Bay 101 is Moving Forward With a New Cardroom

Ever since Bay 101 purchased the San Jose Airport Garden Hotel on North First Street years ago, we knew it was just a matter of time before they would move ahead with a new project closer to M8trix. That time is apparently now, demolition of the 512 room hotel is going to begin by the end of the year. Bay 101 is going to construct a new casino and hotel worth around $100 million on that site.

The new card club will be two stories, 67,836 SQFT, and the same number of card tables as the current location (49). The layout will be more spread out and they are planning to do a high-end restaurant as an added attraction. The hotel would be seven stories and 174 room, which is actually much smaller than the hotel is replacing. It is too bad they are not planning to go larger with the first phase, because we really could use the extra hotel rooms.

There is a second phase being planned with a 10 story hotel tower and 150 rooms. In an area that could easily accommodate a 30 story hotel building (which would draw extra attention to the cardroom), this scale is very disappointing to me.

The parking lot east of the card room could also be developed into a 250,000 SQFT office building with 12 stories, but that would be in a far later phase. Bay 101's new home should be ready for gaming by Fall 2017.

Source: SVBJ

New Boutique Hotel Coming to Santa Clara Street

It looks like the former San Jose Entrepreneur Center on Santa Clara and 3rd is going to be transformed into boutique hotel called the Hotel Clariana. The five-story building was originally built for dorms but has been used for Class B/C office space over the last several years. After the conversion, there will be a new lobby and 44 hotel rooms on the upper four floors. Unlike the original dorms, each room will have its own bathroom (in case you were wondering).

There is no official ETA for opening, but one of the sleuths from the San Jose Development Forum learned that they are hoping open by the Super Bowl. A hotel on this corner could really help improve the block, which is neither Downtown's cleanest nor safest today. While it is always tough to lose office space, something that is open seven days a week is likely the best use for this corner.

Source: SJSharks DowntownGuy and Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum

New World-Class Tower Proposed for Downtown San Jose!!!

If you are wondering why I began today's post with a photo, it is because I was almost lost for words when I read Nathan Donato-Weinstein's article in the Business Journal. This high-rise proposal is easily the most impressive I have ever seen in my lifetime for Downtown San Jose! 

The City of San Jose has been shopping around for a developer to come in an build out a killer project in one of Downtown's best locations right behind the Tech Museum. Of the four proposals they received, they have chosen to move forward with one by Insight Realty, which includes a design by Steinberg Architects (same architect that did The Tech). It looks like they made the right choice.

This would be the most "mixed-use" high-rise tower in San Jose, and maybe even in the Bay Area. This project would include a 60,000 SQFT expansion of the Tech Museum on the ground floor, 210,000 SQFT of "creative office space" on the next five floors, twelve stories of condos, then three stories for an upscale boutique hotel, and finally a floor of luxury penthouse condos. The tower would rise 270 feet tall and have a cascading effect that would bring green balconies and terraces to a huge portion of the building. It looks like they would even turn the roof of The Tech into a park! 

I don't even know where to begin with how excited I am, and and the impact this would have Downtown! As opposed to just being residential, it will bring some much needed hotel and Class A office space Downtown. This would be the first new office space built Downtown since 2010. Each component of the project has a symbiotic relationship with the rest. The park could be used by office workers during work days and residents and hotel patrons during nights and weekends. The hotel amenities would be accessible to residents as well. Parking could be shared between office workers and residents since they have separate peak demand cycles. The list goes on and on.

As for location, it could not be more central Downtown. Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the Convention Center, the Center for Performing Arts, the City National Civic, the Montgomery Theater, The Guadalupe River Park, and of course the Tech are all immediately accessible. Across the street you will find the Adobe's Headquarters and the Riverpark Towers with two of the fastest growing tech companies in San Jose, Xactly and Intacct. If you draw a circle a 10 minute walk from the proposed project, it will include San Pedro Square, SoFA, Camera 12, most companies on Santa Clara Street, and about 150 restaurants. If you go out 15 minutes, you can add the SAP Center, Diridon Station, and SJSU to the list.

Last, but definitely not least... the building has landmark-grade architecture. I would be 100% satisfied if the design did not change one bit between now and when the shovels hit the ground. Even better is the fact that it would replace two of the most dilapidated and ugly buildings Downtown. (Update: these two structures are just outside the scope of the project, although I can't imagine the building on the corner staying there for long.)

If all goes well, the City of San Jose and Insight Realty could finalize the deal within six months (hopefully much sooner). No construction start date is listed in the article, but late 2016 might be feasible if the deal gets wrapped soon. Exciting times ahead!

