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There is a pool - smartly, right above the valet entrance (so if it leaks, it's only leaking onto the street rather than a ballroom or something. The pool in indoors, but has a view of High Street.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Development
Downtown Hilton Hotel - News & Updates
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howatzer
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columbusmike said:
Sure is a lot of work and resources to install something that could have been replaced with a pair of doors and a crosswalk....I think the bridge is a good call - the crossings on high are nightmare when a convention lets out. One guest gets hit by a car and you have a major PR problem. Also, in the winter/rain, convention guests can go back and forth from the hotel without bringing jackets etc. I know it sounds lazy, but being able to say your hotel is "attached" to the convention center is a major selling point. Even fairly rugged people I know revert to fetus levels of neediness during conventions.
Posted 9 months ago # -
surber17
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Pic of the new bridge with most of the glass installed. I am liking this design.
https://twitter.com/myurbanhood/status/233556615675133952/photo/1/large
Posted 9 months ago # -
geoyui
West Side
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Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Cbusbill
Columbus
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Walker said:
Sidewalks work fine 95% of the time. Umbrellas can help the other 5% of the time.Spoken like a proud northerner, Walker :-) I'm with ya, but let's make sure we acknowledge the fact that hotel was built explicitly to draw bigger conventions...national, sometimes international conventions. A simple reality for doing that is placating attendees from places like CA, FL, etc. that flat out will refuse to bring winter-time events to a place like Columbus unless we can guarantee their constituents can be kept 'comfortable'. I groaned too when I read the new hotel would have a skywalk, but I also realize the hotel wasn't going to be built without it. At least they're giving it some architectural flair...small win, I guess.
Posted 9 months ago # -
surber17
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Walker said:
Nice shot! I just walked by it last night and saw the glass mostly installed.I agree that the design is nice, but I'd still rather have no skywalk at all. ;)
I agree on the no skywalks, but this one doesn't bug me as much. It will be nearly completely see through with some good modern design and it wont create this huge "tunnel" like the one to City Center mall did.
Posted 9 months ago # -
geoyui
West Side
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Walker said:
Sidewalks work fine 95% of the time. Umbrellas can help the other 5% of the time.I think having the skywalk is not only a great tool for the hotel to sell to convention planners, but also a great tool for convention planners to sell to attendees. I attended a conference in Boston this year, and the planners had literally booked 6-7 hotels with blocks of rooms. Only 3 where actually connected to the convention space and those were sold out immediately. Having the skywalk allowed me to tote all the conference freebies without having to worry about traffic or weather.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Neil Jaye
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I personally do not understand the opposition to the skywalk at all. As mentioned, this hotel’s primary design/goal is to accommodate convention attendees. I see no good out of building a hotel and telling guest to walk outdoors in the rain/snow/heat/cold/wind whatever to cross the street. It seems like it’s a no big deal few hundred foot walk, but in a suit, costume, or hauling equipment for a convention it could be a hassle. I think the skywalk is a great idea. If guests can walk out of their rooms without a coat or umbrella to attend events, that is nothing but a plus. I also do not think it would be a hamper to the local scenery. Yes, the big tunnel at city center as not too pleasant, but this one looks kind of cool and I think could add a needed architectural element to the area.
BTW, does any have any architectural renderings of the finished skywalk?
Posted 9 months ago # -
NerosNeptune
Goodale Park
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Neil Jaye said:
I personally do not understand the opposition to the skywalk at all. As mentioned, this hotel’s primary design/goal is to accommodate convention attendees. I see no good out of building a hotel and telling guest to walk outdoors in the rain/snow/heat/cold/wind whatever to cross the street. It seems like it’s a no big deal few hundred foot walk, but in a suit, costume, or hauling equipment for a convention it could be a hassle. I think the skywalk is a great idea. If guests can walk out of their rooms without a coat or umbrella to attend events, that is nothing but a plus. I also do not think it would be a hamper to the local scenery. Yes, the big tunnel at city center as not too pleasant, but this one looks kind of cool and I think could add a needed architectural element to the area.BTW, does any have any architectural renderings of the finished skywalk?
