Wow. I thought that this hotel would be no taller than 600 feet!
P.S.: Since Lam builds small, crappy hotels, I'd be shocked if his bid, designed by Kaufman, were selected. I'd wager on a major developer like Vornado to win.
Hyatt's been pretty active in the convention hotel business lately. I think the San Antonio and Denver hotels that the article refers to are both Hyatts, in fact. I wouldn't be surprised to see them partner up again with one of the developers. Here's Faulkner's website. Go to Experience > Hospitality to see some similarly sized convention center hotels.
Originally Posted by Derek2k3
For illustrative purposes, the Convention Center plan shows a tower of 74 stories (70 occupied) at a height of 805 ft...(pages 3 & 4)
http://www.empire.state.ny.us/pdf/CC...Appendix_2.pdf
___________________________
More from the RFP...
http://www.empire.state.ny.us/pdf/CC...tsHotelRFP.pdf
Dates and deadlines:
The tentative schedule for the developer selection and hotel development
process is as follows:
Request for Proposals Issued........................... October 16, 2006
Site Visit and Information Meeting.................... November 6, 2006
Last Day for Questions................................... November 17, 2006
Submissions Due...................................... January 12, 2007
Select shortlist of Potential Developers..................... January 22, 2007
Conduct Interviews with Select Shortlist of
Potential Developers........................................ ..Week of January 29, 2007
Best and Final Offers from Shortlist.......................... February 15, 2007
Developer Selected (Beginning of
Exclusive Negotiation Period).................................. March 1, 2007
Letter of Intent with Selected Developer.................. April 1, 2007
Sign Ground Lease............................................. ... September 1, 2007
Spitzer is reviewing this project and im hearing he wants to kill the Hotel portion as he feels Hotels can go up anywhere in Hudson Yards and that a site that could have a 2.5 million sf tower should not be wasted on just a hotel.
Someone should tell Spitzer that an office tower of 2.5 msf can also go up anywhere in that Hudson Yards district. Furthermore, someone should inform him that no developer is going to be putting an office tower (at even half that size) up there anytime soon. The 7 extension is just getting underway. Meanwhile, the convention center is already there, and expanding. Just build the damn hotel.
I really do hope Spitzer cans this hotel, if for nothing else then to just get rid of the specter of having the fool Gene Kaufman design it.
Wouldn't serve the city at all, it needs that hotel space regardless. The convention center expansion moves along.
Like they said, they'll just build it somewhere else.
Trust me, you'd rather have no hotel at all then one done by Kaufman, that is, unless you don't care what a POS it will look like and just care about having some kind of tall hotel tower.
I have higher aspirations for New York than that.
Sometimes, you want to look not just tall but good, too.
Given the importance of this hotel to the larger Javits project, and the high level of government input/involvement, I don't think they'd allow a Kaufman POS to rise here. Keep in mind that Kaufman designs small hotels for chains like Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. This is gonna be a big budget hotel, like a Hilton, Hyatt, or Sheraton. It can't be crap.
I'm not nearly as confident in the politicos having taste or even caring about how it looks like as you do.
Anyway, Kaufman to me, is like that monster in the movies - you shouldn't take for granted that it's dead because the moment you turn your back on it, it'll come right back to life.
Must make sure it's really dead.
I doubt they'll choose anything with Kaufman's name attatched to it, he hasn't built anything over 35 floors. Expect large firms like KPF, HOK, FxFowle. From the RFP:
6.1.8.4 Architect
The proposed architectural team and the Proposer’s
demonstrated commitment to design quality is an important
factor in the selection process. The Hotel design is to be
commensurate with the design quality of the world-class
Javits Expansion. The Proposer is encouraged to put forth
an architectural team with a track record of innovative,
urban, and sustainable design. Proposals must include the
name of the proposed architect and a design portfolio of
recent significant projects demonstrating design excellence
and expertise with hospitality industry projects. The team
may be made up of more than one firm. At least one of the
proposed architectural firms must have completed one (1)
project comparable to the Javits Hotel within the last ten (10)
years. Proposals must identify the persons who will serve in
key roles on the design team.
The thought of what Kaufman's design portfolio will include is a scary prospect.
Seems he has already cancelled himself out based on requirements / his past work.
I wonder whether Gene Kauffman ever googles his own name. ;-)
As the first major tower to rise along what will eventually be Hudson Boulevard, I would expect something that would draw attention to the West Side.
Let's hope so.
As you can see, I want Kaufman dead.
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