Source: SVBJ

The Westin San Jose is Now Open!

After two years of renovation, the historic Sainte Claire Hotel is now the Westin San Jose. It has 171 rooms, 10,000 SQFT of meeting space, and an Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant. Many details such as the original moldings on the ceiling of the early 1900s building have been preserved. The location is stellar, across the street from the San Jose Convention Center and a block away from SoFA and Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

The Westin San Jose will really appeal to are business travelers. That has always been Westin's sweet-spot, and what better place to locate a business oriented hotel than in Downtown San Jose across from the convention center and walking distance to hundreds of companies.

This will be the second Westin in Silicon Valley (the other is in Palo Also) and the second Starwood Hotel in Downtown San Jose--the first was the Four Points which coincidentally is also in a historic building.

Source: MarketWatch

Hotel De Anza is Getting a $5 Million Upgrade!

The historic (and awesomely Art Deco) Hotel De Anza is about to get a serious upgrade from its new owner, Lowe Enterprises. Being 84 years old, it has quite a storied past. It was one of the first luxury hotels in San Jose, hosting such guests as Eleanor Roosevelt, The DuPonts, Jack Dempsey, and Fred MacMurray. Then it fell into disrepair and was almost torn down in the 70's. Luckily, the late San Jose Redevelopment Agency saved the building and restored it. The Hotel De Anza as we know it today was re-opened in 1990, just in time to compliment the new San Jose Arena.

Now that over 20 years have gone by since the latest major renovation and the Downtown hotel market is doing very well, the timing is perfect for a major overhaul that will keep and perhaps even enhance its historic character. Lowe Enterprises is going to spend $35,000 on each room, which will include a full redesign of the rooms with modern bathrooms, new beds, new furniture, and newer tech/amenities. Another $1.5 million will go into upgrading common areas and other parts of the hotel.

In addition, Lowe is considering improving the food program and may even add another eatery on the ground floor that would be open to the street. I'm assuming this would be something more casual since they already have La Pastaia.

I consider this great news all around. This is one of my favorite buildings Downtown and it deserves a decent upgrade. Soon there will also be an AC Hotels building across the street, giving San Jose visitors a choice between both vintage and modern luxury on Santa Clara.

Source: SVBJ

AC Hotel Coming to Downtown San Jose

Yesterday, I posted about the hotel explosion happening in North San Jose. Fortunately Downtown is getting some love as well. Remember the mediocre-looking Hampton Inn project on Santa Clara Street and Highway 87? There is a photo below to refresh your memory. This was a 6-story, 162-room wood construction, limited service hotel.

Instead of Hampton Inn, a much nicer AC Hotel is being built in its place. This will be a 7-story, 210-room hotel, built from concrete and steel and featuring an AC Lounge. AC Hotels is a hip, modern brand somewhat similar to Aloft or W Hotels. I think you'll agree with me after see the photos below that this is a significant improvement over what was planned before.

Yet Another Hotel Coming to North San Jose

North San Jose has been adding new hotels left and right. A combo 175-room Residence Inn and 146-room SpringHill Suites (both owned by Marriott) is just about ready near the airport. A new Aloft near Alviso has broken ground. Hyatt is moving forward with 330 rooms across two of their brands (Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites) that would both be on the same parcel. Lastly, part of Bay 101's redevelopment will likely include two hotels, and Phase 2 of M8trix includes a hotel tower.

If that wasn't enough for you, there is one more project to add to the mix. A 1.9-acre site at 1610 N. 4th Street is being considered for a 120-room hotel with 6,500 SQFT of banquet space. Currently this space is a private parking lot for airport travelers.

The developer is known for building hotels that are part of the InterContinental chain, such as Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn. $25 million is being budgeted for this particular project. For more info check out the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

New Hilton Planed for North San Jose

Haven't had enough of local hotel news? Well, yet another hotel development is coming to San Jose on North First Street. This one will be close to @First, the largest cluster of tech companies in the world, and of course Levi's Stadium. The new hotel will be a Hilton brand, likely Homewood Suites, and have around 145 rooms.

Also worth noting from the Merc article is the fact that there are currently 17 hotels with a total of 3,500 rooms in the pipeline for San Jose. Here is some perspective: during the 15 year period between 1993 and 2008, San Jose added about 3,000 hotel rooms (yes, even factoring in the the .com days).

Source: The Merc

Think Bigger San Jose Moved + Mixed-Use Hotel Condo Proposal

One of my favorite blogs is getting a face-lift and a new URL. Think Bigger San Jose is moving from http://thinkbiggersanjose.blog.com to http://thinkbiggersanjose.com.

