COMPLETE: Hilton Downtown Providence

[spanishboy]

hello there, im pretty new at this but i love to come here and read all the updates because ive been living in providence for about ten years and im finally glad all that theres movement in providence, but i was wondering if someone can answer one question i have about hotels.... how come none of the hotels existing or proposed ever have an outside pool in the works??... i mean i know R.I is usually a cold place but in the summer i know alot of people would die to stay in a hotel with an outside olumpic pool or jacuzzi. So if anyone knows why or why not investors havent had this idea please let me know. thank u

[Cotuit]

how come none of the hotels existing or proposed ever have an outside pool in the works??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, the winter weather is a factor, but plenty of hotels in the region have outdoor pools. The biggest reason is probably cost, in order to have an outdoor pool, you need to set aside space for it. If it's indoor you can build rooms above it and not have land set aside just for a pool, which doesn't generate any revenue. You could build an outdoor pool on the roof of a structure, but there are probably crazy liability issues there, and the expense of engineering something like that would probably make it not worthwhile.

[Cotuit]

if construction from the Holiday Inn conversion isn't finished on time, Hilton won't put their name on the hotel, and therefore it will be vacant, no revenue coming in.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmmm... I heard today that Hilton was planning on putting their name on it before work started. Which the person I heard this from thought was crazy, because the Holiday Inn (while not horrid) is not up to the Hilton standards. Rebranding before renovation would be a marketing nightmare.

[Frankie811]

hello there, im pretty new at this but i love to come here and read all the updates because ive been living in providence for about ten years and im finally glad all that theres movement in providence, but i was wondering if someone can answer one question i have about hotels.... how come none of the hotels existing or proposed ever have an outside pool in the works??... i mean i know R.I is usually a cold place but in the summer i know alot of people would die to stay in a hotel with an outside olumpic pool or jacuzzi. So if anyone knows why or why not investors havent had this idea please let me know. thank u

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thr Providence Marriott has an outdoor pool.

[Cotuit]

Thr Providence Marriott has an outdoor pool.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup, and though it's a very nice hotel, it's a suburban monstrosity. Surrounded in a sea of parking and built linearly rather than vertically. It's unlikely it would be built like that today in that location, the property is too valuable to waste on parking and swimming pools. The Charles Street hotel could have an outdoor pool (though I don't know if they are planning one).

[CtownMikey]

i was being a dork at 4am.. reading about providence hotels.. and their customer reviews!!! BOY did every hotel have perfect reviews and horrible ones.

Supposedly, the biltmore's hallways made a customer refer to it as the hotel in the shining (chipped paint and the like), their AC was broken, and had terrible customer service. The only good thing anyone had to say about the hotel were the updated rooms with a wall seperating the bed from the "living area" and the flat screen tv's.

Courtyard at the marriot was labeled too noisy (traffic), and terribly uncomfortable beds... a customer left and said he had a better stay at the Holiday Inn.

Other reviews labeled the Westin and La Dolce Villa as highly overpriced and over-rated.

But all hotels also had perfect reviews as far as room service/staff, room quality, blah blah blah.. still though, it was almost embarrasing to read some of the things that these reviewers' claimed to have happened.

[Cotuit]

The happy people are usually the quiet ones, you only ever hear from the people who have gripes. For every bad review there are hundreds of satisfied guests.

[Garris]

Yup, and though it's a very nice hotel, it's a suburban monstrosity. Surrounded in a sea of parking and built linearly rather than vertically. It's unlikely it would be built like that today in that location, the property is too valuable to waste on parking and swimming pools.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely... It's regrettably suburban. That building, plus the Wholefoods/Staples Plaza on N. Main (which I don't actually have that big a problem with) almost scream out that 'The urban spread of Providence stops right here and shall go no further!!!"

Would you, or anyone, happen to know the story of how the Marriott, along with similarly urban-unfriendly surrounding developments of Charlesgate, 1 Randall Sq, etc came to be? Was there any opposition?

- Garris

[Frankie811]

Would you, or anyone, happen to know the story of how the Marriott, along with similarly urban-unfriendly surrounding developments of Charlesgate, 1 Randall Sq, etc came to be?  Was there any opposition?

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not sure of opposition, but the entire Randall Sq area use to be several old run down mills, some of which caught on fire. The Providence Redevelopment Agency, which many people don't hear about nowadays because of the Capital Center Commission, developed this area into office buildings, apartments and a hotel. They also developed Weybosset Hill into apartments and office buildings. Currently they are working to develop the Fogathy Building into a hotel, and the old police station into .................... something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Baines]

I'm not sure of opposition, but the entire Randall Sq area use to be several old run down mills, some of which caught on fire. The Providence Redevelopment Agency, which many people don't hear about nowadays because of the Capital Center Commission, developed this area into office buildings, apartments and a hotel. They also developed Weybosset Hill into apartments and office buildings. Currently they are working to develop the Fogathy Building into a hotel, and the old police station into .................... something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now that you bring it up... any word at all on the 13 floor hotel for the Fogarty Building site? And what about the word from City Hall about 2 months ago that a major announcment was due "shortly"about LaSalle Square???

[Frankie811]

Now that you bring it up... any word at all on the 13 floor hotel for the Fogarty Building site? And what about the word from City Hall about 2 months ago that a major announcment was due "shortly"about LaSalle Square???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=139954

[gregw]

I'm not sure of opposition, but the entire Randall Sq area use to be several old run down mills, some of which caught on fire. The Providence Redevelopment Agency, which many people don't hear about nowadays because of the Capital Center Commission, developed this area into office buildings, apartments and a hotel. They also developed Weybosset Hill into apartments and office buildings. Currently they are working to develop the Fogathy Building into a hotel, and the old police station into .................... something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's right. The area along the Moshassuck on Charles St. was home to American Screw and Fletcher Mfg. Most of the buildings burned down in the early 70s.

