Talk:Shamrock Hotel

GA on hold
A number of issues:
 * "wildcatter" is an unfamiliar word to put in the first sentence. Maybe "oil prospector" in the lead, then a sentence or two to introduce McCarthy and how he came by his fortune, and his motivation for building the hotel?


 * Not an unfamiliar word. I'm Swiss and I've known it since I was a teen.
 * Unfamiliar? Not really. The word is also linked to another article. Postoak (talk) 20:47, 14 December 2007 (UTC)


 * "largest hotel built in the United States during the 1940s" needs a reference.
 * "grand opening of the Shamrock is still cited as one of the biggest social events ever held in Houston" needs a reference.
 * First sentence of "Design and construction" section is too long.


 * Is there a specific grade level we're aiming for here? I don't want to sound nettlesome but unless a GA is targeted at 8 year olds, no way is that sentence too long. Yeah, it can be sliced in half if need be but I don't see how it would stop the article from being GA as it is.


 * References should go in directly after the fact they are supporting. It is unclear what statements references 4,5,6,7 refer to.
 * "Hedrick's architectural firm had reportedly been the third-largest in the US" reported by whom? Again needs a ref. directly after. Same for Frank Lloyd Wright quote.


 * All of these items are supported by the references. I thought editors are encouraged to place refs at the ends of paragraphs.


 * Personally I would prefer emotive words like "Notorious" to be avoided, particularly in subheadings. Same comment on refs bunched together after this section.


 * Not an emotive word.


 * Operation section contains a really short sentence about uniforms, then a really too-long sentence, then a couple more short ones. Doesn't read too well and I'm sure can be reworded.


 * Again, I think sentence length is ok and reflects content and flow.


 * "Houston Galleria which opened near an intersection of freeways on the city's west side" Extra verbiage - why not just " Houston Galleria which opened on the city's west side"?


 * Context.


 * "was in effect donated" - was it donated or not, some elucidation would be good.


 * It was in effect donated is the most succinct and accurate way of putting it. Some money changed hands but the amount was a fraction of the value and Hilton got tax benefits for the difference, as a donation.

OK, hope that helps, it seems like a lot but its mostly minor details. Regards, Jonathan Oldenbuck (talk) 17:30, 14 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks for commenting on this! Please don't take my replies as "debating" or "dispute" points, only feedback from a single editor. Gwen Gale (talk) 18:05, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Sorry if I sound nitpicking, I'm only trying to make suggestions to improve the article with limited effort, hence the long sentence suggestions. "Place a ref tag at the end of the term, phrase, sentence, or paragraph to which the note refers." according to Wikipedia:Footnotes. "Notorious" is a bit like "famous"; Let the facts speak for themselves. You just explained was in effect donated quite succinctly!

So, for the GA criteria, 1) pass, 2) bit more precision would be better, 3) pass, 4) pass, 5) pass, 6) pass. Regards, Jonathan Oldenbuck (talk) 15:01, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

OK, this is now in GA condition. Regards, Jonathan Oldenbuck (talk) 10:05, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

Other Shamrocks
User:Shamrockhotel put the following URIs in the EL section:

Shamrock Hotel in Hong Kong Shamrock Hotel in Hong Kong
 * Shamrock Hotel Hong Kong Blog
 * Shamrock Hotel Hong Kong Web

This article is about the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, Texas USA, so these links cannot go in the article. It may be appropriate to begin an article about the Shamrock Hotel (Hong Kong) and if so, the website link at least can go there. Gwen Gale (talk) 09:04, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Disambiguation
There are several existing hotels which are equally significant if not more so than this hotel. For instance, the significant hotel in Bendigo, Australia known as the 150 plus year old Shamrock Hotel (Bendigo), as well as similar smaller existing hotels in Australia and also Hong Kong. I have tried to create a disambiguation page without much luck so have added this discussion to consult but would question why Wikipedia has a case first in best dressed when it comes to notable buildings and a preference for buildings in larger countries that have been demolished over significant buildings in smaller countries which continue to exist. --Biatch (talk) 01:15, 19 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Isn't the hotel in Bendigo actually known as "Hotel Shamrock"? The name "Shamrock Hotel" in the article appears to be incorrect. Furthermore, a disambiguation page already exists. This article is already listed at Shamrock (disambiguation). Postoak (talk) 12:45, 19 April 2010 (UTC)
 * It was rebranded in the last couple of years, so that is an informal name. But its trading name is still Shamrock Hotel and it has been the Shamrock Hotel for 150 years.  --Biatch (talk) 23:24, 19 April 2010 (UTC)