Mandarin Oriental comes to Grand Ave.

The luxury hotel will occupy the first 20 floors of a 48-story tower designed by Frank Gehry (for-sale residences on the upper floors). The 275-room hotel is expected to open in Summer 2010. The announcement was made by Related, the developer overseeing the Grand Avenue project, and it's a big deal because it's one of the first concrete examples of what can be expected as part of the overhaul. Other stuff that's planned for Grand Avenue's Phase One: a 50,000-square-foot specialty food market, a major bookstore, a food hall, a 35,000-square-foot premier health club, a 25,000-square-foot event facility, signature retailers and specialty apparel shops. "We have received an enthusiastic response from a significant number of impressive retailers and restaurateurs, and are in serious discussions with many who have strong interest in locating at Grand Avenue," Kenneth A. Himmel, president and CEO, Related Urban Development, said in a release. (It's often tough to get retailers to commit to huge new developments before the thing takes shape. Of course, by then they run the risk of being shut out.) The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group sticks to top-of-the-line developments; in the U.S., there are properties in NY (at the Time Warner Center), Miami, SF and Washington. No clue so far on whether there were other candidates. Business Wire

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