4-Star JW Marriott Hotel now planned for GardenWalk

[NobodyElse]

Just a little update about the non-disney hotel going up. As you can see the crane for this hotel can be clearly seen behind Carsland. It's like a giant dinosaur behind the mountains. I wonder if the hotel will be visible behind the mountains and what Disney will do about it.

Are you sure this crane is working on a hotel? I'm aware that the Anabella hotel on Katella will be re-done, but that would seem to be further west. My guess is that this crane is dealing with the Convention Center expansion, and no, I don't think you'll easily be able to see it from Carsland when finished.

OC Reg Story.

 

[NobodyElse]

For reference, I'm talking about the dirt square next to the arena in this photo. (You can try to use landmarks in phruby's photo to line things up.)

 

[Phroobar]

That must be it. It's hard to tell direction in park. The crane seems to be in a different direction.

 

[TP2000]

Just a little update about the non-disney hotel going up. As you can see the crane for this hotel can be clearly seen behind Carsland. It's like a giant dinosaur behind the mountains. I wonder if the hotel will be visible behind the mountains and what Disney will do about it.

That crane is actually for the construction of the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC) expansion. Here's the live shot from the construction cam... http://accexpansion.com/#prettyPhoto[iframes]/0/

It can be deceiving when you are in Cars Land which direction you are looking because Route 66 pivots off the DCA parade route at an angle. The ACC expansion will add 200,000 square feet of flexible exhibit/ballroom space and a 1,350 space underground parking garage. Here's a design sketch of the expansion looking north, showing the backside of the Cadillac Range mountains across Katella.

Currently at 1.6 Million square feet, Anaheim's convention center is already the largest on the West Coast by a long shot, but this expansion that takes it to 1.8 Million square feet will ensure it stays that way for at least the next few decades. The convention center is also a major reason why the new 4 Star hotels are being built, because big conventions need swanky hotels to put the corporate executives and high-roller attendees in.

The new hotel going on the Anabella Hotel site would be further west than this, roughly behind Midway Mania in Paradise Pier.

 

[NobodyElse]

phruby's photo is taken at close to a 45 degree angle at the intersection of "Cross Street" and Rt. 66. If you look at the Google Earth snip I provided, you'll see that it lines right up with the Convention Center lot.

 

[Phroobar]

Thanks guys for the info. That crane looks bigger in real life than it does in the picture. That new expansion looks fantastic! I can't wait for Star Wars Celebration to come back to Anaheim once the new land is in operation. I hope Wondercon comes back to Anaheim too.

 

[TP2000]

Another luxury hotel was announced for Anaheim. While not a 4 Star, it's a swanky 3 star Cambria. At 345 rooms it's a Boutique Hotel size and vibe, as all Cambria properties are. It will be built on the old Flakey Jakes/Cowboy Boogie lot on Katella and Anaheim Blvd, and feature an outdoor movie theater near the pool, plus a bistro restaurant.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hotel-725552-anaheim-room.html

It's planned to open in November, 2018, about the same time the new Eastern Gateway transportation complex will be opening two blocks away. And just in time for Star Wars Land!

 

[NobodyElse]

Another luxury hotel was announced for Anaheim. While not a 4 Star, it's a swanky 3 star Cambria. At 345 rooms it's a Boutique Hotel size and vibe, as all Cambria properties are. It will be built on the old Flakey Jakes/Cowboy Boogie lot on Katella and Anaheim Blvd, and feature an outdoor movie theater near the pool, plus a bistro restaurant.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hotel-725552-anaheim-room.html

It's planned to open in November, 2018, about the same time the new Eastern Gateway transportation complex will be opening two blocks away. And just in time for Star Wars Land!

Thanks. I hadn't seen that. I've been wondering what would become of that lot. Do you think the project will encompass the entire triangle (minus Del Taco) ?

 

[Phroobar]

I always wanted to stay in a hotel next the to 5 freeway.

 

[MrMagic]

So many new hotels, so much traffic..

