[Raider111]

Originally Posted by wtby4000

The "Hotel formerly known as the Doubletree" is once again known as the Doubletree. At least they never changed their name to an unpronounceable symbol like Prince.

It was a Holiday Inn for many years, long before it was "The Hotel formerly known as the Doubletree"

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Blargrifth

I can't picture traveling businessmen wanting to stay at a hotel in the middle of a mall, and with Double Tree one exit away I don't see how I-95 should make a difference. The location itself seems odd because that neighborhood doesn't have many of those types of businesses within a walking distance and this mall isn't going to change that. What is the destination of potential hotel guests? Like Raider said, Merritt 7 makes more sense then here.

The hotel would not be in the middle of the mall. It would be attached to it and have its own entrance. There are a lot of businesses all over Norwalk, not just at Merritt 7. Like any hotel, it draws customers from a variety of locations. Someone wanting to stay near a downtown area with a lot of restaurants and mass transit options would like the location. Again, the developers feel there is a market so that is all that matters. Jay

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The hotel would not be in the middle of the mall. It would be attached to it and have its own entrance. There are a lot of businesses all over Norwalk, not just at Merritt 7. Like any hotel, it draws customers from a variety of locations. Someone wanting to stay near a downtown area with a lot of restaurants and mass transit options would like the location. Again, the developers feel there is a market so that is all that matters. Jay

Most of the corporate office presence is at Merritt 7 and on Conn Ave (a bit removed from this location). Very little in this area or anywhere else.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Again, the developers feel there is a market so that is all that matters.

Really? As I understand it, developers find a site that offers "promise", a place with that would generate income for them because of population growth or end values. They are simply introducing more people into the area to visit, purchase, rent, or shop at their development projects.... as opposed to picking a spot because "its needed". There's a difference Jay.


And if it does well, it doesn't mean "it was needed". I am pretty sure we can say it's needed anywhere, but obviously they find a spot that could generate good $$ for them. Of course near the coastal waters is always attractive.

[CT_Native]

Development happens because a project is economically and logistically feasible, and there's upside or a profit. Typically, there's a "market demand" for whatever is being developed, or else it wouldn't be economically doable and profitable. Know that market demand alone isn't necessarily enough for something to be development -- in other words, things don't automatically get developed because they're necessarily needed by the community. It's typically a NIMBY talking point to say whether development is needed or not -- it doesn't work like that.

[Blargrifth]

That assumes that all developers are informed and intelligent. I'm sure we can all think of buildings in our area that were closed within a couple years of being built. That can be a sign that there never really was a demand for that business.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Really? As I understand it, developers find a site that offers "promise", a place with that would generate income for them because of population growth or end values. They are simply introducing more people into the area to visit, purchase, rent, or shop at their development projects.... as opposed to picking a spot because "its needed". There's a difference Jay.


And if it does well, it doesn't mean "it was needed". I am pretty sure we can say it's needed anywhere, but obviously they find a spot that could generate good $$ for them. Of course near the coastal waters is always attractive.

The developers could not get financing for the project if they did not have a marketing plan that shows the area has a need for a hotel. Otherwise this project would have simply been a mall alone. Also note that a town CANNOT decide whether something is needed or not. If the property zoning allows for a hotel and a developer proposes one, the city has to approve it. I believe this site has had a hotel as part of its plan for decades now so it would be hard if not impossible for the city to say no to it. Jay

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The developers could not get financing for the project if they did not have a marketing plan that shows the area has a need for a hotel. Otherwise this project would have simply been a mall alone. Also note that a town CANNOT decide whether something is needed or not. If the property zoning allows for a hotel and a developer proposes one, the city has to approve it. I believe this site has had a hotel as part of its plan for decades now so it would be hard if not impossible for the city to say no to it. Jay

All true, but still an odd location for a hotel like Blargrifth said.
A good spot for one would be the big empty lot on Main ave where I think a BJs or Costco was supposed to go.

[CTbrooktrout]

Originally Posted by Raider111

All true, but still an odd location for a hotel like Blargrifth said.
A good spot for one would be the big empty lot on Main ave where I think a BJs or Costco was supposed to go.

Wonder if there's any new plans for that lot.

But I don't see the problem with the hotel being connected to the mall. There's drivers available from the Sono train station who could probably be on site in 1-2 minutes call and drive someone over to Merritt 7 area. Sono is a good place to stay if you're a business guy who will be hitting up multiple locations such as Westport, Wilton, Stamford. Sono is "centralized" to that.

It will also offer heavy partiers a place to stay overnight if they go too hard. That might encourage more night spots and restaurants to open up contributing to a livelier night scene. Also a few hedge fund/finance companies in Norwalk and Westport transport some employees from the NYC. This gives another option to house some of them overnight locally if they need to work late or if the weather is bad. I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with ideas.

I think the convenience will be nice and the demand will open up.

As for the mall itself... a lot of people in the lower FFC area I've noticed like to try stuff on in stores. Amazon is nice but ordering $1,000 suits or $500 shoes through the mail just to try on doesn't work as well. The suit will come in wrinkled. The mall is supposed to cater to the mid high to higher end so I expect it to carry stuff that people would prefer to try on in store rather than have it shipped and have a personalized experience with. And it will be a nice place to take a walk in - in the colder months and host community events. Something the area is lacking. We don't have a "civic center" type of facility. Stamford mall is an option but it's just not designed well. Hopefully the Norwalk has an open and versatile interior design to facilitate events.

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by Blargrifth

Did these people ever address who they are expecting to stay at a hotel here? It seems like an odd location.

It's probably the best location in Norwalk. Visitors want to be in the heart of the city, near shops, restaurants and the like, so this would be it.