The first post on the new site is a suggestion for Sobrato to build a mixed-use hotel condo on the giant parking lot he owns at the corner of Market and San Carlos. This is a high-potential Downtown development space across the street from the Convention Center, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and the burgeoning SoFA district.

A hotel condo allows people to purchase rooms and suites, and rent them out as hotel rooms when not in use. It's an ownership models that simply does not exist in Silicon Valley, but is popular in tourist destinations such as Las Vegas. These are often used as vacation homes or secondary homes, which would make a lot of sense for business travelers that live in tech centers around the globe but have to spend quite a bit of time in Silicon Valley each year. Typically these are built by luxury hotel operators--and having another Fairmont-caliber hotel would go a long way Downtown.

Anyway, its a great blog post and you should check it out right over here.

Two New Hyatts Coming to North San Jose

Yet another duo of hotels is coming to the North First area. It seems like every hotel announced in this general area is coming in pairs. First we had SpringHill Suites (146 rooms) and Residence Inn (175 rooms) at Airport and North First which will share the same physical building and back of house operations. Then earlier this year we found out about Hampton Inn and Suites (145 rooms) and Home2 Suites (140 rooms), which will be housed in separate buildings at the old Piercey Toyota lot, but likely share operations and resources.

Now we have two Hyatts being announced: a Hyatt Place clocking in a 164 rooms and seven-stories, and an extended stay Hyatt House with 140 rooms (five-story building). This will all be located on six acres at North First and East Brokaw Road, very close to both the airport, the casinos, and a massive 2 million SQFT office project proposed for the area. I also have to mention that there is easy access to light rail here, making these hotels great options for people flying into town to catch an event at the new 49ers Stadium.

The project will cost $65 million and construction will begin in Q2 2015 with completion expected in late 2016.

Hyatt House: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-house-san-jose-airport/sjcxa
Hyatt Place: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-place-san-jose-airport/sjcza

Source: SVBJ, Hat tip to Joseph Meduri

New $35M Hotel Project in North San Jose

Remember the old Piercey Toyota lot on North First near the airport? That is about to become not one, but two hotels. On the table is a 145-room Hampton Inn and Suites as well as a 140-room Home2 Suites. Unlike the SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn project also happening near the airport, each of these hotels will be housed in a separate building. However, I would be surprised if they did not share some of their resources and staff since the owner is going to be the same (Kalthia Group Hotels).

I know some of the urbanists that frequent this site will not be impressed with five-story buildings, especially along North First where we could theoretically go beyond 30. Personally, I'll take it over an empty parking lot any day of the week. North First seems under-serviced by hotels, and we need these resources to help entice more large companies to the area.

Source: SVBJ

Hotel Valencia Makes the Conde Nast Gold List

The Conde Nast Traveler Hotel Gold List highlights the top hotels in the World. Only 29 hotels were selected in California (these are more rare than Michelin Stars at Restaurants), and Hotel Valencia was the sole Silicon Valley hotel on the list. To put that in perspective, of ALL the hotels in San Francisco only the St. Regis was included on the list.

Other Bay Area hotels that made it were the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Lavender and Vintage Inn in Yountville, Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma and several in Napa (Auberge du Soleil, Bardessono, Calistoga Ranch, Solage Calistoga).

Source: SVBJ, Conde Nast

Latest Hampton Inn Renders

The latest renders of the Hampton Inn project in Downtown San Jose look infinity times better than what was originally planned. For all those that complained when you saw the first draft, give yourselves a pat on the back. It's nice to know that San Josean's can now demand a bit more in the design department when it comes to future Downtown projects (the One South high-rise design was another example of this). I especially like the new down lighting that Hampton Inn added to the top floor. What do you guys think?

Thanks to Joseph Meduri for sending these in.

Is There a Second New Westin Hotel Coming to Downtown San Jose???

I have one big question for tonight, what is this project below? At first I thought this was Lew Wolff's re-branding of the Sainte Claire as the Westin San Jose. Have a close look... even in the completely unlikely scenario that the City would allow a developer to dramatically face-lift a historic building, there is no way they could make it look like the render. The Sainte Claire is a six story building while the render is either 11 or 12 stories. The shape is also completely different. So again, I ask the question... what the heck is this project?

The text below reads: Ehm Architecture provided Schematic Design and Design Development Services for Starwood Hotels on this 500-room hotel in downtown San Jose. The project is in the entitlements phase.

