Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, December 23, 2016, 11:18 AM
Town Square
New 70-room Hampton Inn proposed in Menlo Park
Original post made on Dec 23, 2016
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, December 23, 2016, 11:18 AM
Comments (12)
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Dec 23, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Money talks: demolish the Red Cottage Inn, a nice, comfortable mid-range motel and build a larger Walmart-quality domiciliary in its place.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Dec 23, 2016 at 2:27 pm
So if money talks, why do they propose a junky La Quinta wanna-be like Hampton Inn? Surely we can go up the paygrade but still keep the lower prices.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Dec 23, 2016 at 2:31 pm
How about a complete story. Was the property sold? If so when and to whom? If not how about mentioning the name of the current owner. What is the impact on the neighboring townhomes and apartment bldgs? Will there be restrictions on the the use of the fire access drive off of Buckthorne? What about the nail business in the small bldg at the entrance on ECR - has it been bought, will it be torn down? Were any other adjacent properties purchased?
What are the time and day restrictions to events? What are event impacts to nearby residents of the townhomes, condos and apartments?
Come on Kate, journalists are supposed to do some research. Inquiring minds want to know
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Dec 27, 2016 at 12:45 pm
@whatever, why not do the research yourself if you have additional questions?
a resident of Atherton: other
on Dec 27, 2016 at 1:45 pm
"So if money talks, why do they propose a junky La Quinta wanna-be like Hampton Inn? Surely we can go up the paygrade but still keep the lower prices."
Two other luxury hotels will open up ahead of this Hampton Inn. One is on Glenwood. The other is at Menlo Gateway. Then, you've got existing competition from Stanford Park Hotel. Hotel Lucent and Menlo Park Inn have stepped up their game with renovations. After they renovated, they significantly increased their room rates. That's probably what the Red Cottage Inn owner sees.
And all these other hotels will be closer to major business districts. Hampton Inn will be mostly surrounded by residential. It makes more sense to build a mid-range hotel here.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Dec 31, 2016 at 9:09 am
Roberto is a registered user.
For a frequent business traveler like myself, this makes sense. I have all my stays / points with Hilton. When I go into a city, I do not look for a boutique, I look for something I can earn or redeem points at. An argument could be made that Hilton has more upscale brands, but people like myself would take this over a boutique hotel.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Dec 31, 2016 at 5:46 pm
It's all about the bigger picture.
If you drive down a main street anywhere in America, and you are in a 'downtown' that is populated by a WalMart, an Applebees, a Red Lobster, and a Hampton Inn, then you would have certain assumptions about the uniqueness/genericness of the locale, as well as the price of the homes in that area, the people who live there, etc.
If Menlo Park agreed to let Red Lobster move into the BBC, would you all be happy? Hampton Inn is the wrong 'flavor' for MP and the irony is that the Hilton Group can choose any one of its 12 brands to wrap the building in. It's just depressing that they think we need to project a low-brow image.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Dec 31, 2016 at 7:47 pm
Menlo Voter. is a registered user.
And the Red Cottage is "high brow?" Seriously? A Hampton Inn will be a step up.
a resident of Atherton: other
on Dec 31, 2016 at 10:08 pm
A vibrant downtown consists of a mix of businesses, chains and individual proprietors. Some people like mom and pop shops. Some people like chains. It's the variety that attracts crowds. There's something for everybody. That is what makes a downtown vibrant.
Downtown SF has this mix. It also has a Hampton Inn.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Jan 2, 2017 at 1:33 pm
@Apple
Yes indeed, a mix is a good thing. But SF is a lousy comparison, especially where that Hampton Inn is which is a mix of the SF Mint, The Chronicle, a lot of drug deals, and a few flop-house hotels as well.
But look at the mix along that stretch of El Camino: A modest nail bar, a large pretentious Italian/Western/Kitsch office building housing Pacific Union, and then a small run-down market that's there to sell beer to Menlo College students. This is definitely a ill-considered section of the DSP- a Hampton Inn won't help. We should control our 'mix' and not just leave it to accept whatever we get.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Jan 2, 2017 at 6:24 pm
This has got to be the most Menlo Parkian thread ever: the article features somebody who lives in a 3-story boxy townhouse complaining that a new 3-story building "does not fit our neighborhood". Frankly, this building would be a nice contrast to the monolith that's the Atherton Park Forest residences a stone's throw away. Then commenters complain about the BRAND of hotel, as if any jurisdiction anywhere can require a property owner to enter into a private agreement with a different hotel chain.
Maybe Dave Forter, James Madison and "really?" can offer to buy the property and do their own thing. Otherwise, the rest of us are likely gonna be happy with a new building and lots of hotel tax revenue.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Jan 2, 2017 at 7:05 pm
Menlo Voter. is a registered user.
"Otherwise, the rest of us are likely gonna be happy with a new building and lots of hotel tax revenue."
Not to mention the increased property tax revenue. Revenue generated by a building that has zero impacts on school population. There's a hotel there now ya' know? Right?
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