Century Plaza / Convention Hotel rumoring (archive)

[nordeast homer]

When does this market study finish so the results are known?

The original article said the preliminary results should have been done around the end of 2012 but the final results would not be available until summer.

[Andrew_F]

Sometimes I wonder why some of you even post here. Architecture isn't supposed to just be all the six floor north korean crap we are constructing at an alarming rate. Sometimes it's supposed to dazzle, make a statement, be a focal point. Apparently few of you have ever met or spoken with a good architect and designer/developer.

Nasa, I'm not sure why you quoted my post, as not a word in your response has anything to do with my post that you are allegedly responding to.

My post was responding to the idea that the same floorspace split over less floors of larger size isn't more efficient than more floors of smaller size. I said nothing of architecture at all-- merely economics.

Perhaps you misquoted and meant to quote another post in this thread or somewhere else that was both related to your response and contained enough information for you to make the personal judgments that you made in your response?

[MS3]

This sounds like a win/win opportunity for Minneapolis. I'm curious about the results of the study.

[MNdible]

I certainly would be happy with a taller rather than shorter hotel. My comments were merely pointing to the fact that, all things being equal, developers and hotel operators would rather have a shorter, more efficient hotel. It could well be that some combination of a constrained site and a healthy public subsidy will cause a developer to put up something that will impress.

[writruth]

The rebounding national economy, along with the 2016 opening of the new Vikings Stadium are two of the leading forces that will likely make a Minneapolis, 50-plus-story, convention hotel tower inevitable.

The new, billion-dollar stadium, is already being pitched as the site for a 2017 or 2018 Super Bowl. The future venue has also been rumored as a future host for The NCAA Final Four and Big 10 Basketball Conference Championships. NBA Commissioner David Stern hinted recently at the return of his sport's All Star Game to Minneapolis once the scheduled Target Center renovations are completed. In 2014, Major League Baseball's All Star Game will be played at Target Field, giving the world another opportunity to see Minneapolis in all her glory. Next year, LRT will connect Minneapolis and St. Paul, making Minneapolis a host city for a 2016 or 2020 National Political Convention a distinct possibility.

The expansion of our entertainment facilities, including stadia, regional theater, shopping, dining, make Minneapolis an ever inviting lure for fun-seekers, not just locally but from across the region and nationally.

If speculation proves accurate, and within a decade, Target builds Minnesota's first 70-story global headquarters at the South end of the mall, the need for hotel rooms will almost certainly rise as the company's Canadian and South American markets expand and workers are brought into the City for management training. The combination of these national and local forces make the case for at least one of these large-scale hotel projects. Once built, such a hotel with 1000-1200 rooms, under one roof, should, as convention experts argue, make us more competitive in landing larger national conventions.

Finally, don't be fooled, Minneapolis must build hotel capacity to keep pace with the cities that compete directly with us for hospitality business. With Indianapolis, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Denver and Portland all having recently built, building or exploring the construction of new large-scale convention hotels, Minneapolis must do likewise to avoid falling behind the regional competition curve. Hopefully, the architecture will dazzling and inspire.

[MNdible]

Finally, don't be fooled, Minneapolis must build hotel capacity to keep pace with the cities that compete directly with us for hospitality business. With Indianapolis, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Denver and Portland all having recently built, building or exploring the construction of new large-scale convention hotels, Minneapolis must do likewise to avoid falling behind the regional competition curve.

You may be right about the rest of your justifications, but this last bit clearly falls into the category of "fool's errand."

[MS3]

I agree with writruths post. Minneapolis has a Hugh opportunity to excel and develop into one of the most prestigious cities in the country. My advice is "reach for the sky" and go for it.

[mattaudio]

Convention centers....
http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012 ... ottom.html

[MS3]

Maybe we should tear down ours and stick build a 3 story mansion for Miss Goodman

[seanrichardryan]

??

[John]

Convention centers....
http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012 ... ottom.html

The Bemidji Convention Center is absurd for a community of 15,000. And the article is good in presenting the writer's opinion. But its very raises a lot of unanswered questions for me that pertain to our city: Does anyone know what the attendance figures are for The Convention Center in Mpls since the last expansion in 2001? Also, does it run on budget? How much business and tax revenue does the convention center actually contribute to our city? What is considered the convention center in St Paul? (I thought they didn't have one). Are there any (major) cities in the US where convention business has improved and why?

[MS3]

I've heard positive rumors are floating around so far from the study, leaning heavily in favor of this project. Maybe this is old news, but so far so good. No doubt the Vikings stadium is having an impact. I've also heard for a downtown it's size, Minneapolis is roughly 1000-1500 hotel rooms behind the norm.

[Suburban Outcast]

Convention centers....
http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012 ... ottom.html

The Bemidji Convention Center is absurd for a community of 15,000. And the article is good in presenting the writer's opinion. But its very raises a lot of unanswered questions for me that pertain to our city: Does anyone know what the attendance figures are for The Convention Center in Mpls since the last expansion in 2001? Also, does it run on budget? How much business and tax revenue does the convention center actually contribute to our city? What is considered the convention center in St Paul? (I thought they didn't have one). Are there any (major) cities in the US where convention business has improved and why?

They have the RiverCentre, ironically my cousin is actually at a convention there right now and attends college in Bemidji .

[VAStationDude]

@MSPjvomhof on Twitter reports study findings as a $300 million hotel requiring $120 million of subsidy. I've been highly skeptical of this proposal and this price tag still completely blows my mind. What an incredible boondoggle. Pro football is a great investment compared to this nonsense.

[min-chi-cbus]

I pretty much agree^

[Chauncey87]

Wait this hotel will cost 300 million? Are the sinks going to be gold plated? thats $300,000 a room in a 1000 room hotel. Drops down to only $250,000 if it has 1200 rooms.

[uptowncarag]

The anti everything people love the word boondoggle.

[mattaudio]

And some of us love using it only when appropriate, for example $300 million hotels which need giant public subsidies.

[ECtransplant]

Will the Northern Lights Junior Volleyball qualifiers move to LA without the subsidy?

[VAStationDude]

Will the Northern Lights Junior Volleyball qualifiers move to LA without the subsidy?

heh