5 Star Hotel

17-02-2003, 07:51

What exactly appears to be the problem with a five star hotel being built in the centre? Surely it represents a much needed marque of prestige for the city.

17-02-2003, 09:01

I agree with you,this city need's a good quality hotel in the centre,I will never be able to use it as I haven't the means to do so,but why object to something that will be good for the city and the economy of it. It will add prestige and bring business,conferences,revenue also, it will help to put us on the map,once it is in use, then company's will spread the word call over the world. You will alway's get anarchist's in this world who oppose everything,try and spoil any proposal's that are good, people who look backward's instead of forward. Take no notice, sheffield is moving forward despite the dissenter's, I vote for the five star hotel, can I count on your support? thanks, I knew I could.

Chris · 17-02-2003, 10:58

No-one objects to having a new hotel in the city centre - the 'dissenters' object to the council and Sheffield One's decision to spoil the Winter Garden and Peace Gardens by putting the hotel between them. I wouldn't mind it being where they plan if they'd bothered to design it well, but they haven't. It's a pathetic design. Which is a shame as, as you point out, Sheffield could do with the facilities. I couldn't agree more with this.

waxy chuff · 17-02-2003, 11:25

Sheffield has no really good hotels. It's quite embarrassing when I have people come down to visit and they end up staying in a Holiday Inn, or even the [Mod] Expletive deleted [/Mod] Hilton. It needs a five star hotel to operate as a major city.

Mind you, I don't want it obscuring the view of Sheffield's most attractive new building - how mad are the council to even consider putting the hotel there? Idiotic.

Chris · 17-02-2003, 12:21

I think most people agree with you. We're not 'anarchists' bent on destroying the hard work people have put into the redevelopment projects - we'd like to see a hotel built, we just think these people have made a huge mistake with the siting and design of the proposed hotel.

The local press and councillors haven't been helpful. Even in this week's Telegraph all talk about the hotel was along the lines of 'we must have this hotel'. That was never in doubt - however the people with the power to change the hotel (and, in the case of the press, change public opinion) are avoiding the issue of the design and siting of the hotel by claiming that people against these aspects of the hotel are against the idea of a hotel altogether. I suspect they are either exceptionally narrow-minded or stupid - which I doubt otherwise they couldn't have come up with other ideas for the city centre which are excellent - or else they're having their arm twisted by the developer.

The hotel's design strikes me as one developed round a set of rules set up for any hotel this developer builds - the design points of the hotel make the hotel work great but they'll have a lousy effect on the surrounding areas, and that's not just by blocking views of the beautiful Winter Garden. They're also, for example going to build a road into the Peace Gardens for access to the entrance.

El Duderino · 18-02-2003, 07:26

When you actually look at of the newer developments in that area, it looks like they have all been 'shoehorned' into any available space. Along with the plans for the new hotel it all smacks of city council shortsightedness.

nomme · 18-02-2003, 07:50

Well if the Novotell isn't presitigous enough, why not knock it down and build the new hotel on that site!?

Sorted.

Nomme

A.Stringer · 19-02-2003, 18:32

I agree with most of your comments.However,I dont like the idea of a tower on that site.Very overbearing!Unfortunately,planning permission has been granted for the hotel but that still doesnt mean it will be built.That depends on the economic climate & whether Macdonalds really want a cramped hotel in a difficult to get to location with limited car parking spaces.As for the rest of the Heart of the City scheme,has anybody noticed the overbearing scale of the commercial developments.Especially the 16/17 storey tower proposed for the site of the Wedding Cake.I think people will be shocked at the final outcome of the Heart of the City scheme.We desperateley need to redevelop Sheffield but how do we create a city that is the envy of Leeds & Manchester without simply copying them by building high & turning the city into an even blander more inhuman environment?Any suggestions please?

Chris · 19-02-2003, 23:44

I agree that the whole of the Heart of the City scheme is on too large a scale for the site. The tall offices looked bizarre - as though Sheffield One are trying to create a new Canary Wharf or La Defance in Sheffield. It won't work - the latter of those developments in particular was developed to take tall buildings away from the city centre, not introduce more to the centre (I'm less sure of the history of Canary Wharf to be able to say if this was the triggering factor of that development). One of the ways Sheffield differs from Manchester, Leeds etc. is that we have so many brownfield sites in the centre - derelict sites and surface car parks. These are ideal for building on (assuming the developers have the common sense to provide parking under the buildings) and are within a stones throw of the Heart of the City site. It does disturb me that those behind Sheffield's development are so blinkeredly fixated on the plots of land they've decided (or been given) to play with. Care has to be taken over where you develop certain kinds of buildings but they take this to rediculous lengthes. Considering the imagination that's gone into some of the buildings and proposals this is a very narrow-minded attitude and will stunt Sheffield's growth. I'm vaguely aware that a similar attitude is responsible for holding back development on Scotland Street. Do some people want this area to be residential? From what little I know of the area (and I admit in this case it is little at present) it would seem logical to use the area for dwellings. I'll have to have a closer look at the area and the arguments for and against.

