New Hotel for the River Market

[bchris02]

Regrettably, The McKibbon Hotel Group announced yesterday that it is placing the aLoft hotel, as well as the separate, planned mixed-use retail development on Clinton Avenue on "indefinite" hold. Very strange timing...to put this on hold just as the economy is beginning to recover, yet previously publicly promote it during the worst of the economic dip late last year, first quarter of this year? They are the developer/owner of both of the two new River Market Hotels, the Courtyard Marriot and the new Hampton Inn...so this makes me question how well those hotels are actually doing.

Regardless, any way you cut it, this is extremely disappointing. I really expected the aLoft to add one more level of panache and activity to the district.

With Alltel's demise, is there really the demand for this hotel? Little Rock doesn't even get the events/concerts that it used to so honestly I think the existing hotels are enough to meet Little Rock's needs. The biggest event of Summer 2009 in downtown Little Rock was the Willie Nelson concert at Riverfest. I don't think the aloft would do well and the Peabody and Capital hotels are more than enough.

[Architect]

With Alltel's demise, is there really the demand for this hotel? Little Rock doesn't even get the events/concerts that it used to so honestly I think the existing hotels are enough to meet Little Rock's needs. The biggest event of Summer 2009 in downtown Little Rock was the Willie Nelson concert at Riverfest. I don't think the aloft would do well and the Peabody and Capital hotels are more than enough.

An aLoft would pull from an entirely different demographic/market than the Peabody...and certainly the Capital Hotel. I doubt Alltel would have much of an impact on this, but I could be wrong. In what way has LR seen any downtrend in concerts? Examples? I believe the last two events were sold out.

[hogfan4life]

Is there any news on the Aloft hotel? The wife and I are going to be staying at the one in Frisco, TX (Dallas area) this weekend, and from the pics I've seen on the hotel's website it looks like a pretty awesome place. This would be a totally new, fresh hotel experience to offer to those coming to Little Rock. Here is the link to aloft's website, check out the pics of the rooms, lounge areas, etc. If the typical Little Rock politics keeps them from building this place it will be a real shame.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/index.html

[Architect]

Is there any news on the Aloft hotel? The wife and I are going to be staying at the one in Frisco, TX (Dallas area) this weekend, and from the pics I've seen on the hotel's website it looks like a pretty awesome place. This would be a totally new, fresh hotel experience to offer to those coming to Little Rock. Here is the link to aloft's website, check out the pics of the rooms, lounge areas, etc. If the typical Little Rock politics keeps them from building this place it will be a real shame.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/index.html

The last I heard, it's still very much on go...likely to start construction late this year or early next. I was told to expect movement on it (and several things in the RM soon). Let's hope so! aLoft is a VERY cool hotel concept, and would be a great addition to the district!

[Mith242]

Is there any news on the Aloft hotel? The wife and I are going to be staying at the one in Frisco, TX (Dallas area) this weekend, and from the pics I've seen on the hotel's website it looks like a pretty awesome place. This would be a totally new, fresh hotel experience to offer to those coming to Little Rock. Here is the link to aloft's website, check out the pics of the rooms, lounge areas, etc. If the typical Little Rock politics keeps them from building this place it will be a real shame.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/index.html

I've never stayed at one but I've heard good things about them. There's one up in Bentonville, but I've never really heard a lot about it. Then again if you're local I guess you don't have any need to stay there. But I do think one in Little Rock would be a good thing to have. I haven't kept up with the progress down there. Is there something holding it up in particular?

[skirby]

I've never stayed at one but I've heard good things about them. There's one up in Bentonville, but I've never really heard a lot about it. Then again if you're local I guess you don't have any need to stay there. But I do think one in Little Rock would be a good thing to have. I haven't kept up with the progress down there. Is there something holding it up in particular?

The economy.

[Mith242]

The economy.

Okay, I was just wondering when the word politics was mentioned. Yeah Bentonville probably got lucky theirs was built before the economic downturn.

[skirby]

Okay, I was just wondering when the word politics was mentioned. Yeah Bentonville probably got lucky theirs was built before the economic downturn.

I read the one up your way is looking for a new owner.

[LIT uPP]

The last I heard, it's still very much on go...likely to start construction late this year or early next. I was told to expect movement on it (and several things in the RM soon).

