Fort Worth: Omni Fort Worth Hotel (Conv. Ctr.) (447 FT. / 33 ST.)

[Tnekster]

The thing I like about his one is that it will be very visible.

[John T Roberts]

I now have the height of the building and the adjacent parking garage. The garage will be 125'-4" and the hotel will be 498'-6". That places the hotel as the 4th Tallest Building in the city when it is completed.

[freewaytincan]

What is that, a nine or ten level garage? That's pretty big. I do like the height of the hotel.

[TexasStar]

Exceptional project! Very glad to see it.

[Aeneas515]

When is the groundbreaking expected?

[John T Roberts]

Groundbreaking is scheduled for late summer.

[Haretip]

Groundbreaking for hotel is set (http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/15277184.htm)

Omni Hotels plans to break ground Monday (Aug.21st) on the $115 million convention-center hotel and condominium project that's being counted on by Fort Worth officials to provide much-needed rooms for the downtown tourism industry.

The groundbreaking will start at 10:15 a.m. and will include local elected officials such as Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and hotel officials such as Mike Deitemeyer, Omni's president. Omni officials have said they expected to break ground in August.



This likely will be Fort Worth's tallest building when completed, although the developers are keeping the final height close to their vest. Maybe we will get confirmation of Fort Worth's new tallest at the groundbreaking.

[Tnekster]

^Hope that is true!

[CTroyMathis]

John/Andy, so the 499ft. number is no good anymore?
Regardless, it's good to know this one is breaking ground soon.

[Haretip]

I too was concerned that I may have been wrong when I saw John's reply of 05-07-06, but when I checked the Fort Worth Forum, John's final word on 7-11-06 on the height was:


For those of you who can open the PDF file, it would be nice to have additional comments on the design of the building. From what I have been hearing, the height is growing, but until the construction documents are issued, we are not going to know the exact height of the building.

The lack of definite information leads me to believe that they are pushing the "tallest" envelope and do not yet wish to reveal the final height. Seems typical of "tallest" buildings as was done with the Chrysler Bldg and the one under construction in Dubai.

[Tnekster]

^What height would need to be achieved to make it the tallest in FW?

[CTroyMathis]

Seems typical of "tallest" buildings as was done with the Chrysler Bldg and the one under construction in Dubai.

Indeed, then this will be even more interesting to follow than it already was. Good stuff and thanks for the further info.

567 is the number to beat, correcto?

[Haretip]

Yep, Burnett Plaza is listed as current tallest at 567.

Realize that this is all speculation at this point. Someone scaled a PDF drawing and suggested that the building, if constructed per the PDF file, would come in at about 528 feet, putting it 3rd ahead of C&B Plaza.

If the final height is a 3rd or 4th place building I wouldn't be surprised, but I can't otherwise explain why they are being so vague about the final height. But it'll still be a great building - kind of the FW version of the W.

[St-T]

But it'll still be a great building - kind of the FW version of the W.


LOL :rolleyes:

[Mephis Gooseberry]

I bet this will be better than the W.

[texastrill]

All this wonder about height,anyone think the design has changed from the renderings?

[Haretip]

LOL :rolleyes:

Have you looked at the rendering?

With regard to the structure and the architecture, it is similar to the W hotel with its base structure and residential tower. Oh, sure, there is no Ghost Bar at the top and we would have to chop a few stories off of it to be as tall as the W Hotel. I don't know how the quality of the building will compare; but, I think my comparison is valid.

[John T Roberts]

Here is what I know. I am a personal friend and former co-worker of the lead designer on the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. I also have another contact within the Omni Hotel Corporation. Neither party has given me an official answer of the height of the building. Over the last few months, both people have stated the final height had not been determined due to some design changes. In May, the project went before the Downtown Design Review Board (a regulatory board that has to approve all changes to the urban landscape in Downtown Fort Worth). There were several projects relating to downtown, so I requested a CD with all of the presentations, votes, drawings, etc. that were made that day. The building's plans and elevations were included, complete with dimensions. The dimensions on the hotel's elevation told of the number of floors and the dimensions showed each main portions of the elevations with dimensions. The height of the main roof, the height of the glass curtain wall, and the height of the mechanical penthouse roof was dimensioned. However, the drawings show the elevator overrun extending another two floors beyond the mechanical penthouse roof. From this information, it was obvious to me that a freight elevator serves the highest mechanical level. The dimensions indicated were not to the tallest point on the building, which will probably be determined by the elevator manufacturer. If you want to know about how tall these elevator penthouses extend above roof level, that number is a combination of several factors, all created by the design of the building. After the DDRB hearing, I contacted the architect, and he still could not tell me the final height. He did say that the "occupied" portion of the building increased by about 8.5 feet. It was 498'-6". This now puts the mechanical roof at 507'-0".

