They can parade rally squirrels.shimmy wrote:Forgive my ignorance as I'm not that familiar with the Peabody, but would a St. Louis Peabody have to include the ducks? I mean, I can tour Budweiser breweries across the country, but I can only see the Clydesdales in St. Louis.
Call it whatever you like, it amuses me a little bit even if it is an aging meme. Do you prefer it to a parade of middle-aged men with beer bellies dressed in jorts?roger wyoming II wrote:^ Hoosier games?
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What about the alternating the jort parade with bringing in our youth with a "Parade of the Saggy Pants"?
Wouldn't you prefer the juxtaposition of both in the same parade? Even better might be ducks nipping at them. I think it would be grand.roger wyoming II wrote:What about the alternating the jort parade with bringing in our youth with a "Parade of the Saggy Pants"?
But seriously, I shouldn't mock. Both styles are rebellious expressions that I can respect.
Anyway, if Joe Edwards were a partner, I could definitely see pink flamingos.
Forgive me for the indulgence and am looking forward to seeing how this shapes up.
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Oh my, we need to snatch Baton Bob back from Atlanta and have him lead this Grand Parade!
Why were they be a good idea at the Orlando location but a bad idea in St. Louis? Is there some sort of 250 mile radius exclusion rule? The ducks are part of the brand. Look at the crowds they drew at Orlando in this picture.STLEnginerd wrote:^That would be my recommendation to them. Like I said I hope they expand their brand to St. Louis. But I don't see how having the ducks in St. Louis could be a good idea. Maybe something of a homage to the tradition would be appropriate like a fountain in the lobby with a duck motif. Maybe even an occasional traveling duck troop which would visit St. Louis occasionally. But the daily duck walk will never be to St. Louis what it is in Memphis but it could damage the novelty of the one in Memphis. Again I'm not a marketing expert but this just seems too obvious to me.
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I stated why I thought it would be a bad idea but its their brand they can do whatever they want. It's hard for me to imagine transferring a cultural institution like this geographically. I also think that, for instance, if it existed in St. Louis I probably would not have gone to see it in Memphis. It apparently had some success in Orlando so they are welcome to try to prove me wrong. Of course Orlando is one of the leading tourist destinations in the country and is a full time zone away from Memphis, but St. Louis would probably get the same crowds they had.
I don't see how it hurts their brand. I think it helps it actually. I think they would actually be unsuccessful if they didn't have the ducks at everyone of their hotels. Nobody goes to Memphis just to stay at the Peabody and see their ducks. People go to Memphis for some other reason, and then choose to stay at the Peabody over other hotels because of their brand. It won't be watered down by expanding.
I think they need the ducks in order to be successful in other cities because it is their brand. It's what distinguishes them. People visiting St. Louis, Orlando, or wherever will go to those cities for fun, work, etc. Where will they stay? They'll say "Ooo, let's stay at the Peabody because they have cute little ducks in a fountain there." If you take away the ducks, the Peabody is just another hotel like the Hyatt, Hampton, Hilton, etc with no way of distinguishing itself.
I think they need the ducks in order to be successful in other cities because it is their brand. It's what distinguishes them. People visiting St. Louis, Orlando, or wherever will go to those cities for fun, work, etc. Where will they stay? They'll say "Ooo, let's stay at the Peabody because they have cute little ducks in a fountain there." If you take away the ducks, the Peabody is just another hotel like the Hyatt, Hampton, Hilton, etc with no way of distinguishing itself.
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^I'll concede it's a sound argument. As I said I'm not a expert in marketing so my statement was purely IMHO. Hopefully they'll choose to expand to St. Louis and we'll get to find out.
That's what I was thinking. If they are going to expand they kind of have to have the ducks like the Memphis flagship. Kind of the same way all the Gaylord properties copy the huge atrium theme that the Nashville Opryland has.pat wrote:I don't see how it hurts their brand. I think it helps it actually. I think they would actually be unsuccessful if they didn't have the ducks at everyone of their hotels.
I suppose that when Disney Land expanded with Disney World in Orlando, they didn't get rid of Mickey or Minnie.
By the way, the second Disney park was expected to be in St. Louis. Unfortunately, Augie Busch told Walt he was crazy to think the park could succeed without liquor and the insult may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
Thanks, chap.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Dis ... ont_Square
By the way, the second Disney park was expected to be in St. Louis. Unfortunately, Augie Busch told Walt he was crazy to think the park could succeed without liquor and the insult may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
Thanks, chap.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Dis ... ont_Square
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I don't care if it dilutes the brand for Memphis. If it's going to add to Downtown St. Louis, I'm all for it. Memphis losing its own appeal as a result of this is none of our concern.
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The Peabody would be a perfect tenant for the former Millennium Hotel or the Railway Exchange.
