New rendering of the Crowne Plaza Hotel [[former Ponch. Hotel) WOW!

**MjvDet** · January-12-13, 03:45 PM

I didn't quite read all that was written but judging from the renderings they have the photo backwards. The way it's facing now is toward the river and there is certainly not enough room to put all the stuff in the photo

**401don** · January-12-13, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by downtownguy

I recall that thread from the first time around, but I didn't see anything in it about room renovations. Did I miss something?

The rooms were completely renovated last time but then they supposedly auctioned off all the furnishings. I can't see them gutting the interior to make larger rooms. As a convention hotel, you can get away with smaller rooms like at the Ren Cen. Although by today's standards, both hotels are small even for convention guests. The problem is Cobo still attracts too few conventions requiring multiple overnight stays and the hotel will need to compete for the business traveller, which downtown still does not have enough of.

**jw101** · January-12-13, 06:30 PM

Drove by it 2 times today... ALOT of workers putting something together! Looks like this is finally coming together.

**gnome** · January-12-13, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by MjvDet

I didn't quite read all that was written but judging from the renderings they have the photo backwards. The way it's facing now is toward the river and there is certainly not enough room to put all the stuff in the photo

I would agree, the only way the rendering could be close to accurate would be if the first lane, or parking lane, is devoured by the hotel. Cabbies would put on their frowns faces.

**French777** · January-27-13, 11:26 AM

It looks like they are replacing the glass with green tinted glass! Name: CrowneFuture.jpg
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**Flintoid** · January-27-13, 11:30 AM

To me, it is still aggravating to see these buildings being turned back into hotels rather than apartments. This building is becoming 100% hotel and the David Whitney will be half hotel, half apartments. Were these structures to be both 100% apartments I can guarantee they would be fully occupied within a month of opening. There is such massive demand for Downtown living, the market needs to start responding. I hope the Ponch does well but I don't think it will do as well as it would as an apartment building.

**Zacha341** · January-27-13, 12:02 PM

Please do not give certain members of council something else to be distracted about!

You're earlier comment did make me go back and look in Detail. Just for trivia in my mind I wondered why the two females both have on blue jeans and white casual short-sleeve shirts [[the one walking and the one sitting on the side of the buildig). Are women not part of business and commerce here? LOL!

Originally Posted by Bad Brains

Still, our own idiotic city Council [[people who live here ACTUALLY VOTE THESE PEOPLE IN mind you) think Obama should give the city money just because. I'm sure when they run out of things to bitch about, they will resort to complaining about race demographics in architectural renderings of proposed ideas in city improvements.

**esp1986** · January-27-13, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by Flintoid

To me, it is still aggravating to see these buildings being turned back into hotels rather than apartments. This building is becoming 100% hotel and the David Whitney will be half hotel, half apartments. Were these structures to be both 100% apartments I can guarantee they would be fully occupied within a month of opening. There is such massive demand for Downtown living, the market needs to start responding. I hope the Ponch does well but I don't think it will do as well as it would as an apartment building.

While I agree that we need more residential downtown, the Ponch is not the answer. The windows don't open which is a major turnoff for potential tenants. The David Whitney will be more than half apartments, because the average apartment is bigger than the average hotel room.

**gthomas** · January-27-13, 04:42 PM

Not to steal the shine off the "Ponch", but I'm wondering why haven't "Hyatt" consider Downtown yet? The "Book Building" will be perfect for it, Washington Blvd will become a strong hotel district from the Crowne Plaza on Jefferson up to Holiday Inn Express, Westin Book Cadillac and soon-to-be Aloft Hotel/Apartments at GCP. Also a block away from Washington Blvd is the Double Tree Hotel. Hope some sort of Hotel consider the Book Building and include residential. We need a mix, I agree Flintoid.