To make a really long story short, the FWAIA had their 60th Anniversary meeting tonight and I was hoping the architect would be attending. He was, but there were over 150 people at the lecture and all I had the chance to do was shake is hand and say hello. As of tonight, I still don't have an answer.

[gc]

Thanks John.

[Haretip]

Thanks for the clarification. Sorry to engage in speculation, but it looks like we're getting a great addition to the skyline even if it isn't a "tallest".

[St-T]

Have you looked at the rendering?

With regard to the structure and the architecture, it is similar to the W hotel with its base structure and residential tower. Oh, sure, there is no Ghost Bar at the top and we would have to chop a few stories off of it to be as tall as the W Hotel. I don't know how the quality of the building will compare; but, I think my comparison is valid.


Actually, I was just kidding. I have a close friend that worked at Omni and was responsible for the Interior Design of this project. I have seen the specs for the inside... It is very "cowboy cool"...which is a bit different from the W but will fit in better in Cowtown. I think you guys will be very pleased when you see the renderings.

[apearson28]

Omni Hotels Breaks Ground in Fort Worth, Texas on $170 Million Convention Center Luxury Hotel
FORT WORTH, Texas — August 21, 2006 — Omni Hotels is capturing the Fort Worth horizon as construction begins for the brand’s newest luxury hotel and condominiums. Sculpted from native stone, rich hardwoods and wrapped in glass, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel will be the newest star in the Lone Star State.

“The Omni Fort Worth Hotel will offer a bold taste of Texas hospitality with a personality that’s as gracious and dynamic as Fort Worth itself,” said Robert Rowling, chairman of Omni Hotels.

The 34-story, 604-room luxury hotel will boast a unique structural design and style that draw upon Fort Worth’s strong cultural roots and bold Texas pride to create an unforgettable atmosphere. With artwork adorning the hotel walls, the unique life-as-gallery display will be part of the finishing touch to this new piece of Fort Worth magnificence.

Omni Hotels celebrated the start of construction with a special ceremony and reception for local officials and community partners. Joined by Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, Rowling literally added the company’s brand to the Fort Worth skyline by raising an over-sized branding iron to imprint the Omni Hotels logo on a giant artist’s rendering of the hotel and surrounding area.

“We’re proud to add the Omni Hotels brand to Fort Worth’s burgeoning downtown scene,” said Rowling. “The City of Fort Worth has been a bold, forward-thinking partner, and together we can build upon the city’s growing reputation as a leading destination.”

Omni Hotels plans to welcome guests to the new Fort Worth location in late 2008. Big, even by legendary Texas standards, the convention center hotel will offer nearly 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, plus 10,000 additional square feet of outdoor meeting space. Guests will find unrivaled amenities to include:

Multiple dining and entertainment venues, such as Bob’s Steak and Chophouse, a full-service Starbucks, a sports bar, a wine bar and a museum store
A full-service spa and fully equipped fitness center
Wi-Fi access throughout guest rooms and public spaces
Ballrooms suited for any meeting or social occasion
The project also includes plans for 97 luxury condominiums where residents can enjoy the hotel’s amenities and services as well as private resident-only facilities. Among the many features at Fort Worth’s most luxurious high-rise residential address are dramatic, unobstructed views, large private balconies, a rooftop garden terrace and VIP services. The sales center is expected to open in early 2007.

The Omni Fort Worth Hotel, which is being privately financed, will be owned and managed by Omni Hotels. The hotel was designed by Dallas based architects HOK. The interior design elements were fashioned by Looney & Associates, also located in Dallas.

The addition of the Fort Worth property extends a period of an aggressive growth for Omni Hotels. Their latest period of expansion began in 2002 with the opening of its Omni San Francisco Hotel. Since then, the company has opened a 600-room tower and meeting space at Atlanta’s Omni Hotel at CNN Center (2003), the Omni San Diego Hotel (2004) and the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate (2004). In March 2006, Omni acquired La Mansión del Rio and the Watermark Hotel & Spa in San Antonio. The also company extended its international reach in March by joining Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), a network of luxury brands with hotels and resorts in more than 150 destinations in 55 countries.

About Omni Hotels
Omni Hotels was recently ranked “Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study(SM) for the second year in a row. The brand creates compelling, memorable guest experiences by tempting the senses in innovative ways, surrounding them with a balanced blend of scents, sounds, sights, textures and tastes. Omni Hotels offers luxury accommodations at 40 hotels and resorts in leading business gateways and leisure destinations across North America. From exceptional golf and spa retreats to dynamic business settings, each location features four-diamond services, including award-winning signature restaurants, Wi-Fi connectivity and unique fitness options. Omni’s mission for total customer service is further supported by its “Power of One” program that empowers associates to make on-the-spot decisions to meet or exceed guest expectations. Guests can locate hotels and book accommodations by visiting www.omnihotels.com or by calling 1-800-THE-OMNI.
www.omnihotels.com.

