Alternative names 8th & Howell Hotel Status Under construction Architectural 520 feet (160 m) Construction started July 2015 Floor count 45 | Hotel chain Hyatt Regency Type Hotel Architecture firm LMN Architects Estimated completion 2018 Number of rooms 1,264 | |
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Address 808 Howell Street
Seattle, Washington | ||
Hyatt Regency Seattle, also known as 808 Howell Street and 8th & Howell, is a high-rise hotel in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington that is currently under construction. The 45-story hotel, operated by Hyatt, will have 1,260 hotel rooms, becoming the largest hotel in the city when it opens in 2018; it will also have 105,000 square feet (9,800 m2) of meeting and event space, as well as two ballrooms and a lounge.
History
The original proposal that was revealed in 2008 was cancelled due to the Great Recession. That plan called for a 51-story, 500-foot (150 m) hotel that was to be constructed from 2011 to 2013. The hotel would have included 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of convention space, meeting rooms, two ballrooms, a restaurant, parking for 1,100 cars, and 1,200 rooms. The site, a three-quarter-block, L-shaped parcel that Richard Hedreen bought in 1995 for $4.5 million, included a Greyhound Lines bus station that would have been demolished for the hotel.
After cancelling the earlier hotel project, R.C. Hedreen purchased the remaining land on the block in 2012. The developer has discussed putting a hotel and possibly an office building on the site. The developer then had a plan to build two 500-foot (150 m) towers with a hotel, apartments, and office space. The plan was altered in March 2013, most notably to remove the offices and second tower, to simplify the approval process. The 43 story building features a 1,550 room hotel (which would be the largest in Seattle), 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of meeting space, 150 apartments, and 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) of retail space.
This project was further modified because an arrangement could not be reached with the City of Seattle to vacate the alley in exchange for the inclusion of 152 affordable housing units, using only three quarters of the block. The remaining quarter will be developed into a smaller, 450-room hotel. The project was at the center of a dispute between developer Hedreen and a local labor union, who alleged that the building would not provide adequate public benefits as required by the city's land use code; ultimately, an appeal to the city was rejected and allowed construction of the project to begin in 2015.
Greyhound relocated the bus terminal in 2014 to a location near the Stadium light rail station in the SoDo neighborhood. Demolition of the terminal building began in September 2015. The 45-story hotel is expected to open in 2018, and will be operated under the Hyatt Regency brand; at 1,264 rooms, it will become the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest.