urbanSTL

who was the architect? not nearly as cool as it could have been in my opinion. and I agree about those cheap ass "historic" lights they added. where did those come from? sams club?

Hopefully it will be as nice as the Roberts Vista downtown.

The new sign was up as of this morning.

That thing looks incredibly stupid. They could not have come up with a more boring design, even if they put vinyl siding on the East, West, and South walls.



I'm sure the hotel will do well. There is a serious shortage of hotel rooms in that area.

Who knows what's really going on. One things for sure St. Louis is full of contractors that are really criminals. Many lie and "rob Peter to pay Paul" in order to get by. However, it's important for workers to produce in order to get payed. General contracting is the biggest racket going and doesn't demand much expertise or managing abilities at all in this town. This is why time and time again I've seen subcontractors get stiffed and then the general contractor lies by saying it's the owner. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the issue here. What ever happen to doing what you say and completing the task?

The Hotel Indigo's grand opening and ribbon-cutting is this Tuesday, June 30.

I needed a last-minute hotel room in the CWE for my parents Saturday night, so we went to Hotel Indigo, very near my new condo. After 20 minutes in line (only one receptionist), it was our turn. I said "Do you have any vacancies?", and she said no. My dad said "You don't have any rooms tonight?", and she said "I'm pretty sure we have rooms available." She must not have known what "vacancies" meant. I wonder if she thought I was asking for a job...?



Anyway, we asked for a room rate, and she started typing. And typing. And typing. I finally said that she could just tell us a "range" of prices, and she said it depends on the room / bed configuration, and the rates frequently change.



It turns out that their system doesn't allow for a quick check of availability. As she explained it, almost all of their customers book their rooms online and arrive with their reservation in hand. She actually had to go online, enter the search criteria (date, number of adults, etc.), and search for a room just like I would at my own computer. I can't imagine in this day and age that booking a hotel room at the desk would be so cumbersome.



After ten minutes of this nonsense, I told my dad that my unsold condo still had a bed in it, so they decided to just stay there.



A horrible system from a customer service standpoint.

^ For all the Roberts do well, it seems to me that they don't screen their personnel very well (see Roberts Tower sales center).

I'm not so sure the Roberts do much well except accumulate property and promote themselves. People are so bedazzled by their supposed success that real scrutiny is kept at bay. If the Roberts had to go through the same type of in depth investigation that McKee is currently facing there would be a lot less enthusiasm for their continued development. It wouldn't surprise me if they become the next Pyramid and everyone will go around asking why our political and business community was so taken in by them. Hope I'm wrong but would wager money I'm not.

Drove past here on the way home for the SLSO on saturday. It was great to see the hotel bustling along lindell. There were limos out front, people sitting at tables and lots of folks walking in and out. It is a very bright(read vibrant) addition to the neighborhood. Let's hope they fix the customer relations issues, they did just recently open ya know.

southcitygent wrote:

I'm not so sure the Roberts do much well except accumulate property and promote themselves. People are so bedazzled by their supposed success that real scrutiny is kept at bay. If the Roberts had to go through the same type of in depth investigation that McKee is currently facing there would be a lot less enthusiasm for their continued development. It wouldn't surprise me if they become the next Pyramid and everyone will go around asking why our political and business community was so taken in by them. Hope I'm wrong but would wager money I'm not.

I guess we should also assume that the Roberts are in any way similar to McKee? Developers? Yes. Developing an entire community? No. Potentially using eminent domain to acquire property? No. Are you just talking out the side of your you know what? No scrutiny? On what basis can you make this statement? Well since it seems you are talking out the side of your you know what lets talk about your real reasoning for this particular criticism. This sounds like the common ascertion by many right wing antiaffirmative idiots that assume most African Americans success is a result of them getting an upper hand or not going through the same level of scrutiny as every other business owner. The Roberts may not be perfect, but they are among the few self made billionaires in this town. Last time I checked St. Louis needs every development dollar laid on the table. Lets stop with the southside hoosier attitude that ultimately hurts us all.

^That response is a bit harsh, don't you think?



BTW, the Roberts brothers have made lots of money, but they aren't even close to being billionaires.