Both vacant buildings are large and have their share of challenges- so something like this would literally fill a huge void. I can picture the signage going up on either building now.
Both vacant buildings are large and have their share of challenges- so something like this would literally fill a huge void. I can picture the signage going up on either building now.
Considering that The Peabody Ducks are on multiple "Top 10 Memphis Attractions" lists, I'd be careful saying that no one comes to Memphis just to see them. Obviously, the majority of folks lined up for the marches are there for some other occasion, however, they are viewed locally as a respectable destination in their own rite.
I also don't think we should be so cavalier in not at least considering other neighboring cities' urban health while pondering our own. How many times have we lamented the perceived strength of larger, more cosmopolitan cities siphoning development, population, or opportunity from us? Is this not similar? Granted, this is a private venture and not a civic decision from Memphis' perspective, but I'd hate to benefit at the expense of a city who already flocks to us for our baseball, restaurants, and diversity, and is facing many of the same urban challenges that we are. Along with everyone else, I'd love to see it happen and succeed as long as it doesn't stifle the operation at Union and Third.
Random question: some of the retail in the Peabody is just as historical as the lobby and ducks, such as Lanksy Bros. Men's Shop who clothed Elvis and many famous musicians passing through Memphis. Does anyone know if the Orlando version had locally relevant brands in their retail component or had retail at all? What would be a good STL fit if an such opportunity occurred?
I also don't think we should be so cavalier in not at least considering other neighboring cities' urban health while pondering our own. How many times have we lamented the perceived strength of larger, more cosmopolitan cities siphoning development, population, or opportunity from us? Is this not similar? Granted, this is a private venture and not a civic decision from Memphis' perspective, but I'd hate to benefit at the expense of a city who already flocks to us for our baseball, restaurants, and diversity, and is facing many of the same urban challenges that we are. Along with everyone else, I'd love to see it happen and succeed as long as it doesn't stifle the operation at Union and Third.
Random question: some of the retail in the Peabody is just as historical as the lobby and ducks, such as Lanksy Bros. Men's Shop who clothed Elvis and many famous musicians passing through Memphis. Does anyone know if the Orlando version had locally relevant brands in their retail component or had retail at all? What would be a good STL fit if an such opportunity occurred?
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This would anchor all of central Downtown if it were in the Railway Exchange and included some decent retail. This, surrounded by the MX and OPO Square, will all make for a very vibrant neighborhood.
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rumor is out there that Union Trust is being looked at by out-of-town hotelier..... would be nice if The Peabody lands here.roger wyoming II wrote: I also wonder about the Union Trust... I think it would be a bit smaller than Memphis but certainly a historic property.
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Are all these new hotel openings necessary? Particularly if the Rams leave, I don't know if Downtown needs so many hotels. Will C+A+R and Ballpark village really draw that many more visitors here? What is bringing people to St. Louis that we need so many more hotels now?
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That building was put on the market last year. It has been owned by Southern Real Estate and Financial Co, which is owned by one of our town's wealthier citizens, Charles Cella.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Cella
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Cella
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Not sure how many new rooms are out there as some like the Magnolia are just rebranding/renovations. And while the old Ren Suites is coming back from closure the Millennium is closing. But to answer your question, both convention and tourism industries are picking up both here and nationwide.... room occupancy and rates here aren't superhot now but solid enough to entertain potential expansion. I suspect if The Peabody does come to town, it will be considerably smaller than its Memphis location with over 400 rooms. Also re: the Rams, I doubt very much they do anything for hotel nights that couldn't be replaced with other events taking over their 8-10 slots.Gateway City wrote:Are all these new hotel openings necessary? Particularly if the Rams leave, I don't know if Downtown needs so many hotels. Will C+A+R and Ballpark village really draw that many more visitors here? What is bringing people to St. Louis that we need so many more hotels now?
If Peabody does come to town and they want to go on the smaller side, this building may just be the fit. Its extraordinarily well-centered and a restoration to its original glory -- with rooftop beer hall! -- would quite the elegant statement. Of course, it would be major work to fashion into a grand hotel but I wouldn't be surprised to see it done as it would fit their brand. If they were more ambitious/risk, then the Hotel Jefferson may be the place.Presbyterian wrote:That building was put on the market last year. It has been owned by Southern Real Estate and Financial Co, which is owned by one of our town's wealthier citizens, Charles Cella.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Cella
Of course, other options exist such as buying and renovating an existing hotel, but I just don't see anything out there that would be the right fit... Omni Majestic doesn't seem to cut it. I suppose they could also look at The Chase, but that would be cause for war!
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If Peabody were to renovate the Union Trust building -- added to the Arcade and Chemical -- Olive Street could see a truly massive injection of life and 24/7 energy.