Randall Sq itself was kind of a mixed use area that was very run down.

When that whole area was redeveloped (shortly after University Heights in the 1960s) there were very different attitudes about urban renewal as you all know.

It was considered progressive to engage in widespread "slum clearance" and to knock down old buildings to make way for shiny new ones. To many of us now, the replacements looks more dated than what they replaced!

Also everything had to accommodate itself to the car as opposed to the pedestrian. THat's what gives the area that suburban feel.

In a way, the Marriott on Charles St. isn't such an ugly building in and of itself, it's the way it's set back from the street and the way the surface parking lots front Charles St that makes it unappealing from an urbanistic point of view. The hotel is more oriented to I-95 than it is to downtown.

[Frankie811]

That's right. The area along the Moshassuck on Charles St. was home to American Screw and Fletcher Mfg. Most of the buildings burned down in the early 70s.

Randall Sq itself was kind of a mixed use area that was very run down.

When that whole area was redeveloped (shortly after University Heights in the 1960s) there were very different attitudes about urban renewal as you all know.

It was considered progressive to engage in widespread "slum clearance" and to knock down old buildings to make way for shiny new ones. To many of us now, the replacements looks more dated than what they replaced!

Also everything had to accommodate itself to the car as opposed to the pedestrian. THat's what gives the area that suburban feel.

In a way, the Marriott on Charles St. isn't such an ugly building in and of itself, it's the way it's set back from the street and the way the surface parking lots front Charles St that makes it unappealing from an urbanistic point of view. The hotel is more oriented to I-95 than it is to downtown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WOW! You must have been around the city for awhile. I like that. You know what your talking about, unlike some of these guys who have been here for a few years. Randall Sq looks a lot better than it did in the '60's - '70's. The Marriott was first built with 250 rooms. It was then exspanded to 400 rooms.

[Garris]

In a way, the Marriott on Charles St. isn't such an ugly building in and of itself, it's the way it's set back from the street and the way the surface parking lots front Charles St that makes it unappealing from an urbanistic point of view. The hotel is more oriented to I-95 than it is to downtown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you for the great history on that whole area.

You're quite right that the problem isn't the building itself, so much as its relationship (or lack thereof) with the street and intersection there. As if the setback weren't bad enough, the angle of the building to the street is also quite odd.

It's actually a nice hotel. I've stayed there twice.

- Garris

[gregw]

Thanks for the kind words Frankie and Garris.

I think Randall Sq could be significantly improved if some of the properties there like the Marriott were extended to the sidewalk line. A low slung brick addition with some retail space would be great.

There are also still a few nice old mill buildings there as well as the Mossassuck Sq. apartments that Bill Warner designed. So the potential for urbanity exists.

If only they could get rid of the huge parking lots on the east side of Charles and the gas station where Charles and Ashburton (?) intersect and build some condos or something, the area could be an extension of Capital Center rather than a kind of no man's land.

[Mij]

I dont no if you want to change the status of this project to in progress or not, but when i was traveling the city i noticed fencing around different areas of this project.

[Cotuit]

I dont no if you want to change the status of this project to in progress or not, but when i was traveling the city i noticed fencing around different areas of this project.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They've had some fencing up and having been doing something for a couple weeks, but I'm not sure it has anything to do with the proposed renovations. According to Griswald they are still approving the final drafts of the plans. The fencing this morning though was much more extensive wrapping around the whole Atwells corner of the property.

[Griswald]

I'm actually gonna be spending the afternoon writing comments on the shop drawings for the exterier panels - the pre-requisite to that of course, is chugging at least 3 Red Bulls so I don't fall asleep. So as far as the categories for the project are concerned - it's definitely beyond proposed, but I would say the construction documents are in progress, not the construction itself...yet.

It's all a very long, extensive, and at times tedious process. After a year working here, you realize how much goes into making a building. The process leading up to the groundbreaking makes the physical construction look like the easy/fast part. Even the design itself is a small part of the process. Most of what we do revolves around construction documents - rather than schematic design, which is what most people know as simply design.

Hmm, didn't mean to be so confusing there. The point is, I'd rather be kayaking up the Providence river right now than sitting inside......

[Garris]

I was driving down Atwells today, and it's amazing how much of the "view" towards downtown the Holiday Inn takes up. If they can make that building actually look nice (and especially if they can add the tower), it'll be a fantastic gateway to downtown from The Hill.

- Garris

[mvince03]

They've had some fencing up and having been doing something for a couple weeks, but I'm not sure it has anything to do with the proposed renovations. According to Griswald they are still approving the final drafts of the plans. The fencing this morning though was much more extensive wrapping around the whole Atwells corner of the property.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was down there today, Sunday, and I noticed the fencing as well. It seems like they have been ignoring the upkeep in the gardens and entrencway so it looks like they are ready to begin something. There was also some kind of structure on the roof that kinda looked it could be for window washing except that it was pretty large... but who knows, can't wait to see some movement on that though

[brandon401]

Is this project actually going to get built? I havent heard anything on this thread in a while.

[Garris]

Is this project actually going to get built? I havent heard anything on this thread in a while.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Take a look back in some of the recent posts. It appears that engineering and material planning for the Holiday Inn to Hilton conversion is in the works now, and the tower will be built after the conversion is done at some point.

- Garris

[Frankie811]

Is this project actually going to get built? I havent heard anything on this thread in a while.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.procgroup.com/featured-projects...providence.html

[Cotuit]

They have a small crane out front of the Holiday Inn this morning.

[Cotuit]

One more pic I took while taking pics of the Westin blimp:

I'm assuming the 'H' didn't just fall off.