It may sound harsh, but I've read far to many comments on this forum that represent veiled racism. I haven't commented before, but there comes a time when you have to cut through the bs and call a spade a spade. People make comments with no real basis as if it is factual information. Opinions are opinions, but are rooted somewhere when the critique/criticism is not based in fact. One has the right to ask how one draws such a conclusion. Is it jealousy? Is it racism? Is it both? Why can't some accept the idea that minority advancement is good for everyone? Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are much less like you than that African American guy on your job working day in and day out. Let's be sensible please.

ikazy1 wrote:Let's be sensible please.

Let's. Criticism of someone who is not white is not, ipso facto, criticism of his or her race.



I don't know why southcitygent doesn't like the Roberts brothers. But it's a logical leap to say that he doesn't like them because they're black.

The standard answer. Let's just deny the reality. The Roberts Brothers haven't undergone scrutiny like other developers? What facts support such an ascertion? What specific reasons are other developers being scrutinized that in any real way are similar in nature? Paul McKee left property derelict for years. Is there any question why people aren't believers in the Northside redevelopment dream yet? The strip mall the Roberts built behind the Old Sears Bldg on N. Kingshighway underwent quite a bit of scrutiny. In fact, no bank here would fund the venture. Did that discourage them. Of course not. They used their own funds to build the project. The development is a success and essentially completely occupied. Is criticism of a minority a de facto sign of racism? Of course not. However, to make factless ascertions and tangential correlations speaks of something more. The language of "no scrutiny" is code word reminescent of right wing antiaffirmative distortions. Minorities are scrutinized from the day they are born in this country. Give me a brake.

Anyone else still trying to find where Southicitygent said anything remotely racist?

ikazy1 wrote:What specific reasons are other developers being scrutinized that in any real way are similar in nature? Paul McKee left property derelict for years.

McKee actually gets quite a bit of criticism around here. Ask Doug's opinion of him. The Pyramid guy, John Steffen, got a lot of heat too when his ship went down. As did the crook who up until just recently had owned the building on 14th St between Pine and Olive (Ford Plaza Apts). Someone else was upset recently also by one of the McGowan companies' handling of one of the Cupples buildings. My point is that white developers are criticized a lot too.



Just take it easy.

Whoa whoa... I dont know what is sarcasm or not. I tend to agree with southcityagent. There is no where in his comment that represents it to be racism. I think ikazy1's remarks deserve a "What?" southcityagent compared Roberts Brothers to Pyramid. He is referring to the downtown developer Pyramid that fell under the weight of its debt load, NOT a Pyramid Scheme. No one scrutinized Pyramid because they were rehabbing all these great buildings... at the same time not getting any return to pay down the debt. And now in return, we have all these buildings that could have been rehabbed if Pyramid wasn’t so selfish and aggressive. (Dillard's, Arcade, Jefferson Arms, STL Center, 1 City Place, etc.



So we want to ask ourselves... how much debt is the Robert Brothers taking on? I don’t see much return in any of their developments. (Great developments for long term.. I just hope they make enough in the short term to pay down interest/debt.) OTHERWISE, we will have a situation where a project like the Roberts Tower will be unfinished and a huge eye soar. Look at the two massive towers in Tempe, AZ. Also, southcityagent questioned their actual business savy. He is correct to point to the sales office for the Roberts Tower. They had no idea what was going on, not even to mention such a POOR website for such a huge “luxury” building.



What is wrong with putting some scrutiny into place? Show me their balance sheet! According to you, you can’t… because that means you are a racist? Ironically you had nothing to disprove couthcityagent’s remarks that came from “out the side of you know what.”



Ikrazy, you might be crazy.

Back to discussion about the hotel: The restaurant space is now occupied by something called Phi Bar & Bistro.



I have no idea whether or not Phi is a reference to a traditionally black fraternity.

Actually the scrutiny I was referring to was the multi part series that is being published in the Post about McKee. I realize that McKee is asking for lots of help from the city in the form of money for much needed infrastructure improvements in an area that has been woefully under funded. However the Roberts Brothers are one of larger non government landholders in our central business district and many of their properties sit in various stages of renovation. I include in this observation the old WS hotel, property along Locust, the longtime vacant retail spaces in the Lofts and empty Galleria. A theater that I have been told is still rundown on the interior and the much hyped residential tower being built where the sale of units is unknown (how fiscally responsible is that). I can't help but worry the impact all of these projects have on downtown. It will take several years for the Pyramid mess to be corrected, the failure of the Roberts Brothers empire could be similarly destructive.