The Astrodome Hotel?

[HuskyCaucasian]

Well, this caught my attetion. Truth be told, it sounds like a really neat idea. I'd stay there!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4133932.html

As the county moved a step closer today to redevelopment of the Astrodome as a convention hotel, officials said it no longer will figure in emergency shelter plans as it did when thousands of hurricane evacuees arrived last year.

 

During future emergencies, other facilities, including the George R. Brown Convention Center and Reliant Center, will serve as the region's primary shelters, County Judge Robert Eckels said.

 

 

The Dome "is too expensive to maintain as a potential shelter space that you might use every four, five or 10 years," Eckels said.

 

Commissioners Court unanimously gave the go-ahead to a private firm's plan to spend $450 million reinventing the mostly dormant, county-owned Astrodome into a convention hotel.

 

The hotel is planned as a four-star facility with at least 1,000 rooms, a 2,100-space garage built around two-thirds of the Dome's exterior and restaurants, nightclubs and retail stores.

 

The entrepreneurs behind the project envision the facility being a destination attraction, featuring winding waterways and gondola rides.

 

With its vote, the court gave the the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp., permission to sign a letter of intent with Astrodome Redevelopment Corp.

 

No public money will be put into the project.

 

The letter of intent states that by March 2007, Astrodome Redevelopment must obtain financing and the approval from Reliant Park's tenants, the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Hotel construction would begin at the earliest late next year.

 

The county would lease the Dome to Astrodome Redevelopment for 50 years and give it an option to extend the lease another 20 years.

 

Astrodome Redevelopment would pay the county $2.5 million in rent annually and 2 percent-3 percent of gross revenues.

 

The letter of intent prohibits Astrodome Redevelopment from operating a casino or sexually oriented businesses.

 

Eckels said the project is a good one for the county. Private entrepreneurs, he said, will assume all the risk but may succeed in giving new life to the much beloved, aging Dome. If the plan works, Houston will begin attracting more conventions and more money will be pumped into the local economy, he said.

 

Scott Hanson, president of Astrodome Redevelopment, said the company originally planned to include Texas courthouse facades and play up a best of Texas theme in the Dome's interior. Architects now are considering other possibilities.

 

"We haven't settled on a theme yet," Hanson said.

[JoeBatterz]

I am not familiar with the area around the Astrodome or if it is close to anything else, so I would need more information before staying there.

 

Good concept though, hopefully they can pull it off.

[southsider2k5]

I'd check it out if we ever get down there again... I remember watching Nolan Ryan pitch there as a kid. It was strange to watch baseball indoors.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I am not familiar with the area around the Astrodome or if it is close to anything else, so I would need more information before staying there.

 

Good concept though, hopefully they can pull it off.

I've never been there but it looks like a mix of Residential and commercial/industrial.

Google Maps

[WilliamTell]

I'd check it out if we ever get down there again... I remember watching Nolan Ryan pitch there as a kid. It was strange to watch baseball indoors.

 

I've only seen Major League baseball indoors, I'm a deprived kid.