with the diagonal streets going thru the street-grid!

 

Besides the one chump that went off several years ago...things seem to be fairly safe to me..glad to see yall keeping an eye on each other...i'm sure that incident helped start this awareness...but nearly the same crap happened in suburban Shenandoah.

 

The new Hampton Inn does look nice at Main/Lafayette...being downtown's 4th hotel...not sure how many rooms are needed presently...i would like to see a convention-style hotel...more sleek & vertical fore the RiverCenter; maybe atop a parking garage. Hopefully in a few years??

Edited February 27, 2013 by richyb83

[cajun]

One particular judge comes to mind as having blood on her hands with what happened there. The chump should have been in jail at the time of that incident. I don't advocate violence, but she is begging for a brick to the face, IMO.

BRPD must be exhausted. Perp gets arrested, gets a slap on the wrist by some weak judge, and ends up doing something more serious only to be arrested again. Rinse and repeat.

That can and does happen everywhere an abundance of stupidity and incompetence exists within the justice system. Beauregard town is by and large a good place...although not appropriate for a B&B IMO. I'd like to see another hotel replace that ugly building next to the new courthouse instead.

Edited February 27, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

Hello,

I read the BR threads everyday and don't ever comment. I just want to say that I live in Beauregard Town and it is a very safe place to live. You do have a few random stragglers walking through from across the I-110 but everyone living here keeps an eye out for each other. A good majority are young professionals that work downtown. The more downtown develops the more these houses will be renovated making this an even nicer place to live.

Btw, I thoroughly enjoy reading about the great progress BR is making. Thanks for keeping me informed!

Welcome to the forums Capt. Beauregard! Good to have more people here.

 

I don't see an issue with a couple B&B's on the north side of Government, close to the entertainment and offering a different approach to staying downtown. Seems like a perfect fit.

[cajun]

B&B in Beauregard town is a concept I really never thought about.

I see those as more appropriate for quaint small towns with huge old homes like St Francisville or New Roads with an abundance of empty nesters and displaced Yankees.

I honestiy would like to see some of those law offices converted back into homes, but they'd have to be replaced with affordable office space in a more appropriate location nearby (that can be sold at a reasonable price in 1000 to 1500 sq ft increments). That's a difficult niche to fill for most developers and I can certainly understand the appeal of a small business owner, such as a small legal practice or lobbist firm, to own their own office.

Maybe the B&B is a market concept you should explore, Antrell! You should give it a shot. Worst thing that could happen is that you own a property that you can live in even if it doesn't earn money.

Edited February 27, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

Many visitors do describe our city as a small town! LOL

It works for New Orleans, which is a completely different thing but still. St. Francisville and New Roads are both good locations for B&B's.

 

I would like those offices to be converted to back into homes as well, kills me to see all the law office signs when walking or driving through the area.

 

Good idea Cajun, I'll keep it in mind with my other business ideas.

[steve3n8]

Many visitors do describe our city as a small town! LOL

 

 

HAHA! Maybe for anybody who is blind or just don't bother to venture the whole city!