**401don** · January-27-13, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by gthomas

Not to steal the shine off the "Ponch", but I'm wondering why haven't "Hyatt" consider Downtown yet? The "Book Building" will be perfect for it, Washington Blvd will become a strong hotel district from the Crowne Plaza on Jefferson up to Holiday Inn Express, Westin Book Cadillac and soon-to-be Aloft Hotel/Apartments at GCP. Also a block away from Washington Blvd is the Double Tree Hotel. Hope some sort of Hotel consider the Book Building and include residential. We need a mix, I agree Flintoid.

Yeah that's what we need. A big new Hyatt with hundreds more rooms so the Pontch can go bankrupt even faster this time around.

**Honky Tonk** · January-27-13, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Please do not give certain members of council something else to be distracted about!

You're earlier comment did make me go back and look in Detail. Just for trivia in my mind I wondered why the two females both have on blue jeans and white casual short-sleeve shirts [[the one walking and the one sitting on the side of the buildig). Are women not part of business and commerce here? LOL!

Maybe they ARE business women!

**kenp** · January-28-13, 10:23 AM

Last summer I heard an interview on the radio with the developer. He mentioned an existing tunnel to Cobo which they were trying to make functional.
This would seem to be a bonus for convention business but I have never heard anything more about it.

**Zacha341** · January-28-13, 10:29 AM

I here that - casual day Fridays perhaps!

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Maybe they ARE business women!

**DetroitPlanner** · January-28-13, 10:34 AM

I doubt there is a tunnel. If there is, I doubt it would be compatible with ADA requirements. When Cobo was expanded back in the 1980's I can recall seeing a plan to include an above ground walkway. In fact Cobo had a dead hallway put in to accomodate it.

I would not recommend it though. Detroit is not Minneapolis so our really brutal winter days are few. One of the criticisms that Minneapolis or Toronto have are that its grade separated building connections create two classes of pedestrians. It actually creates a subliminal hostile environment for visitors who subconscious tells them 'outside is unsafe'.

**Gistok** · January-28-13, 11:35 AM

Yes, Cobo was expanded with the possibility of a sky bridge over to the hotel. But the discussions of a 2nd 400 room hotel tower put that plan on hold... even when the 2nd tower never came to fruition.

**I <3 DET** · January-28-13, 12:34 PM

The green glass is looking very nice! 1-26-13
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**I <3 DET** · January-28-13, 12:38 PM

The pink part of the hotel has already been added. 1-26-13
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I think it looks really good and adds some color to our skyline.

**Whitehouse** · January-28-13, 12:50 PM

Now all it needs is a new name.

Emerald palace is what I'm thinking of.

**Rocko** · January-30-13, 11:35 PM

Greenish/blueish glass is modern and trendy. I think this will go a long way to lightening up the exterior and giving it a color which will blend in better with the sky. Hopefully the interior of the rooms will also be likewise benefited. The dark tinted glass from days of old looks so dated and easily piss-frosted, kind of like the few remaining globe lamps off lower Woodward that somehow survived a streetscape project.

As someone mentioned a ways up the thread, I do hope they can do something with the top of the structure/add Crowne Plaza's name to the building. The gray box at the top of the zig-zag glass facade is very anti-climatic and really stand out in a negative kind of way.

Great to see this project moving forward with some vigor.

**gthomas** · January-31-13, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by Rocko

As someone mentioned a ways up the thread, I do hope they can do something with the top of the structure/add Crowne Plaza's name to the building. The gray box at the top of the zig-zag glass facade is very anti-climatic and really stand out in a negative kind of way.

Great to see this project moving forward with some vigor.

I did mentioned it awhile back in the thread. I agree with putting it on the big ugly gray box atop of the building.

ArmDetroit · January-31-13, 03:30 AM

Something like this... with more.... pink?

**cramerro** · February-07-13, 09:33 AM

The have added the Crowne Plaza signage to the left-hand end of each side of the street-level pink/purple band - noticed it this morning. Must be getting close if they're willing to have thier name on it!

**gthomas** · February-07-13, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by cramerro

The have added the Crowne Plaza signage to the left-hand end of each side of the street-level pink/purple band - noticed it this morning. Must be getting close if they're willing to have thier name on it!

What about the top of the building? Any luck?