Back on the subject of the hotel - I feel positive about Michael Smith's tower, not because of what the building was but what it stood for, ie., to demonstrate that there was scope for altering the proposals. I agree that the tower idea was probably not great for that site but I'm very grateful to Mr Smith for the discussion his proposal generated.

The fact that the planning application has been approved for the hotel shouldn't mean we are stuck with the proposed design. Hopefully the design will be reconsidered but not without a great deal of pressure. Does anyone here have experience dealing with these situations? I have to admit I've only got experience from the 'other side of the fence' (I used to work for an architects' practice). I should say from that point of view I have few objections to the planners, though they did make our life tough!

21-02-2003, 13:36

I think the two people above should be gagged!!! Moan, Moan, Moan!!!! The Hotle needs to be built quickly and if there is going to be a 16/17 story tower on the wedding cake site, FANTASTIC!!

Cities of European importance are not all low rise, they have much taller offices than are being planned on that site. I would like to see a really tall building with maybe, a restaurant at the top, that everyone could use.

Now, please, Chris Wade and AStringer, just shut up for Gods sake!!

A.Stringer · 21-02-2003, 14:49

Maybe guest(Gerald Duniec?)would consider emigrating to New York!

Chris · 21-02-2003, 22:14

Sheffield Council is widely quoted as finishing the destruction the Luftwaffe started in the 60's. There they had a great opportunity to redevelop the city and squandered it on inappropriate modernist ideas and developments which were cheap and hasty. It didn't make Sheffield the great European city that the councillors envisaged in the 60's and neither will cheap, high-rise office blocks in sensitive bits of the city now. The hotel is a cheap design - it's materials may be expensive, but the design is cheap and desparately lacking the innovation that has gone into the buildings that have made Europe's great cities great. The hotel will not improve the area as it is presently designed - none of the councillors' arguments to the contrary should convince anyone otherwise. If there are any benefits you feel the hotel will bring to the area please air them here - I'd love to know as I would genuinely like to back the hotel. I back the idea of having a hotel in the Heart of the City, and could be won over to the appropriateness of the site chosen if only the design wasn't such a disaster.

We were stuck with the Eggbox for 25 years. That's a very short period of time for a building - most buildings should last a lot longer and judging by the 100 year lease the council has 'negotiated' with Macdonald this one will. The architects and councillors therefore have to make very careful decisions over what goes there as Sheffield only has one City Centre and one Peace Gardens and 100 years is a long time. Compared to that a few months delay to redesign the building is a tiny sacrifice. Without it we will end up with another Eggbox, only this time one that will be more difficult to get rid of.

Lastly, Guest, before you wish to gag anyone with any design sympathy go live somewhere for a while where all the designers have been gagged. You're spoilt living in Sheffield - it's surrounding countryside is beautiful - and I resent people with attitudes such as your's squandering the opportunities we have. Also, if you'd bothered to read enough posts you'd realise that those of us against the hotel in this forum are against it's current design and siting, not against the idea of a hotel. Your wish to gag us is inappropriate - our concerns won't cost Sheffield money and they won't mean less development. All we request is that more care is taken and that the hotel is redesigned before it is too late.

climaxchick · 27-10-2005, 05:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Guest
What exactly appears to be the problem with a five star hotel being built in the centre? Surely it represents a much needed marque of prestige for the city.

Did this ever happen?

youwhatref · 27-10-2005, 05:29

Have you been away climaxchick?

The new Macdonalds hotel is not far off completion.

magicmorris · 27-10-2005, 11:00

The hotel opens on 28th november

MacDonald Hotel Sheffield

cgksheff · 27-10-2005, 12:41

You should all be aware that the new MacDonald St Paul's Hotel will be a 4-Star hotel !!!!!!

Greybeard · 27-10-2005, 13:11

Quote:

Originally posted by youwhatref

The new Macdonalds hotel is not far off completion.

But I think it's only rated as fours-star ??

climaxchick · 28-10-2005, 11:05

Whether its 4 or 5 * it will be more up market than any of the other 'business' hotels we have in Sheffield. We need a bit of luxury!

climaxchick

redinsheff · 28-10-2005, 11:27

...and it will be a 4 star hotel, not 5 - apparently it has something to do with the level of parking available...