Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Renaissance has been a solidly upscale brand that for as long as I can remember has flown beneath the radar in the hotel industry, never getting the name recognition of peers like Westin or InterContinental. Its been a somewhat overlooked part of the huge Marriott family for nearly two decades, but with a recent reshuffling of Marriotts luxury portfolio, including Ritz-Carlton, Autograph Collection and several more brands, Renaissance is undergoing a true renaissance, with both reinvestment and a sudden onslaught of high profile new openings worldwide, including nine this year, expanding the brand to 37 countries worldwide. Just last week (September 1, 2014) saw the doors open on the Beijing Renaissance Wangfujing, following on the heels of recent additions such as the Renaissance Paris Hippodrome de St. Cloud Hotel, designed by renowned architect Jean-Philippe Nuel (and the brands third Parisian property), the Renaissance Santiago in Chile, and another French property, the new Renaissance Aix-en-Provence. The additions all have an emphasis on design, and most have showcase lobbies.

(Read more about Marriotts eight distinct luxury brands, including new launches, and what segment each one is positioned for, here at Forbes.com).

The Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center is the most notable domestic opening, less than three months ago, and as a guest of Marriott I got to take it for test drive The somewhat unwieldy name is the result of there already being a Renaissance in Denver, but this new one is ideally positioned for both leisure and business visitors, located in the heart of Denvers downtown, which in turn has seen the largest recent downtown urban revival of any US city. It is within walking distance of many key city attractions, form Coors Field and its Major League games to the pedestrianized 16th Street Mall and Larimer Square (see my Great Urban Weekend Escapes Denver story for more visitor detail on the Mile High Citys red hot downtown).

A historic landmark and formerly opulent bank headquarters, the new Renaissance Denver Downtown hotel has a grand lobby.

The new Renaissance occupies the very old former Colorado National Bank building, designed in 1915 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the citys most iconic structures, the building features neo-classical, Greek revival architecture with white exterior columns and walls, built of the same Colorado-mined marble used for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Towering bronze doors guard a three-story atrium, with marble flooring, ornate bronze accents and a traditional circular vault door still on display. The bank had, and now the hotel has, the kind of architectural opulence hard to replicate from scratch, including 16 important lobby murals from acclaimed Colorado muralist Allen Tupper True, circa 1925.

The bank theme extends throughout but without being too kitschy. On the way to the elevators there is a wall of historic antique rendering of building details, and money related art all around the hotel. Coincidentally, this is the second high profile hotel opening of 2014 in a dramatic and historic former bank: I recently reviewed the brand new Park Hyatt Vienna in this Hotel Test Drive column.

The hotel has its own inset parking plaza in the center of the block, which is a rare and really nice touch for a city hotel if you are arriving by rental car. Staff was uniformly friendly, adding to the overall warmth of the grand but welcoming lobby experience. In the center of the lobby is a classy bar that makes a good place to start the evening or meet people, with both bar and easy chair seating. The hotel even has its own bank-themed craft beer, CountingHouse, custom brewed for its bar and restaurant.

The very comfortable bar in Range restaurant in the new Renaissance Denver Downtown hotel.

Guest rooms (221 of them) are sleek and quite modern, with modern art, angular furniture, brightly patterned rugs and lots of smooth surfaces. They are above average size and very comfortable, with well designed sitting areas separate from the bed, and I appreciated the coffee maker and free Wifi in rooms and all common areas, but for a brand new hotel I found the glaring lack of accessible electric outlets unacceptable, especially in light of the substantial real estate given to the desk area. I understand that at older hotel I might have to unplug a lamp or crawl around for an outlet, but at just about every new property of this ilk I have visited, there have been multiple and obvious outlets built into the work area. There is room service but it is not 24-hour. On the plus side, the fitness room was surprisingly well appointed, with all new and top end equipment, plus an uncommon Kenisis wall system.

One element hat is supposed to differentiate the Renaissance brand is Navigator, which what Marriott calls a souped-up, micro-local concierge. The hotels are themed around a sense of being a local, and the Navigator program is essentially a concierge service focused on offering insider knowledge and less obvious experiences, including activities, culture, dining and shopping. To this end, the rooms are full of these little tip-sheet cards suggesting interesting things to see and do, which are a great touch until your realize they are a jumble of Navigator tips worldwide. For instance, I found the shopping suggestion of an enclave of offbeat antique stores fascinating until I realized they were in Thailand. Limiting the Denver Navigator suggestions to Denver might make a lot more sense.

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Hotel Test Drive: Renaissance Denver Downtown

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Welcome back, Premier League football. We've missed you dearly.

The international break and EURO 2016 qualifiers meant we have been without our favourite league since the end of August. Two weeks of misery, and more importantly reflection on the transfer window come and gone, leading to even more hype and anticipation for the debuts of all new signings across the Barclays Premier League this weekend.

Since no games have yet been played following a flurry of transfer activity, it's still appropriate to dole out the grades for each club on their ins and outs through the summer window. An incredible 835 million was spent this summer, shattering the previous record of 630 million spent in 2013. It was a dizzying process, sifting through rumour and speculation leading to eventual dealing.

Call this a proper refresher on how your team and others faired in the transfer market. The report card may be late arriving, but nonetheless fitting heading into Match-day four.

