Nashville Bits and Pieces

[Neigeville2]

Great article.  Nashville truly is a global city in terms of name recognition.  How Raleigh has flights to London and Nashville doesn't just blows my mind, unless it's just a leftover from when Raleigh was an AA hub. 

 

It may have to do with the British drug company Glaxosmithkline having such a large presence in Raleigh.

[titanhog]

For some of you with development experience, what's the tallest hotel Nashville could support?  I'm talking room night prices vs. the cost of going over that 30-40 story glass ceiling we seem to have.

 

With our need for full-service rooms, it really seems like someone would take a chance on building at least a 4* and break that 40 story barrier.

[volsfanwill]

well, remember footprint comes into affect also, those super tall condos being built in new york do not have many units but are very tall because the footprint is tiny.

[UTgrad09]

Speaking of condos, if Nashville does get a 40+ story hotel, it very well could include a residential component (since that form of mixed use seems to be all the rage).

 

If Bloom is able to lure Four Seasons to the Gulch and build tall, I would pretty much guarantee residential would be a component of the tower.

[Vrtigo]

If Bloom is able to lure Four Seasons to the Gulch and build tall, I would pretty much guarantee residential would be a component of the tower.

 

Has there been any substance recently to this Gulch hotel thing? They're running out of sites to build on...

[Paramount747]

For some of you with development experience, what's the tallest hotel Nashville could support?  I'm talking room night prices vs. the cost of going over that 30-40 story glass ceiling we seem to have.

 

With our need for full-service rooms, it really seems like someone would take a chance on building at least a 4* and break that 40 story barrier.

According to Tony G at the November forum meet: "The average luxury  hotel room costs $450,000 per ROOM to build." For example the Renaissance Hotel has 673 rooms on 20 floors. That is $302,850,000 to build the same hotel today. That is for a luxury hotel, so a 40 story hotel is going to be $600,000,000 minimum. That is a lot of money.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Paramount747

[CenterHill]

According to Tony G at the November forum meet: "The average luxury  hotel room costs $450,000 per ROOM to build." For example the Renaissance Hotel has 673 rooms on 20 floors. That is $302,850,000 to build the same hotel today. That is for a luxury hotel, so a 40 story hotel is going to be $600,000,000 minimum. That is a lot of money.

 

It is, but those numbers will vary by project.   e.g., the Westin at 27 stories and 452 rooms is a $119M project ($263k per room).   Not sure if that's the type of luxury hotel Tony was talking about, but the Westin will likely be comparable to or better than (in terms of full service) the Renaissance.    

[RonCamp]

According to Tony G at the November forum meet: "The average luxury  hotel room costs $450,000 per ROOM to build." For example the Renaissance Hotel has 673 rooms on 20 floors. That is $302,850,000 to build the same hotel today. That is for a luxury hotel, so a 40 story hotel is going to be $600,000,000 minimum. That is a lot of money.

 

 

It is, but those numbers will vary by project.   e.g., the Westin at 27 stories and 452 rooms is a $119M project ($263k per room).   Not sure if that's the type of luxury hotel Tony was talking about, but the Westin will likely be comparable to or better than (in terms of full service) the Renaissance.    

 

Tony's $450K per key estimate is accurate (at least on the low end, depending on market) for a *luxury* hotel - he is talking 4.5 or 5 stars.  A 4 star like the Renaissance or the Westin is less - $275K per key is a reasonable estimate.  

 

This report provides a decent overview:  http://www.boutique-hospitality.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HVS-Hotel-Development-Cost-Survey-20132014.pdf

Edited June 16, 2015 by RonCamp

[titanhog]

Doesn't the Omni have about 1000 rooms?   What was their final price tag?

[CenterHill]

Doesn't the Omni have about 1000 rooms?   What was their final price tag?

800 rooms, $270M.     I think the cost included the CMHOF expansion. 

[CenterHill]

Tony's $450K per key estimate is accurate (at least on the low end, depending on market) for a *luxury* hotel - he is talking 4.5 or 5 stars.  A 4 star like the Renaissance or the Westin is less - $275K per key is a reasonable estimate.  

 

This report provides a decent overview:  http://www.boutique-hospitality.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HVS-Hotel-Development-Cost-Survey-20132014.pdf

 

Thanks.   Good info.  

[nashvillwill]

Found a good short TED talk about building design.

http://youtu.be/7OLsIvyF-i8?list=PLsRNoUx8w3rNRSzbPthIfXujQDamkHt3Z

Edited June 17, 2015 by nashvillwill

[bhibbs]

driving around today I have realized that there is so much being built or under construction in the downtown core that even coming on here everyday I can't keep up with it....

for example, whats going up on Hayes St between 20th and 21st, sort of behind Sitar?

and, over on Divison St next to the Music Row Best Western

[volsfanwill]

someone do this math for me, 

what is the cost of all the buildings currently under construction.  lets make it easy and say only within the inner interstate loop.  

and I mean actually under construction, so the garage where 505 cst will be counts but not the tower.  dont count top golf but do count the amphitheater and new riverfront parks.  basically anything where concrete is being poured or like the garage i mentioned, there is no way it doesn't happen.