*The study is based on responses from 42,211 guests who stayed in a hotel between January and June 2006. Thirteen upscale hotel chains were ranked in the study. www.jdpower.com.

[FoUTASportscaster]

Good news for Fort Worth. Question. What's downtown Fort Worth's hotel situation? Is it like Dallas and there is quite a bit, or is there only a few?

[Geaux Tigers]

Good news for Fort Worth. Question. What's downtown Fort Worth's hotel situation? Is it like Dallas and there is quite a bit, or is there only a few?

In addition to the Omni, I know off the top of my head that there is the Worthington Marriott Renaissance, a Courtyard by Marriott, and a new Hilton. You might want to check out Sundance Square's web site for a complete listing.

[John T Roberts]

Apearson28, I noticed you had the 34 stories and 604 rooms in italics. That came from Omni's press release over the weekend, but I have still heard the building is 38 stories and 608 rooms with the height increasing. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved soon.

This is a little more comprehensive list of downtown hotels. We have the Worthington Renaissance, Courtyard by Marriott, the Hilton is actually the old Hotel Texas (1921), The Ashton, and the Park Central Inn. The Clarion is being converted into an Embassy Suites and the Ramada Plaza is being converted into a Sheraton. Those two are currently closed while the renovations are taking place. Etta's Place Bed and Breakfast is also located in downtown.

[CTroyMathis]

Omni to have upscale condos
By DAVID WETHE and SANDRA BAKER | STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS
Posted on Mon, Aug. 21, 2006, 11:05 PM
Visit: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15329256.htm

FORT WORTH – The new Omni Fort Worth Hotel will test the upper end of the downtown condo market, with units ranging from $300,000 to $2 million sitting atop the convention center hotel.

By the start of next year, the team that is selling condominiums at the W Dallas Hotel & Residences will move across the Metroplex to begin marketing Fort Worth’s first condo-hotel project.

Details were disclosed Monday as city and hotel officials gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site, across Houston Street from the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The $170 million Omni development will include 97 condominiums and 604 hotel rooms at downtown’s southern end. . .

More at link. . .with a reference from John's site.

[John T Roberts]

I think I found the answer to the number of floors. I was provided a design review package by the City of Fort Worth and it looks as if 34 floors is the number of occupiable levels on the building. The remaining four floors are mechanical levels.

[Tnekster]

Are there updated rendering available? I saw two on TV but they looked different from each other so I wasn't sure which one was right.

[Tnekster]

Hotelier Revs Up Work on $170M CBD Project
By Connie Gore
http://www.globest.com/news/684_684/fortworth/148426-1.html

FORT WORTH-Using a residential component to help offset the cost, Omni Hotels Inc. will begin excavation Wednesday on a privately financed, $170-million convention center hotel with 97 condos. The long-awaited landmark project will be ready to light in December 2008.
More than 300 onlookers braved the sweltering Texas heat for yesterday's ceremonial groundbreaking at 1300 Houston St. And, several in the crowd already were asking for details about placing deposits on the Omni Fort Worth Hotel's condo units.

The Omni Fort Worth is the North Texas-based hotel company's first convention center-condo project. It does hold a partnership stake in a combo property--511 hotel rooms and 35 high-end condos--across the street from the San Diego convention center, but "it's not 'the' convention center hotel," says Scott Johnson, Omni's vice president of development and acquisitions.

"So many projects that we're looking at have condo components," Johnson says. "With construction costs spiraling, it only makes sense. I think it's going to be an important piece for us going forward."

The 604-room convention center hotel will have 19 floors of high-end condos, with a separate entrance and address on Throckmorton Street. "It's important the owners feel like it's a residence," Johnson tells GlobeSt.com. The condos, which have yet to be priced, range from 783 sf to more than 3,000 sf and are designed so they can be combined. Condo owners also will have a separate valet service, elevators, pool and fitness center.

Johnson says a condo model and sales office will be open by January. "We're pretty confident they're going to be highly sought after," he says, adding several individuals inquired about the condos at yesterday's groundbreaking. "We're finding the Omni Hotel flag has tremendous appeal with hotel guests and people wanting to live above it and experience all the services and amenities that Omni has to offer."

The hotel's main floor will be all retail, restaurant and lobby space. The city-owned garage, set to rise right next door, also will have street-level retail that will be under the hotelier's control. To date, Dallas-based Bob's Steak and Chophouse and Starbucks have preleased space. The retail component also calls for a wine bar, sports bar, museum store and shop space.

"It's really a rebirth of this side of the Downtown," Johnson says. "It bridges Sundance Square to the Lancaster Street Corridor." The Omni Fort Worth Hotel will top out in June or July 2007. "It will move quickly," he says.