I think the main opposition to them is that they take people off the street and put them in seclusion.. subtracting from the "vibrancy" of the immediate area.
Personally I think this one at least looks neat.. and will make the convention center more attractive for the groups that might choose to hold an event there. Some of the other hotels also have enclosed connections to the convention center, they're just off high street so I guess people don't mind so much.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Neil Jaye said:
I personally do not understand the opposition to the skywalk at all. As mentioned, this hotel’s primary design/goal is to accommodate convention attendees. I see no good out of building a hotel and telling guest to walk outdoors in the rain/snow/heat/cold/wind whatever to cross the street. It seems like it’s a no big deal few hundred foot walk, but in a suit, costume, or hauling equipment for a convention it could be a hassle.1. My issue is that the weather is fine the majority of the time. Unbearable amounts of rain, snow, wind, heat or cold is not the norm. Requiring a skywalk is like requiring a park to be built with a permanent roof covering it.
2. People in costumes or hauling equipment are not the norm. Most hotel guests are regular hotel guests or convention attendees.
3. Have you ever heard of anyone deciding not to stay in a certain hotel or attend a certain convention because of a lack of a skywalk? Have you called to make a reservation for a hotel in another city and asked about skywalk accommodations? Methinks the convenience factor is being overplayed.
Neil Jaye said:
I think the skywalk is a great idea.So is walking around with an umbrella upraised over your head 24/7... just in case it rains. ;)
NerosNeptune said:
I think the main opposition to them is that they take people off the street and put them in seclusion.. subtracting from the "vibrancy" of the immediate area.Yup. This is the biggest downside to a skywalk. Every person in the skywalk is a person not on the sidewalk. Downtown Columbus needs more people on the sidewalks. Not less.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Twixlen
The Weston District
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Walker said:
3. Have you ever heard of anyone deciding not to stay in a certain hotel or attend a certain convention because of a lack of a skywalk? Have you called to make a reservation for a hotel in another city and asked about skywalk accommodations? Methinks the convenience factor is being overplayed.The thing you're missing here is "connection" - I've not stayed in a hotel that wasn't connected to the convention I was attending. It matters - I know you don't like it - but it absolutely matters to those booking conventions, and those attending, that they don't have to worry about climate when attending these things.
Having both worked & attended conventions, it has absolutely mattered to me when I've booked a room if I need to go outside or not. Dudes don't have to worry about their hair melting in humidity, or rain; it's awesome to not have to fuss with a coat (at least 4 months of the year) when attending in colder months.
Plus, we've already discussed how closed off that section of High St is to anyone walking on it - in fact, people on the street are less likely to be able to even see the Cap or SN, whereas those folks in the skywalk may have a view that intrigues them.
Posted 9 months ago # -
columbusmike
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It would be nice if they intend to close the skywalk on "nice" days...but I doubt it...
Posted 9 months ago # -
Digital Dave
Columbus
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I don't find any fault in the LIMITED use of the couple skywalks we have here. Cincinnati has a network of them that are an eyesore these days, though. They went through bad times in the 70s, came back for a while in the 80s and are now pretty abandoned. The difference that I see between CBus couple of skywalks are that they simply connect buildings rather than Cincinnati's network which, while they connected buildings, were focused on retail which mainly closed their doors. Cincy's skywalks did harm to businesses on the sidewalk levels.
An article on Cincy's skywalks by my friends at Queen City Disco(very).:
http://queencitydiscovery.blogspot.com/2009/02/take-virtual-tour-of-cincinnati-skywalk.html
Posted 9 months ago # -
hivner1
clintonville
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I would normally agree with you on this, Walker, but the Convention Center has already done the damage with killing any potential "vibrancy" on the east side of High St with that god awful remodel it did several years back. Hell, I'd rather not look at that monstrosity if I was a guest staying at the hotel and going to the convention center. The west side is going to be plenty vibrant with the hotel traffic, NM, Barley's, Knead, Deepwood, and possibly Flip Side.
Posted 9 months ago #
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