Here’s the latest rendering of the Hotel RL that’s planned for the block of St. Emanuel St. just north of recently-opened bars Rodeo Goat and Truck Yard. Complete with a roughly 6-story high Texas flag dangling from its hamster-wheel-like facade, the building itself — designed by STOA Architets — stands at 27 floors. It’s planned in place of the 2-story Kim Hung Market building at 1005 St. Emanuel, pictured above outside its entrance. That structure currently backs up to Hutchins St., at the edge of a block-long parking lot to its west.
Rendering: STOA Architects. Photo: Greg D.
Deep in the Heart
This won’t get built. Its kinda ugly anyway
LOL ….as if it will EVER get built. Wrong side of the future expanded I45/I69/US59 freeway with a great view of the loading docks of the GRB. Sure, it’s near the Dynamo Stadium, but even that is most likely a intermediate step structure likely to either be replaced (if the team is successful) or dismantled (if it is not). I guess if you are going to dream, might as well dream big
Hope it doesn’t block the views from the Ivy lofts that have to be at least 90% sold by now…..
While I’m skeptical that this will get done, I do believe that a spill over of the ‘convention oriented’ development is a good thing for the Eado / East end. Tying all 3 sports stadia and the convention center into one ‘district’ linked by hotels and parks would be a huge coup.
While Eado is growing now, depressing 59 and redeveloping the coffee plant into a mix-use facility much like sugar land is trying to do w/ the Imperial sugar refinery would make the area go gang-busters.
@WR must live out in Katy to have his head that far in the sand. Perfect spot that takes advantage of the growing area on the immediate east side of downtown.
That’s embarrassing.
IF this truly is to be a branded Hotel RL, then this design is way, way off the mark… From what I can gather, the brand is intended to “resonate with the customers who have a millennial generation mindset”.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_RL).
“The hotel, like other so-called lifestyle brands, was designed with a young, tech-savvy generation in mind.
“Our target is the millennial guest or those who have adopted a millennial mindset.”
(http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-hotel-rl-baltimore-20150803-story.html)
As a millennial, I find this design to be the complete antithesis to that statement. Everything about this design feels clumsy, dated, and bland. I really can’t overstate how ugly this thing is. In some ways, it’s laughably Texas…
I would expect something with the same aesthetic as their Baltimore or Brooklyn hotel, especially in an area like EaDo.
Hotel RL can do better.
wow.. this is a beauty… I see memorial city all over again…
That flag, ugh, wtf.
@Mr.Clean19 …. Katy? Hardly. Try the Museum District. Just because I am a realist instead of a market-a-dog-to-the-stupid developer gives me a better perspective on what will work and what is a waste of time, money and effort
So is there really demand for this or new hotels in general? Last I heard our hotel market was not in good shape due to the oil crash. Doing a google looks like Bloomberg called it the worst in the nation last year before Harvey hit.
.
“Houston’s hotel occupancy in the first seven months of 2017 averaged 62.7 percent, the lowest among the top 25 U.S. markets, according to STR. Houston hotel room rates are the sixth-lowest among those 25 areas, averaging $107 a night this year, below the $127 U.S. average, STR data show”
Too much YEE HAW!
@dnaguy . . . The same project that will depress 59/I-69 will also reroute I-45 through EaDo. TxDoT wants to obtain additional land for an increase to 550’ ROW to make space for this project. That means the blocks between St. Emanuel and Chartres will be wiped out for the entire length of the current elevated 59/I-69, taking many popular restaurants and bars with it.
I fail to see how this is “good for the area.â€
Aesthetically unpleasant…RL miss the mark. Back to the drawing board.
On first glance, I thought the Swamplot writer had highlighted the Texas flag on the illustration to draw attention to it. Only on second view did I notice that ellipse is an architectural element. I would like to see it get built, but I do think it needs an off-center crown on the top, in homage to Memorial City to complete the look.
@S.
The one in Baltimore doesn’t look that different. The actual product can differ heavily from the rendering.
The design looks to be paying homage to the ChinaTown origins of the area. The aesthetic is fine, not sure why everyone is complaining about it.
The design is a magnificent homage to the ugliness achieved by Morris Architects and others at Memorial City.
@FunNestlé
I’m not so sure that you are looking at the right building…
(https://t-ec.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/114/114200123.jpg)
(https://media.xogrp.com/images/beebb84d-6b30-4c6c-9f3e-64b1f62d7c13)
How do you come to the conclusion of “doesn’t look that different”? These are worlds apart, in my mind.
In any case, I do agree that renderings and reality are often quite different… Still, I won’t hold my breath.
You can pay homage to EaDo’s Chinatown origins without the cheesy PoMo symbolic formalism.
@ joel
I have heard anecdotally from developers that there are not enough hotels downtown, especially with the planned expansion of the GRB. It’s possible that this is true, but that the Houston-area hotel market is soft overall.
Everyone associated w/ this project are on bad drugs. Cause if they’re not, they have no taste nor foresight. One of the ugliest , bland , Communist era “ designs†topped off by the TACKY Texas flag. Talk about crass , cheap & tackling
Every time I see this, I cringe…
I don’t even think Dallas would accept this.
Setting the bar low, Houston…