Could this be a brand new, unannounced project in the Downtown area?  Downtown San Diego has two Westin Hotels, so it may be a possibility. If anyone has any other news, please send it in. Huge hat-tip to Franco for finding this.

Sources: Franco Rancadore, EHM Website

San Jose - Century of Hospitality at the MLK Library

San Jose - Century of Hospitality - MLK Library June 24 - Oct. 25, 2013 from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Throughout its history, San Jose’s hospitality was world famous, accommodating everyone, from gold prospectors and tourists to the captains of industry.

As the gold rush ended, miners settled and took up farming. San Jose expanded its role as a supply center and became a transportation hub. Local hotels expanded their rooms, including new amenities such as entertainment, saloons, restaurants and retail shops. Tourism flourished with as famous visitors like Thomas Edison and President McKinley came to the city.

Experience the beautiful photos and compelling memorabilia from a century of change in San Jose’s hospitality industry. Presented by the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History at the downtown Martin Luther King Library.

You’ll see and witness how life dramatically changed from a sleepy Pueblo population to the first State Capital to a modern metropolis.

Hampton Inn Facelifts Planned Downtown San Jose Hotel

When Hampton Inn revealed the initial design for their new 162-room Downtown San Jose hotel at Santa Clara Street and Highway 87, you could hear the groans a mile away. It looked completely generic and more appropriate for a strip mall in Anywhere, USA. Personally, I think this original design looks like a convalescent home.

The good news is the second draft looks better, I'll let you be the judge of how much. I like the the improved use of glass in the corners, that is my favorite part of the new design. The textured brown walls are also a step up from the white and gray of the original. I still can't help but to think that they could have Silicon Valleyed this up much more and went with radical colors that would stand out and Aloft-style LED lighting. For something that can easily be seen from Highway 87, people walking from the HP Pavilion, and the San Pedro area... they could still do a lot more.

What do you guys think?

Source: San Jose Development Forum

Before

After

First San Jose Aloft Hotel Coming in 2014!

One of my favorite hotel brands is finally coming to San Jose. Aloft is part of the Starwood chain, which also includes Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St. Regis, Four Points, Le Meridien, and Element. Aloft hotels are designed by the same people responsible for the chic and modern W Hotels brand, except these rooms are a bit smaller and much more affordable. Where Aloft really excels above other brands is technology. Each room is guaranteed to have a large LCD screen with HDMI inputs, USB ports, lots of outlets, etc. Even the reception area of these hotels are tech friendly and seem more like a break room at Google than a hotel lobby. Aloft has also started a new pilot program where frequent guests get a permanent key and receive a text message with their room number 24 hours before arrival so that they do not need to check in.

The San Jose Aloft is going to go next to the America Center, which houses the corporate headquarters for Polycom and Flextronics. This also happens to be a stones-throw away from the new 49ers stadium, Santa Clara's future entertainment district, and massive new office developments currently under construction. The hotel clocks in at 175 rooms and five stories, and also shows that you can build a budget-friendly low rise hotel that does not look like crap (hope Hampton Inn is paying attention). Also, those colorful horizontal bars are filled with LEDs that light up at night and look really slick.

It's also great to see how Starwood Hotels have been expanding in San Jose. Just five years go there were ZERO Starwood hotels in San Jose proper. Even the "San Jose Sheraton" is in Milpitas. The Hotel Montgomery in Downtown San Jose was converted to the nicest Four Points Hotel in the world and became our first Starwood. Then a new Four Points opened in South San Jose off of Bernal and 101 late last year. The Westin San Jose is opening Downtown in November of this year. And now we get an Aloft for 2014. I hope the trend continues, I'm a big fan of the Starwood chain.

Source: SVBJ

Hampton Inn Opening Hotel in Downtown San Jose

First the good news. Hampton Inn (part of the Hilton family) has announced plans to build a 162-room hotel at the southeast corner of Santa Clara Street and Highway 87. The building will be about 100,000 SQFT, including 6,000 SQFT of new ground-floor retail.

Now the bad news... it is only six stories tall and looks like a convalescent home. You can see for yourself below. When I first saw the renders I immediately thought of a similar hotel in McCarthy Ranch surrounded by parking lots and big box stores. Fortunately, this design has sparked instant outrage from the City and those that live in and care about Downtown. I would be really surprised if they don't make some serious revisions before this breaks ground (much like the One South Market further down Santa Clara Street). I think that if this design was proposed five years ago, nobody would have thought twice about it. Now that we have built up some pride for our Downtown, people are no longer accepting half-assed generic designs. It's time to take things to the next level!