This is the exact opposite of what was stated in an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article, a few months ago. Late last year, the newspaper printed a story that said the developers of both the Aloft Hotel and the River Market Arcade had shelved the projects. Moses-Tucker was planning a joint venture with the same group that developed the Marriott Courtyard (McKibbon?), but the developers backed out, due to the sour economy. You could really sense the frustration and agitation in either Moses’ or Tucker’s (can’t remember which) quotes, as they described how nobody was willing to invest in any of their projects. This included the River Market Tower. It sounded like a dismal time for them.

Perhaps, Architect has some more recent (and positive) “insider” information that has not made its way to the ADG.

[LRguy21]

I'msurprised Downtown, or even Little Rock in general doesn't have as many upscale or full service hotels that similar sized cities have. The only ones I can think of are:

Downtown:

Capital Hotel

Peabody Hotel

Double Tree

Midtown:

Hilton

West Little Rock:

Crowne Plaza

Embassy Suites

NLR:

Wyndham

Im wondering if Downtown will ever have another big hotel like a Westin, Sheraton or Hyatt. I know there is talk about a ALoft, but I dont think thats a full service hotel. Little Rock has enough Hampton Inns, Holiday Inns, Courtyards, etc. I want to see another big name hotel.

And, BTW, the midtown Hilton needs to be renamed a Garden Inn, Not only does it make Hilton seem cheep, but it makes LR look old. That renovation as already aged quite a bit.

[jnholmes]

I'msurprised Downtown, or even Little Rock in general doesn't have as many upscale or full service hotels that similar sized cities have. The only ones I can think of are:

Downtown:

Capital Hotel

Peabody Hotel

Double Tree

Midtown:

Hilton

West Little Rock:

Crowne Plaza

Embassy Suites

NLR:

Wyndham

Im wondering if Downtown will ever have another big hotel like a Westin, Sheraton or Hyatt. I know there is talk about a ALoft, but I dont think thats a full service hotel. Little Rock has enough Hampton Inns, Holiday Inns, Courtyards, etc. I want to see another big name hotel.

And, BTW, the midtown Hilton needs to be renamed a Garden Inn, Not only does it make Hilton seem cheep, but it makes LR look old. That renovation as already aged quite a bit.

Actually there is a Hilton Garden Inn in North Little Rock. I realize it's not full service but they do have a restaurant inside.

[theman]

I'msurprised Downtown, or even Little Rock in general doesn't have as many upscale or full service hotels that similar sized cities have. The only ones I can think of are:

Downtown:

Capital Hotel

Peabody Hotel

Double Tree

Midtown:

Hilton

West Little Rock:

Crowne Plaza

Embassy Suites

NLR:

Wyndham

Im wondering if Downtown will ever have another big hotel like a Westin, Sheraton or Hyatt. I know there is talk about a ALoft, but I dont think thats a full service hotel. Little Rock has enough Hampton Inns, Holiday Inns, Courtyards, etc. I want to see another big name hotel.

And, BTW, the midtown Hilton needs to be renamed a Garden Inn, Not only does it make Hilton seem cheep, but it makes LR look old. That renovation as already aged quite a bit.

I agree with you. It's good that downtown has gotten two new hotels (Courtyard by Marriott and the Hampton Inn & Suites), but I've thought for a while now that downtown could use another full service hotel. Even if downtown can't support it right now with the redevelopment that is going on in Midtown and the growth in west Little Rock, one of these areas could possible support a full service hotel.

Just a couple of points.

Even though they don't have the cache they once did, Holiday Inn is a full service hotel. I would put them on par with Clarion Inn which is also a full service hotel that is not in Little Rock but in many cities in the region.

If you look at peer cities in our region, actually Little Rock is on par or ahead of many of them when it comes to full service hotels. Not including Holiday Inn and Clarion Inn, Jackson has a Hilton and Marriott. Shreveport has a Hilton. Huntsville, AL has an Embassy Suites, Marriott, two Radisson's and a Westin (that is part of an upscale shopping development). Wichita has a Drury Plaza Hotel, Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt Regency.

Hopefully the economy will continue to improve, leisure and business travel improve and that provides the push for another full service hotel somewhere in the city.

[jcmcclure77]

I agree with you. It's good that downtown has gotten two new hotels (Courtyard by Marriott and the Hampton Inn & Suites), but I've thought for a while now that downtown could use another full service hotel. Even if downtown can't support it right now with the redevelopment that is going on in Midtown and the growth in west Little Rock, one of these areas could possible support a full service hotel.

