New downtown Omni Raleigh hotel, green space unveiled
CAPITOL SECTION OF WRAL COM.
>> LET'S MOVE ON NOW TO A STORY
ABOUT HOW OUR AREA CHANGES.
>> SOMETHING NEW IS ALWAYS
BEING BUILT AROUND HERE.
SO IT'S TIME FOR DEVELOPING
STORY. AND A FEW YEARS, THE
SOUTHERN PART OF DOWNTOWN
RALEIGH WILL LOOK A LOT
DIFFERENT TODAY. CREWS BROKE
GROUND ON A NEW ON THE HOTEL.
IT WAS A WHOLE LOT OF POMP AND
CIRCUMSTANCE. YOU SEE THAT SHOW
UNIVERSITY MARCHING BAND
SHOWING UP. HERE'S THE
RENDERINGS OF WHAT THE NEW
HOTEL MIGHT LOOK LIKE GOING IN
RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE NEW RED
HAT AMPHITHEATER AND THE NEW
RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER.
IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF NEW DOWN
THERE AND TAXPAYERS ARE HELPING
PAY FOR SOME OF IT. THE CITY IS
PUTTING UP 75 MILLION DOLLARS
FOR THE HOTEL'S PUBLIC
AMENITIES TO GET A BETTER SENSE
OF WHAT THAT MONEY IS PAYING
FOR AND WHY THE CITY WANTS ALL
OF THIS CHANGE. I TOOK A TRIP
DOWN TOWN WITH WRAL'S FLYNN,
SNYDER.
IT'S LIKE IT WAS QUITE THE
PRESENTATION TODAY THEY HAD
SHOT UNIVERSITY BAND OUT.
THEY HAD A CAROLINA BALLET
COMPANIES DANCERS OUT
SHOWCASING THE GROUNDBREAKING
OF THIS NEW OMNI HOTEL. TELL
US ABOUT THIS HOTEL. WHAT WE
CAN EXPECT IN A COUPLE YEARS.
SO THE 600 ROOM HOTEL IS SET
TO OPEN SOMETIME IN 2028.
THIS IS REALLY AN EFFORT FROM
THE CITY TO EXPAND THEIR
CAPACITY.
>> DOWNTOWN FOR LARGER
CONVENTIONS. YOU HAVE THIS
MASSIVE HOTEL GOING UP RIGHT
ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE
CONVENTION CENTER, WHICH IS
ALSO GETTING EXPANDED RIGHT
NOW. THE MAYOR SAYS THE CITY
WANTS TO BRING IN LARGER BIGGER
EVENTS. AND THIS IS THE WAY
THAT THEY SEE. CAN THEY CAN DO
THAT AS THEY'VE ALREADY GOT THE
MARRIOTT HOTEL RIGHT HERE.
THEY ALSO GO TO RESIDENTS AND
JUST NEXT DOOR TO THE
CONVENTION CENTER AS THEY GET
READY FOR THIS EXPANSION WITH
THE CONVENTION CENTER. THEY
NEED MORE HOTEL ROOMS IN ORDER
TO BE ABLE TO HOST MORE EVENTS.
SO ALL OF THAT MAKES SENSE FOR
THE FOLKS WHO ARE LOCAL WHO ARE
WATCHING THIS MAY BE GOING WELL
GREAT. THERE'S ANOTHER HOTEL.
WHY SHOULD I CARE THEN? THEY'RE
REALLY SAYING THIS IS GOING
TO HELP ELEVATE THE DOWNTOWN.
WHAT KIND OF STUFF THAT YOU
HEAR TODAY ABOUT THAT YET?
PART OF THE REVITALIZATION ARE
TRYING TO DO FOR THIS PART OF
DOWNTOWN ON ME. YOU KNOW, WE
HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAYING THAT IT WAS A PREMIUM
BRAND AND ITS GOING TO BRING
PREMIUM AMENITIES ALONG WITH
THE HIGH AND STEAKHOUSE COFFEE
SHOP AS WELL. SO THEY'RE REALLY
HOPING THAT, YES, THEY NEED A
HOTEL, BUT THEY ALSO WANT A
SPECIFIC TYPE OF HOTEL THAT'S
GOING TO BRING IN A CERTAIN
BRAND AND HELP ELEVATE THIS
AREA. WE ALSO HAVE TO TALK
ABOUT HOW THIS IS ALL HAPPENING
AROUND THE SAME TIME AS A RED
HAT. AMPHITHEATER EXPANSION.
SO WE'VE GOT THE CONVENTION
CENTER EXPANDING. WE'VE GOT
THEY RELOCATION OF THE RED HAT
AMPHITHEATER, WHICH IS GOING
TO BE ABLE TO SEE MORE PEOPLE.
PLUS, WE'VE GOT THIS 600 ROOM
HOTEL. WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING
IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS?
AS FAR AS JUST THAT AND THE
TIDE WILL RISE ALL BOATS AS YOU
LIKE TO. YEAH. SO I MEAN, THE
MAYOR REALLY TALKED ABOUT HOW
IT'S ALL ABOUT BRINGING IN MORE
VISITORS, MORE CONVENTIONS,
MEANING MORE MONEY FOR
DOWNTOWN. THAT'S REALLY THE
ULTIMATE GOAL HERE. YOU TALKED
ABOUT THAT HOTEL CONVENTION
CENTER AND ALSO RED HAT
AMPHITHEATER, WHICH IS BEING
MOVE THAT'S BEING MADE BIGGER.
THIS IS THE FINAL SEASON RIGHT
NOW AT THE CURRENT VENUE.
SO THEY'RE REALLY SEEING THOSE
3 MAJOR PROJECTS IN AN EFFORT
TO BRING IN THOSE LARGER VENUE,
SERVE LARGER GROUPS, MORE
MONEY, HOPEFULLY AND AND
HOPEFULLY ELEVATE THE DOWNTOWN
AREA IN THIS PART. YOU KNOW
WHAT? I WAS CHATTING WITH THE
HEAD OF THE DOWNTOWN RALEIGH
BILL KING. HE WAS SAYING THAT
THERE ARE SO MANY.
>> WANT TO POP SHOPS. THERE'S
SO MANY RESTAURANTS THAT ARE
JUST DESPERATE FOR MORE
VISITORS AND DESPERATE FOR MORE
PEOPLE BECAUSE SAISD AS THEY
THEY RELY ON PEOPLE WHO ARE
COMING INTO THE DOWNTOWN CORE.
THEY THEY CAN'T JUST RELY ON
LOCALS, RIGHT? AND THAT FOOT
TRAFFIC, TOO, RIGHT? I MEAN,
YOU'RE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET
FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER AND
WHAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE THE NEW
SPOT OF THE RED HAT
AMPHITHEATER. SO THEY'RE REALLY
RELYING ON THIS LOCATION AS
WELL TO HELP AHEAD. AND WHAT
CAN WE EXPECT THIS TO BE DONE?
2028, THEY'RE HOPING OBVIOUSLY
THE GROUNDBREAKING TODAY'S
ABOUT 2 YEARS TIME. ALRIGHT,