Jan. 29–Houston-based Midway has redesigned the luxury hotel it is planning to build downtown, giving the 21-story tower a more sleek, classic look than the modern, whimsical feel it originally had.
The design change was made to give the Hotel Alessandra a more cohesive feel between the exterior and interior space, said Jonathan Brinsden, Midway’s CEO, who described the new look as a “modern interpretation of European style.” The new design will also give the building a more pedestrian-friendly facade at its ground level.
“There are a lot of iconic buildings that have no response to the pedestrian environment. They turn their back on the street,” Brinsden said. “Our philosophy is activating the street.”
Midway recently began demolition on the site where the hotel will be built.
The project will replace the former Yao Restaurant & Bar space at the corner of Dallas and Fannin streets in the multi-block GreenStreet development. Initial demolition work has started, and the old restaurant building will come down in the spring.
The hotel is expected to open in late 2016.
As part of the design changes, the hotel’s entrance is also moving from the interior of GreenStreet onto Dallas. The hotel’s lobby will be moved to the second level, as compared to the initial plan that put it on the top floor. The ground floor will contain retail space.
Hotel amenities will include meeting spaces and a ballroom on the third floor, a spa, pool and fitness center on the fifth floor and a “sky deck bar” on the 21st floor. Rottet Studio is designing the hotel’s interiors.
Last year, an architect with Gensler involved in the original design said the hotel would be clad in stone and specialty glass, reflecting color in different lighting conditions. The design, he said, was meant to draw the eye to the top of the tower. Gensler is the architect on this design as well.
The hotel project is a partnership between Midway and Valencia Group, a hospitality management and development firm.
Midway, which in 2012 acquired the GreenStreet property, then called Houston Pavilions, has been renovating the project by adding fountains, new signs, gathering spaces and other touches. The company ultimately plans to add patios along Dallas. The city has been planning to transform a part of the street into an identifiable shopping district.
Stephen “Jamie” Bryant, executive vice president of Midway, said the company is working with a “well-known tenant” and a restaurant to take much of the retail space that formerly housed Books-A-Million.
The company is also marketing some of GreenStreet’s second-floor space to office tenants who want to be downtown but not in a traditional skyscraper.