Just a couple of points.

Even though they don't have the cache they once did, Holiday Inn is a full service hotel. I would put them on par with Clarion Inn which is also a full service hotel that is not in Little Rock but in many cities in the region.

If you look at peer cities in our region, actually Little Rock is on par or ahead of many of them when it comes to full service hotels. Not including Holiday Inn and Clarion Inn, Jackson has a Hilton and Marriott. Shreveport has a Hilton. Huntsville, AL has an Embassy Suites, Marriott, two Radisson's and a Westin (that is part of an upscale shopping development). Wichita has a Drury Plaza Hotel, Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt Regency.

Hopefully the economy will continue to improve, leisure and business travel improve and that provides the push for another full service hotel somewhere in the city.

The CVB would love another Full-Service convention sized hotel, but would be hard to support with so few big conventions. For the most part, the smaller hotels rely on the Peabody and Doubletree filling up with convention business so other business trickles down. There will be a new hotel started later this year, no groundbreaking date yet, but it will not be the Aloft brand. It was determined it would not be a good fit for Little Rock and that brand has struggled to find its footing. The new hotel will be in the family of one of the big 2 brands, just cannot disclose yet...

[Architect]

This is a major disappointment...aLoft is a really nice concept. I cannot imagine why this would work in a suburban area of Rogers, and NOT in a hip, urban downtown area of Little Rock? Perhaps the one in Rogers is struggling...but these two locations/markets aren't similar at all.

[jcmcclure77]

The demo that the aLoft is targeted towards is not in LR, more so in NWA due to Wal*Mart being there, it would struggle due to the type of business traveler that is coming to Little Rock. Yes, it would do ok on the weekends, but that is not where majority of hotel room revenue comes from. Rogers property does ok, but it has been for sale for some time now, not sure if it has changed hands or not though. Hotel that is going to be built is not as flashy for sure, but will serve the area well and fit in with surroundings of the River Market.

[LRguy21]

Maybe a Westin or something like that. If its like another courtyard or Holiday Inn, Please don't even waste our time. Put that thing somewhere else.

Perhaps a Renaissance, Anybody want to stat the guessing?

Too bad about the Aloft, but i cant say im too surprised. I really wish the Aloft in Rogers was built over by the Promenade. I feel like that would have been better than on the other side of 540

Also, The Aloft that is in Tulsa is also in a very strange area. I don't know why they even put one over there.

[Architect]

The demo that the aLoft is targeted towards is not in LR, more so in NWA due to Wal*Mart being there, it would struggle due to the type of business traveler that is coming to Little Rock. Yes, it would do ok on the weekends, but that is not where majority of hotel room revenue comes from. Rogers property does ok, but it has been for sale for some time now, not sure if it has changed hands or not though. Hotel that is going to be built is not as flashy for sure, but will serve the area well and fit in with surroundings of the River Market.

I gather the intent to build a "hotel" is moving ahead, so it's not traffic...since it's being built. Nor is it price...aLoft isn't expensive. So this basically comes down to the "type" of traveler, and I personally don't buy the argument that the Wal-Mart vendor is any more geared toward a "hip" hotel than is a Dillard's vendor, or an Acxiom client, or a Windstream contractor. C'mon.

[ryanaw]

Either way, full service or just the average hotel, at least we are getting some type of addition. Hopefully, we can get something really nice that would be at least a 3 star full service hotel. Honestly, there needs to be something added to the North Shore. I would live to see Wyndham build the 10-12 story hotel they were talking about when Dickey- Stephens Park was being constructed. Or maybe just a nice average hotel could be built there because the NLR skyline looks so empty.

[skirby]

I think the good news is that someone thinks the RiverMarket can support another hotel and will build it. Too bad they don't add an additional five floors or more for office space or apartments.

[thewizard16]

This is a major disappointment...aLoft is a really nice concept. I cannot imagine why this would work in a suburban area of Rogers, and NOT in a hip, urban downtown area of Little Rock? Perhaps the one in Rogers is struggling...but these two locations/markets aren't similar at all.