Im just curious.

[titanhog]

driving around today I have realized that there is so much being built or under construction in the downtown core that even coming on here everyday I can't keep up with it....

for example, whats going up on Hayes St between 20th and 21st, sort of behind Sitar?

and, over on Divison St next to the Music Row Best Western

On Division...that's Crescent, I believe.  

[MLBrumby]

I believe the St. Thomas midtown complex is expanding with parking garage behind Sitar... and a medical office building across Hayes at the corner of Church and 21st. 

[smeagolsfree]

driving around today I have realized that there is so much being built or under construction in the downtown core that even coming on here everyday I can't keep up with it....

for example, whats going up on Hayes St between 20th and 21st, sort of behind Sitar?

and, over on Divison St next to the Music Row Best Western

Parking garage behind Sitar.

Crescent Music Row on Division.

[smeagolsfree]

When I am back in town, I would be willing to get with anyone for a drive. I know every project and every proposed project, west of the river. East Nashville is another story, I just know most of the major projects.

[jmtunafish]

I hope this is the appropriate thread for this post.

 

I'm on my annual pilgrimage to France right now, yet Tennessee cannot escape me.  I met up with a cousin the other day who had no idea that I had moved from Knoxville to the Nashville area.  He literally jumped up and said, "I will go see you in Nashville."  When I had told him a couple of years ago that he was more than welcome to come visit me in Knoxville, he showed zero interest.  So when I told him I was now close to Nashville he ran to his living room.  I asked his wife what he was doing and she said he's probably digging out his old records.  Which he did.  Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, even Eddy Arnold.  What I found interesting was that the record covers were all in French.  He looooves country music and has always wanted to go to Nashville.  I'm telling you, just about everyone I meet over here has heard of Nashville, and many have told me that they want to go visit.

 

And then in the last week I have seen TWO restaurants called "Le Tennessee" and they're not part of a chain.  I've discovered that there are a bunch of restaurants around France called either "Le Tennessee" or just "Tennessee" and they have nothing to do with each other.  One is Tex-Mex (?), most serve American stuff, and one in Paris even serves fine French food.  And then today at lunch I was in a restaurant that has a Tennessee burger.

 

I think part of the reason more French people don't come to Nashville is it's just not easy to get to.  A nonstop flight to London will go a long ways towards solving that problem even if the problem is one of perception more than reality.

Edited June 22, 2015 by jmtunafish

[titanhog]

Yes...we could really use a non-stop to London now.  Maybe even Paris one day.

 

But, couldn't Parisians fly non-stop to Atlanta and then here? It would only be one stop.

[MLBrumby]

LOL.... Tennessee = TexMex... LOL

[GreenHillsBoy]

Yes...we could really use a non-stop to London now.  Maybe even Paris one day.

 

But, couldn't Parisians fly non-stop to Atlanta and then here? It would only be one stop.

Yes, there are any number of one stops to Paris from Nashville including Atlanta, NY, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minneapolis to name a few.  Surprisingly, there are actually very few European cities that are not one stops from Nashville and the connections are not bad, the prices are what most would consider to be fairly high however. 

[ruraljuror]

The Tennessee burger is the vegetarian option?  I wonder if they're trying to be ironic.

 

Edit:  Scratch that--the fried potato hashbrown cakes replace the bun, not the burger patty.  That sounds more appropriately branded than I'd originally thought.

Edited June 22, 2015 by ruraljuror

[jmtunafish]

Yes...we could really use a non-stop to London now.  Maybe even Paris one day.

 

But, couldn't Parisians fly non-stop to Atlanta and then here? It would only be one stop.

 

For some reason Europeans seem to hate having to change planes in the US.  They'd much rather change planes in Europe in order to get to the US, or take a train to a gateway city in Europe and then fly non-stop to the US.  (I don't get it, either.)  Of course, I'm talking about the joe schmoe European travelers and not the business people.  I do know that the number of French tourists visiting SLC has risen dramatically since Delta started its non-stop seasonal SLC-CDG flight a few years ago.

Edited June 22, 2015 by jmtunafish

[jmtunafish]

The Tennessee burger is the vegetarian option?  I wonder if they're trying to be ironic.

 

Edit:  Scratch that--the fried potato hashbrown cakes replace the bun, not the burger patty.  That sounds more appropriately branded than I'd originally thought.

 

I honestly have no idea why it's called a Tennessee Burger.  A potato cake as the hamburger bun?  Do we do that in TN?  But this particularly restaurant isn't the only one to get it wrong.  Even McDonald's in France is kind of clueless about things like this.  They have a "Florida Beef Burger" that has tortilla chips and salsa on top of the hamburger patty.  ??