Tower 101 | 175m | 50s | Regency Developments | DER + Associates

What do you think of this project?

  • Total voters
    50
David A said:
Well the Mac is not so new anymore, it is from the era of the Palliser, the Royal York and Hotel Vancouver. The JW and Doubletree Hilton are the only new hotels downtown in decades.

Also as the city continues to grow and gets busier, I expect there will be more severe problems with enough accommodation downtown for major events like the big concert in September.

I am surprised nothing new has happened with vacant lots in prime locations available and several older office buildings in good locations that could be converted to being hotels.
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My bad, I just saw the nice, not the new part.
But yeah, I agree that we should get a couple more nice hotels DT. I have a friend from Calgary that comes up to Edmonton at least once a month for work and spends the week, and she's been finding it increasingly hard to book rooms at the good hotels, and when she can, rates are alarmingly high sometimes, even booking with 2-3 months in advance (as high as $500/night with corporate discounts). I feel like there's a missed opportunity by hotel chains and I wonder if it has to do with some of the perceptions of the city as a whole, not just DT, not being a tourist destination.

This friend used to stay at the JW almost every time, and sometimes at the Fairmont, and now she can barely find rooms at these, unless she books with a lot of advance. And I'm not even talking weekends, or anything. It's regular workdays she has to spend up in Edmonton.
 
Yes, I agree there are perception issues, not so much negative, but more Edmonton just not being on the radar of those elsewhere who consider new projects, in part because we are not as much of a tourist destination.

You can't go for almost four decades with only one new major hotel downtown while the city doubles in size and expect somehow that will work just fine.
 
David A said:
Yes, I agree there are perception issues, not so much negative, but more Edmonton just not being on the radar of those elsewhere who consider new projects, in part because we are not as much of a tourist destination.

You can't go for almost four decades with only one new major hotel downtown while the city doubles in size and expect somehow that will work just fine.
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It’s purely a function of room rates and revenue per room (which can be less than half the room rates) and noting that revenue per room is gross revenue and has to cover all expenses before there’s any margin. It’s not that we’re “not on the radar”, it’s that the numbers don’t pencil.
 
I don't feel it is just room rates, which first of all assumes a competence of large organizations that I am not sure exists.

Secondly, much our hotel room stock downtown is quite old and some I would say are getting a bit dated, so there may be a bias there in the rates that reflects the supply more than the market.
 
What potential is there for the Westin or sandman to be converted to residential and then have those chains move into a newly built hotel building?
 
edm13 said:
What potential is there for the Westin or sandman to be converted to residential and then have those chains move into a newly built hotel building?
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I'd be very surprised if that happened. Also, I feel like we'd be better off with new residential buildings where it would be easier to have more 2 and 3 bedroom units.
 
edm13 said:
What potential is there for the Westin or sandman to be converted to residential and then have those chains move into a newly built hotel building?
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More like Marriott brings one of its many brands like AC, or an Alt comes that was previously planned. It doesn’t help that our downtown is devoid of many good food options and next to no shopping.
 
I could see an historically honored and detailed replica of the Tegler Building rebuilt on the site with a mixed use tower above that has both hotel and residential elements (akin to the JW Marriott building in the Ice District). The Tegler Building remake could feature Zellers as a ground floor anchor with the floors above featuring smaller office tenancies -- professional doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers. The roof of the Tegler construct could be a glassed-in parklike space -- a common area for the tower residents and hotel visitors. Maybe the whole venture could be kicked off with a Edmontonian-driven kick-starter that would raise funds and concurrently lean on the City to repossess the property from an untenable landlord/developer.
 
inclusion said:
More like Marriott brings one of its many brands like AC, or an Alt comes that was previously planned. It doesn’t help that our downtown is devoid of many good food options and next to no shopping.
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Yes part of the appeal for visitors to stay downtown often is to take advantage of nearby shopping when they have time, so that goes back to the problem with lack of retail in downtown which also makes it less attractive for workers and residents.

I also feel we need a new brand to revitalize our old and somewhat tired or staid hotel stock. There are at least two big hotels downtown that I feel haven't been well maintained over the last several years so they are either going to eventually have to close for a while for major renovation in a few years or maybe permanently. Someone who is smart to start building something now will be able to also take advantage of that.
 
Not to contribute to the derailing of this thread too much, but hat old strathcona would be perfect for one of the towers to be hotel. One hotel on this site, one in old strathcona, and one near 124th. Bam done.

Although, Edmonton has added a LOT of rooms in the burbs which has probably hurt the growth in the city centre.

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Ok, never mind…I went full thread derail. I love ChatGPT. Feel free to move this to appropriate place, including if that’s the trash lol.
 
kcantor said:
I’ve often thought the simplest solution is for the property taxes to remain at the same level as they were in the year prior to demolition until such time as the site is redeveloped. To make it comply with the MGA, it could simply be a permit condition caveat registered on title and not technically a property tax.
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That would effectively be enough for them to cut their losses and sell. A more competent developer might get a solid deal on the land if this happened.
 
What you've been waiting for!

Vacant Downtown Lot Survey - October 2025

The City is currently addressing the conditions at a vacant lot at the former site of the Bank of Montreal building located at 101 Street and 101 Avenue NW. We want to hear from you about your experiences with the property so we can better understand its impact on the surrounding community.
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The City needs to build a case against the owners to move forward with action. Please take the time to fill out!
 
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