Discuss items in the urban core outside of Downtown as described above. Everything in the core including the east side (18th & Vine area), Northeast, Plaza, Westport, Brookside, Valentine, Waldo, 39th street, & the entire midtown area.
I agree the design is a touch boning, but if it helps to add more hotel, and some retail to that corner of world great. Plus it in-fills nicely what were parking lots owned by Commerce. Better use of space even if it is a touch boring. Hopefully it will mesh well with everything else along 46th and back up the hill to St. Lukes. A lot of stuff going on in that area with the hospital and new Nursing school. It has spurred some decent development of old beat up houses and vacant land. Would be great if it contiued to creep North into Westport and fill in the spots that need fill
earthling wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:05 pm
Good to see confidence in KC hotel market considering the core leaned towards overbuilt even before COVID.
With Holiday Inn gone, this is only a net add of 50 rooms.
There are a lot of hotels that may never re-open. I kind of wonder if the crown center Sheraton will re-open. That building needs a major overall and rebranding anyway. Sort of a waste of a sizable tall building that used to be higher end. Could be a potential 4 star hotel flag.
earthling wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:05 pm
Good to see confidence in KC hotel market considering the core leaned towards overbuilt even before COVID.
With Holiday Inn gone, this is only a net add of 50 rooms.
There are a lot of hotels that may never re-open. I kind of wonder if the crown center Sheraton will re-open. That building needs a major overall and rebranding anyway. Sort of a waste of a sizable tall building that used to be higher end. Could be a potential 4 star hotel flag.
Sheraton is a 4 star flag but that is not a 4 star property anymore.
With Holiday Inn gone, this is only a net add of 50 rooms.
There are a lot of hotels that may never re-open. I kind of wonder if the crown center Sheraton will re-open. That building needs a major overall and rebranding anyway. Sort of a waste of a sizable tall building that used to be higher end. Could be a potential 4 star hotel flag.
Sheraton is a 4 star flag but that is not a 4 star property anymore.
That's what I mean. It's just a matter of time before the tower is downgraded again.
There are a lot of hotels that may never re-open. I kind of wonder if the crown center Sheraton will re-open. That building needs a major overall and rebranding anyway. Sort of a waste of a sizable tall building that used to be higher end. Could be a potential 4 star hotel flag.
Sheraton is a 4 star flag but that is not a 4 star property anymore.
That's what I mean. It's just a matter of time before the tower is downgraded again.
I remember seeing Weston and Sheraton listed as 3-star properties. The Loews and now Cascade Hotels may force at least one of the CC Hotels to be upgraded. Weston probably has the best location but the Sheraton could be easier since its already closed.
AAA rated these hotels their four level rating (five is highest)
Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa (Riverside)
Hilton President Kansas City
Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection by Hilton
The Ambassador Kansas City, Autograph Collection
The Fontaine Country Club Plaza Kansas City
The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza
The Raphael Hotel, Autograph Collection
With Holiday Inn gone, this is only a net add of 50 rooms.
There are a lot of hotels that may never re-open. I kind of wonder if the crown center Sheraton will re-open. That building needs a major overall and rebranding anyway. Sort of a waste of a sizable tall building that used to be higher end. Could be a potential 4 star hotel flag.
Sheraton is a 4 star flag but that is not a 4 star property anymore.
It will be up to Hallmark to renovate them though as they own both buildings. Hallmark was the one who did the cheap renovations on them around 2012 that didn’t go far beyond the lobby. A lot of people who stay at the Sheraton mention that the old restaurant space at the top is kind of really creepy because parts of it are just blatantly not in use in plain sight and that’s where they have the VIP lounge. I know somebody who works at the Sheraton and most of the employees who were kept on are either working at the Westin right now or the Sheraton in Overland Park.
They are under the impression that there isn’t really a huge plan to reopen the Crown Center Sheraton since it was the worst performing of the two. There were actually a lot of comments for roundabout on how they don’t think that Hallmark has much of a plan for Crown Center at the moment in general now that the first floor is down five restaurants, Panera has heavily reduced their hours, most of the third floor will be empty again, the third floor of the old Halls and the American aren’t being used productively, etc.
While a shame for such a large hotel, that Sheraton is the kind of building that would be a nice candidate for highish end 'co-living' conversion. Maybe if not enough conference/convention recovery in a couple years. Could be converted to conventional housing too, but much more effort/cost reconfiguring multiple rooms into units. If travel biz returns full steam, build more hotels directly along streetcar line.
Interesting that this is still happening with all the other hotel problems in KC like the Downtown Hyatt and Sheraton. Is the plaza starting to get a second wind?
Is probably mostly about the funding mechanism behind projects and the conditions they can absorb... as well as lower interest rates to take advantage of. Most every project is modeled financially differently.
earthling wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:15 pm
Is probably mostly about the funding mechanism behind projects and the conditions they can absorb... as well as lower interest rates to take advantage of. Most every project is modeled financially differently.
Yeah, it just seems like plaza development is starting to pick up some steam despite the retail portion of the plaza deteriorating drastically.
Maybe it's time to stop trying to preserve the core of the plaza as retail only and start building it up with 4-6 floor apartment buildings on top of the retail space that is there.
Maintain the "bowl" of taller buildings around it but the ground level retail can become more local/neighborhood type retail. The plaza needs to give up on being the luxury regional retail destination it once was and go back to its original roots of having retail mostly for those that live there.
Restaurants can still be a big regional destination though as the plaza still provides an atmosphere that is unmatched in metro KC.
Last edited by GRID on Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
^Agree, have been say it for years. They can still target luxury retail as market conditions improve but they could cut down the retail spaces by 25% or even higher and adapt to broader use. Still be a regional draw while also more of a balanced neighborhood.
earthling wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:37 pm
^Agree, have been say it for years. They can still target luxury retail as market conditions improve but they could cut down the retail spaces by 25% or even higher and adapt to broader use. Still be a regional draw while also more of a balanced neighborhood.
Sounds like a plan. Save the plaza people probably wouldn't agree though.