Dallas-based HOK designed the glass-skinned hotel, which represents $115 million of the total project cost. Looney & Associates, also from Dallas, is the interior designer. The hotel will feature a 19,000-sf ballroom, the largest in the city, 40,000 sf of meeting rooms, 10,000 sf of outdoor meeting space, full-service spa and 550 underground parking spaces for guests and condo owners. "This is uniquely Texan and uniquely Fort Worth," Johnson says of the design.

Omni won the project rights by putting a privately financed proposal on the city's table although it was a long and arduous battle to cross the finish due to the competition and public debate about the need for more hotel rooms. The city, in keeping with today's climate, kicked in development incentives. "It's a unique model that cities across the country are going to be looking at to finance their convention center hotels," Johnson says.

[jsoto3]

http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=12331@ktvt.dayport.com

[John T Roberts]

Both of the renderings are right. One is computer generated and taken from a southwest viewpoint. The other is a water color and is taken from a southeast viewpoint.

[John T Roberts]

On Wednesday, they started scraping up the parking lot on the site, so actual construction has started.

[John T Roberts]

Here are current construction photographs. I'm doing something different this time. I will take views from the four different corners of the site and replace them with every update instead of adding more photos to the list. These were taken on April 1, 2007.

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-sw.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-se.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-ne.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-nw.jpg

[gc]

Nice updates John, thank you.

[John T Roberts]

GC, you're welcome. They are moving really fast on the site. The excavation will eventually go down two levels and they are already chipping away at solid rock. Downtown Fort Worth is not the place to build anything very deep underground.

[gc]

GC, you're welcome. They are moving really fast on the site. The excavation will eventually go down two levels and they are already chipping away at solid rock. Downtown Fort Worth is not the place to build anything very deep underground.


Do you really think that hurts the vertical urban environ in Fort Worth? I never thought of that before.

[apearson28]

i wouldnt think so.. maybe im just pulling this out my butt, but i would think a place like Dubai would be about the same or worse but that doesnt stop them

[texastrill]

GC, you're welcome. They are moving really fast on the site. The excavation will eventually go down two levels and they are already chipping away at solid rock. Downtown Fort Worth is not the place to build anything very deep underground.
Would it be any better near Pier 1 or anywhere closer to the Trinity River?

[John T Roberts]

I know that it wouldn't be any better on the downtown side of the river. The peninsula that downtown is built on is nearly solid rock with only about 2 feet of soil cover.

[SDORN]

They are digging the hole now Shot pix Saturday.

[TexasStar]

We saw the same thing when they were excavating for Hunt Tower. DTD and DTFW both appear to be sitting on solid rock.

[John T Roberts]

Land values in Downtown Dallas over the last 20-30 years have been high enough that the costs of excavating that rock haven't hampered below grade construction. In Downtown Fort Worth, the land values are so low that spending the extra money to build parking below grade hasn't been worth the effort. The deepest that I have seen any Downtown Fort Worth buildings are two levels below grade. According to some new construction information that I have on the Omni Hotel, it appears the project will have three levels of underground parking in addition to the 11 level above grade garage on the block to the north. The above grade garage is a separate project and it is being built by the city to serve the hotel, St. Patrick's Cathedral, SBC, the Convention Center, and City Hall.

[John T Roberts]

I've replaced the old photos with new ones taken in October.

[John T Roberts]

I've updated the photos again with shots taken on October 29th. I had to shoot through the fence because of no construction work taking place on a Sunday.

[CTroyMathis]

Thanks for your great updates, John.

[dfwcre8tive]

Not really related, but it's close by. Does anyone know when the water gardens are supposed to reopen? I thought work was scheduled for a Fall 2006 completion, but last time I was in Fort Worth it was still fenced off. Any news?

[vman]

Not really related, but it's close by. Does anyone know when the water gardens are supposed to reopen? I thought work was scheduled for a Fall 2006 completion, but last time I was in Fort Worth it was still fenced off. Any news?
I didn't know they were still closed. FW never appeciated the WG anyway, it doesn't surprise me they're not rushing to reopen it.

[texastrill]

I didn't know they were still closed. FW never appeciated the WG anyway, it doesn't surprise me they're not rushing to reopen it.
Oh,really?it seemed to me that OUTSIDERS never really understood why they are there.Wasted land,water,and a place for homeless and grackles to congregate.
It took an accident in the active pool for it to get a much needed upgrade in regards to safety.

[tamtagon]

I didn't know they were still closed. FW never appeciated the WG anyway, it doesn't surprise me they're not rushing to reopen it.

Next to the museums, the water gargens have always been my second favorite destination in Fort Worth.

[dfwcre8tive]

Next to the museums, the water gargens have always been my second favorite destination in Fort Worth.
Me too. It's one of my favorite places in all of DFW.