Arsenal

Grade: B+ Net Money Spent: 46 Key Players In: Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers Key Players Out: Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Carl Jenkinson (loan)

The grade would have been an 'A' if another top defensive midfield player was brought to the Emirates. That miss aside, it was a very good summer for Arsene Wenger. Sanchez fits perfectly in the Arsenal team, possessing pace and precision in attack. Welbeck could turn into a coup, especially with Olivier Giroud out long-term. Whether Welbeck can be a consistent finisher remains up for debate, but his speed will work well with all the talent on the ball.

Louis Van Gaal's comment Welbeck wasn't up to standard for United was accurate. Welbeck has a long way to go before being in the same conversation of the likes of Falcao, Rooney or Van Persie. He will have every opportunity in the coming months. A running start against Manchester City Saturday, coming off a brace for country is as high pressure an introduction one can have. The pick-up of Chambers represents Wenger's keen eye for the future. He will be relied upon to replace Vermaelen over the short-term with no other suitable replacement brought in.

Aston Villa

Grade: D+ Net Money Spent: 6 Key Players In: Tom Cleverley (loan), Carlos Sanchez, Aly Cissoko, Philippe Senderos Key Players Out: Antonio Luna (loan), Karim Al Ahmadi, Marc Albrighton

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Wheeler's Premier League Notebook: Transfer Window Grades

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Photos by Erin Roll/staff photographer

John Fromhold, CEO of HackensackUMC Mountainside, speaks to an audience of local residents, hospital staff and town officials during a community meeting Wednesday night in the hospital auditorium.

HackensackUMC Mountainside hosted a meeting with Glen Ridge residents Wednesday night to discuss the planned construction of a new medical office building.

It was the first community meeting for Glen Ridge residents on the proposed expansion, which is part of a series of capital projects that the hospital plans to carry out over the next two years.

About 40 to 50 residents were in attendance at the meeting, along with hospital staff members and town officials: Borough Administrator Michael Rohal and council members Dan Murphy and Paul Lisovicz were present.

The intention is to demolish the existing School of Nursing building, which is across Bay Avenue from the main hospital, and build a 60,000-square foot, three-story building with office space for 50 doctors in its place.

Middle - Roswell Terrace resident Genny Dunn asks a question during the meeting's question-and-answer section. Above- Glen Ridge Councilman Dan Murphy addresses the audience.

The plans are preliminary ones at this stage, hospital CEO John Fromhold said; the hospital is still working on choosing developers and working out design plans for the building, among other preparations.

Fromhold said that the new buildings and parking areas would be a source of tax revenue for Montclair and Glen Ridge. The hospital is expected to pay about $2.5 million in property taxes in 2014, he said, up from $686,725 in 2013.

"I'm leading you to the point of why a medical office building is so important here," he said.

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Glen Ridge residents hear hospital's building plans

Construction of the new Senate office building in St. Paul is moving along pretty much as planned, even as project critics pounce on it as an unwise use of taxpayer money and seek to make it an issue in the fall elections.

The city of St. Paul late last week issued two building permits for the four-story structure, which will house 67 senators and their staff members.

The permits issued to Golden Valley-based Mortenson Construction have a combined value of $9 million, including $3.5 million for site prep, shoring and utilities, and $5.5 million for footings and foundations.

Mortenson is teaming with St. Paul-based BWBR Architects on the project, which is being constructed on a former surface parking lot just north of the Capitol. The site is framed by University Avenue, Park Street, Sherburne Avenue and Capitol Boulevard.

Last month, the Minnesota Management & Budget Office announced the completion of an $85.38 million bond sale to support predesign, design and construction of the building.

The new building will provide swing space for senators while the State Capitol is undergoing a $272 million restoration. Longer term, it will house senate offices and larger rooms for legislative hearings.

Project backers say the building is necessary because of overcrowding in the Capitol; critics say its a waste of money and that other projects should take priority.

Those criticisms have made their way into political ads. GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, who is challenging DFL Gov. Mark Dayton this fall, has raised it as an issue in the governors race.

Funding for the project was also controversial; the project was funded as a late insert in the 2013 omnibus tax bill, which rubbed some people the wrong way.

Jim Knoblach, a former Republican state legislator, sued late last year to stop the project, saying the approval process violated the states constitution. The legal challenge ended in June when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Knoblach would need to post an $11 million bond to continue the lawsuit.

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New permits issued for Senate office building project

A new Uptown office tower has landed an important business tenant.

An international family investment firm has leased the top floor of the new Frost Tower, which is being built on McKinnon Street near the south entrance to the Dallas North Tollway.

The Rochon Family Office has rented almost 9,500 square feet on the 22nd floor of the new high-rise, which will open next spring. The tenant also has an option to take additional space.

Rochon joins Frost Bank as the first tenants in the 167,000-square-foot office project being built by developer Harwood International.

John Rochon Jr. said the new Uptown location will support the family firms long-term growth. Its office is now located in Plano.

Our world headquarters is going to reflect not only what we have built over the last 25 years, but even more importantly what we are in the process of building now and for generations to come, Rochon said. We want our company to attract the very finest professional talent, especially in specialized areas such as finance and accounting.

We know that having our headquarters located in the heart of the city is tremendously appealing.

The privately held Rochon firm has holdings in multiple business interests and operates in the international market. The family is best known for Richmont Holdings and CVSL.

The company also has primary business interests based in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Rochon looked at multiple locations before picking Frost Tower.

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New Dallas office tower lands prime tenant for top floor