Source: SVBJ

Fedex Business Center to Open at the Fairmont San Jose

Just in time for the convention center expansion, FedEx is setting up a new business center at The Fairmont Hotel. All the details are below:

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SAN JOSE – Experience convenience with a new downtown FedEx Office located in The Fairmont San Jose. In this fast-paced world, business never stops, especially in Silicon Valley.  Guests of the hotel, meeting attendees and local businesses will have convenient access to everything they need to get the job done. Shipping, faxing, copying and office equipment rentals will be right at hand.

Guests will never have to leave the hotel to take care of their documentation needs, no matter the size because the FedEx Office will offer large document reproduction, offset printing and bindery services.  For last-minute changes or projects, the Business Center at FedEx Office will offer guests of The Fairmont San Jose 24-hour self-service printing and copying. The FedEx Office will also offer full parcel handling services for guests of the hotel.

Business Center at FedEx Office

Hours of Operations:

Full Service Staffed Operation

·   Monday -Friday 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, Saturday & Sunday Closed

·   24/7 Hotel Guest Access for Internet & Copying Capabilities

·   Print directly from USB thumb drives or smart phones via the Cloud

About The Fairmont San Jose

The Fairmont San Jose located in the heart of Silicon Valley, combines high-tech excitement with the elegance of Fairmont style.  The hotel offers 805 deluxe guest rooms, including 77 luxurious suites, and 65,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, presented with the perfect balance of contemporary and traditional designs.  The 20th floor is devoted to a collection of grand penthouse suites, with its own private boardroom and spectacular city views. The 4th floor (Cabana Level) features lavish -style rooms framing a 58’ swimming pool, sun deck, men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, health club and spa.

About FedEx Business Centers
We're Here and Ready to Help

In premier hotels and conventions centers around the country, on-site FedEx Office® Print & Ship Center locations offer the critical business services you need to make your meeting or event a success. Whether you need posters and banners, copying, printing, packing and shipping, direct mail or last-minute office supplies, we have you covered.you covered.

The Fairmont Celebrates 25 Years

The flagship luxury hotel in Downtown San Jose is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this month. They took a huge gamble coming Downtown back in 1987 when it was a much different environment than it is today, but I think it paid off very well for them. The Fairmont consistently have some of the highest occupancy and average room rates Downtown and have even pulled off a substantial expansion. The relationship also works both ways as the hotel has brought thousands of events Downtown and has helped sponsor dozens of community endeavors like Christmas in the Park. Today, it is hard to imagine the San Jose skyline without the Fairmont Hotel.

To celebrate the Anniversary, they have a variety of promotions going on which you can read all about in the press release below.

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SAN JOSE, CA (October, 2012) Twenty-five years ago, the site of a prestigious hotel was proposed for construction to meet the demand of a quickly, developing city core.  Opening its doors in 1987, The Fairmont San Jose was the first luxury hotel of its kind in downtown San Jose. Serving as a hub of creativity, connection and discovery, the hotel has served as a backdrop for the brilliant inventions and events in Silicon Valley.

The hotel has also become a favorite venue for generations of families, from holiday celebrations to wedding receptions and special occasions. As a way to give back to the community and our loyal guests, The Fairmont San Jose is delighted to celebrate 25 wonderful years of hospitality and offer the community the following promotions:

Pizza and Pinot at The Lobby Lounge
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
The Fairmont San Jose’s Lobby Lounge will feature selections of Greg Norman Pinot Noir with a selection of freshly baked gourmet pizza. $25 for two glasses of wine and one pizza plus tax & service

Silver Afternoon Tea
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
Afternoon Tea includes assortment of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and fruit preserves, and a wonderful array of French pastries. The Fairmont San Jose’s famed afternoon tea service may be booked for $25 per person. $12 for children under 12 (All prices plus tax & service).

Please call 408-998-1900 or visit www.fairmont.com/sanjose for reservation details

$25 Local Wines
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
A selection of local favorite wines, offered at $25 per bottle.

About The Fairmont San Jose
The Fairmont San Jose located in the heart of Silicon Valley, combines high-tech excitement with the elegance of Fairmont style.  The hotel offers 805 deluxe guest rooms, including 77 luxurious suites, and 65,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, presented with the perfect balance of contemporary and traditional designs.  The 20th floor is devoted to a collection of grand penthouse suites, with its own private boardroom and spectacular city views. The 4th floor (Cabana Level) features lavish -style rooms framing a 58’ swimming pool, sun deck, men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, health club and spa.