I'll second this... it makes no sense. First, I don't see the difference in the type of business traveler in Little Rock and Rogers being that extreme. Second- the aLoft concept was supposed to be contemporary urban. If you follow the concept, the one in Rogers should have never been built and Little Rock would have been a target market for them. A revitalizing downtown with a diverse economy and major business HQ nearby? That sounds like the bread and butter of a contemporary mid-service business hotel, and I say that as someone who spent a lot of time staying in their competitors over the past year or so for work. It's possible the Rogers location was built because it was easy (no land to redevelop, just buy and build) and they were approving permit that came across their desk, but I don't buy the logic that a hotel like that is more likely to succeed in the blandest part of NWA than in the downtown of Little Rock. Unfortunate, but we'll see what happens.

[Mith242]

I gather the intent to build a "hotel" is moving ahead, so it's not traffic...since it's being built. Nor is it price...aLoft isn't expensive. So this basically comes down to the "type" of traveler, and I personally don't buy the argument that the Wal-Mart vendor is any more geared toward a "hip" hotel than is a Dillard's vendor, or an Acxiom client, or a Windstream contractor. C'mon.

Yeah but I think we all know Walmart brings in a lot more business travelers than all those other mentioned businesses combined. I'm not saying Little Rock doesn't have the market for an aLoft hotel. And the location in Rogers is a bit odd for that type of hotel. But once again Walmart isn't your typical business either.

[Mith242]

I'll second this... it makes no sense. First, I don't see the difference in the type of business traveler in Little Rock and Rogers being that extreme. Second- the aLoft concept was supposed to be contemporary urban. If you follow the concept, the one in Rogers should have never been built and Little Rock would have been a target market for them. A revitalizing downtown with a diverse economy and major business HQ nearby? That sounds like the bread and butter of a contemporary mid-service business hotel, and I say that as someone who spent a lot of time staying in their competitors over the past year or so for work. It's possible the Rogers location was built because it was easy (no land to redevelop, just buy and build) and they were approving permit that came across their desk, but I don't buy the logic that a hotel like that is more likely to succeed in the blandest part of NWA than in the downtown of Little Rock. Unfortunate, but we'll see what happens.

Yeah I admit it is odd they picked that particular location in NWA. You would have though they would have at least built somewhere closer to downtown Bentonville. But as you said, maybe they had a hard time finding a location and were looking to build the hotel as soon as possible. Maybe I should also mention the Rogers location was also built before the economy tanked. And unfortunately the Little Rock location is mainly being considered after the fact. Otherwise I think a Little Rock location would have already started construction by this point.

[Architect]

Yeah I admit it is odd they picked that particular location in NWA. You would have though they would have at least built somewhere closer to downtown Bentonville. But as you said, maybe they had a hard time finding a location and were looking to build the hotel as soon as possible. Maybe I should also mention the Rogers location was also built before the economy tanked. And unfortunately the Little Rock location is mainly being considered after the fact. Otherwise I think a Little Rock location would have already started construction by this point.

Yes, it was announced and was supposed to have started a couple of years ago (pre-recession).

[theman]

Maybe a Westin or something like that. If its like another courtyard or Holiday Inn, Please don't even waste our time. Put that thing somewhere else.

Perhaps a Renaissance, Anybody want to stat the guessing?

Too bad about the Aloft, but i cant say im too surprised. I really wish the Aloft in Rogers was built over by the Promenade. I feel like that would have been better than on the other side of 540

Also, The Aloft that is in Tulsa is also in a very strange area. I don't know why they even put one over there.

I agree. He said that it was going to be in the family of one of the big 2 brands, so most likely a Hilton or Marriott branded hotel. The last thing I want to see across from the Hampton Inn and a couple blocks from the Courtyard Marriott is a Hilton Garden Inn or similar hotel.

A Westin or Reniaissance would be great. Even an Sheraton or Marriott would be excellent but I doubt that it's going to be a full service hotel. Hopefully we will hear something soon.

[jcmcclure77]

Aloft is a neat concept, but it has struggled to find its footing and people either love it or hate it, seems to be no in between. There are markets where it does really well and some it doesn't and that is the hard thing, not knowing how it will be received in the market by travelers. Regardless, it is not happening, only bad part of it is that there still won't be a Starwood brand in Little Rock.

The hotel that will be built is not going to be full-service either, cost to run a full-service is high and if hotel is located in the River Market, guest does not want to stay in hotel and eat dinner with numerous dining/nighlife options out the front door. Hope to hear news on groundbreaking plans in the next couple of months with start late this year or early next...