 

[TP2000]

I took my secret route down Taft to the park today, and saw that construction has now started on the JW Marriott at GardenWalk! New fences with the W.E. O’neill Contractors logo on them have been installed, and large earth moving equipment is now on site digging a giant hole where the dirt mound has been for the last decade.

It’s actually happening. I don’t think it will be open by Spring, 2019 for Star Wars, but a fall opening in 2019 seems reasonable.

 

[TP2000]

Newer artwork of the JW Marriott is now available. Interesting how this also shows the long-delayed timeshare project approved to be built on top of the GardenWalk parking structure, seen in shaded relief in the background here.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Nice to see a Four Star property get an actual rendering and not just a screenshot from SketchUp.

 

[jmuboy]

Newer artwork of the JW Marriott is now available. Interesting how this also shows the long-delayed timeshare project approved to be built on top of the GardenWalk parking structure, seen in shaded relief in the background here.

Literally this looks like downtown Arlington across the river from DC. HOW BORING.
I'm excited to have development and nicer hotels coming to the Resort area. I just think the JW should look better than the very basic design of the new Westin but it falls short of even that.

 

[Darkbeer1]

The Hotels are designed based on a strict set of rules.

http://anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2528

Approved in the mid-90's, and for the sake of uniformity, we are stuck with the designs, which must be approved by the Planning Commission.

 

[Ismael Flores]

which plots i that hotel going in? Is it the plot closest to the cheesecake factory or the plot closest to Disney way

 

[NobodyElse]

which plots i that hotel going in? Is it the plot closest to the cheesecake factory or the plot closest to Disney way

It's the South lot, butting up to the Cheesecake Factory.

 

[jmuboy]

It's the South lot, butting up to the Cheesecake Factory.

This will definitely help GardenWalk foot traffic. It seems like finally after 20 years the resort as a whole (DL with 2 thriving parks, better landscape, convention center, better hotels, Garden Walk, etc ). Still not perfect by any means but certainly great momentum in the right direction and more of the resort that was envisioned than we got in 2001.

 

[TP2000]

Literally this looks like downtown Arlington across the river from DC. HOW BORING.
I'm excited to have development and nicer hotels coming to the Resort area. I just think the JW should look better than the very basic design of the new Westin but it falls short of even that.

It looks exactly like what it is, a big corporate convention hotel.

Will it win design awards? Not a chance. Will architecture students study it 50 years from now? It will be lucky to still be standing 50 years from now. Does anyone even know who the architect is? Nope.

But is it a dramatic improvement over the 1960's drug den motels that used to be here? Most certainly. Will it allow the failed GardenWalk mall a chance at redemption, and maybe even crawl upwards to a 50% occupancy rate amongst all those closed storefronts? Most definitely. And is it good for the Anaheim Resort District as a whole to have big, swanky, shiny new corporate hotels on offer for conventioneers and Mousketeers alike? Yes!

They could have gone with something a tad more memorable, but that rarely ends well when it comes to touristy convention districts. You usually end up with some really bad designs that age very poorly. Here was an early proposal for a faux art deco look for this exact site. Yikes.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

It looks exactly like what it is, a big corporate convention hotel.

Will it win design awards? Not a chance. Will architecture students study it 50 years from now? It will be lucky to still be standing 50 years from now. Does anyone even know who the architect is? Nope.

But is it a dramatic improvement over the 1960's drug den motels that used to be here? Most certainly. Will it allow the failed GardenWalk mall a chance at redemption, and maybe even crawl upwards to a 50% occupancy rate amongst all those closed storefronts? Most definitely. And is it good for the Anaheim Resort District as a whole to have big, swanky, shiny new corporate hotels on offer for conventioneers and Mousketeers alike? Yes!

They could have gone with something a tad more memorable, but that rarely ends well when it comes to touristy convention districts. You usually end up with some really bad designs that age very poorly. Here was an early proposal for a faux art deco look for this exact site. Yikes.

What about the apartment/condo complex seen in the final rendering? Has it been approved?