Downtown Hotels

[carltonplace]

Downtown Tulsa boasts five existing hotels, with one under construction, one to start and one more planned for a total of eight.
Downtown Fort Worth for comparison's sake has 17 hotels.

I remember but cannot find the hotel study on downtown wanting a minimum of some 3,000 rooms

In my estimation the Courtyard has been a huge boon for the CBD/Deco district. I see people on Boston Ave every night now looking for places to eat and for things to do. The Mayo has had a big impact on downtown as well, bringing lots of people downtown for weddings and other events. We need more, what is the catalyst to get more interest in downtown as a place that can support different types of hotels?

Existing Properties
Courtyard by Mariott: 111 Rooms
Doubletree: 417 Rooms
Hyatt Regency: 454 Rooms
The Mayo: 102 Rooms
Holiday Inn City Center: 232 Rooms
Total: 1316 Rooms

Under Construction
Fairfield Inn: 104 Rooms
Aloft: 200 Rooms

Planned:
Unnamed OnePlace Hotel (less than 200? rooms)
1820 Rooms give or take.

[sgrizzle]

Aloft is opening in September I believe.

[carltonplace]

Aloft is opening in September I believe.

Changed my post, thanks.

[brunoflipper]

Starwood website says August 2013 for Tulsa's downtown Aloft

[DTowner]

Downtown Tulsa boasts five existing hotels, with one under construction, one to start and one more planned for a total of eight.
Downtown Fort Worth for comparison's sake has 17 hotels.

I remember but cannot find the hotel study on downtown wanting a minimum of some 3,000 rooms

In my estimation the Courtyard has been a huge boon for the CBD/Deco district. I see people on Boston Ave every night now looking for places to eat and for things to do. The Mayo has had a big impact on downtown as well, bringing lots of people downtown for weddings and other events. We need more, what is the catalyst to get more interest in downtown as a place that can support different types of hotels?

Demand.  The single most important thing we need to do is have more and bigger conventions.  Unfortunately, without sufficient number of hotel rooms, it is hard to land larger conventions.  We also need more employers downtown to draw business travelers.  We need destination sites downtown to draw tourists - such as the Oklahoma Pop Museum, etc.  We need more events like Mayfest and Tulsa Tough (something like a new D-Fest, etc.).  In short, we need more of what we already have, but we really need to focus on growing the convention/trade show business.

[Jeff P]

Demand.  The single most important thing we need to do is have more and bigger conventions.  Unfortunately, without sufficient number of hotel rooms, it is hard to land larger conventions.  We also need more employers downtown to draw business travelers.  We need destination sites downtown to draw tourists - such as the Oklahoma Pop Museum, etc.  We need more events like Mayfest and Tulsa Tough (something like a new D-Fest, etc.).  In short, we need more of what we already have, but we really need to focus on growing the convention/trade show business.

I thought that I read a while ago that we didn't have enough downtown hotel rooms to support the current level of demand?

(Not saying we don't need more -- just saying that I think we have more demand for downtown hotels than most may realize.)

[DolfanBob]

My problem with the Hotels downtown is the cost per room. I wanted to book one for the Roger Waters concert. And I checked the prices three months before the show and decided to just go back home after the show.
They are priced like Las Vegas rooms. I'm sorry but this is Tulsa "fricking" Oklahoma. Not the Bahamas.
I am not cheap by any means. 75 to 150 would have been just fine. But 249 and up is just crazy.
We have stayed in Dallas, Kansas City, O.K.C. and Hot Springs for the price I mentioned and all was fantastic accommodations.
It has to be because we are not a tourist destination per se.

[Sutton]

DolfanBob's post validates Jeff P's post.

[joiei]

My problem with the Hotels downtown is the cost per room. I wanted to book one for the Roger Waters concert. And I checked the prices three months before the show and decided to just go back home after the show.
They are priced like Las Vegas rooms. I'm sorry but this is Tulsa "fricking" Oklahoma. Not the Bahamas.
I am not cheap by any means. 75 to 150 would have been just fine. But 249 and up is just crazy.
We have stayed in Dallas, Kansas City, O.K.C. and Hot Springs for the price I mentioned and all was fantastic accommodations.
It has to be because we are not a tourist destination per se.

Or maybe because there is such a lack of hotel rooms in the area that they can justify charging such prices for those rooms because of a demand situation.   I have stayed in most of the places you mentioned and payed less in areas not in the downtown core of those cities.  I just got back from a convention in Dallas and the closer you are to the convention center, the higher the nightly rates because of the demand.   You can get cheaper rooms near the Dallas Market Center because there is a LOT of hotels in that area.   I ended up in Las Colinas because I got a better mid-week price there.

[DolfanBob]

Well I am sure that all the nice Hotels Downtown check the concert dates at the BOK and adjust their price accordingly. That is why I checked three months in advance. In hope that they might have a reduced rate like the Airlines do or used to do.
Sure I could have stayed at a Hotel on Harvard or Yale but that would defeat the purpose of just walking from the Arena and having a nice view from Downtown. I was planning on us having dinner at the Hotel before the show and maybe a visit to their bar after, but my entertainment lifestyle has had to take a budget cut the last several years so just seeing the most awesome show ever was enough for us.

I guess the prices would be different if I checked on a Wednesday the 4th of who cares month.

[erfalf]

My problem with the Hotels downtown is the cost per room. I wanted to book one for the Roger Waters concert. And I checked the prices three months before the show and decided to just go back home after the show.
They are priced like Las Vegas rooms. I'm sorry but this is Tulsa "fricking" Oklahoma. Not the Bahamas.
I am not cheap by any means. 75 to 150 would have been just fine. But 249 and up is just crazy.
We have stayed in Dallas, Kansas City, O.K.C. and Hot Springs for the price I mentioned and all was fantastic accommodations.
It has to be because we are not a tourist destination per se.

I don't know where you are getting your rate information. I looked for rooms (single king bed for 2) on major concert nights (which by the way don't seem to very at all from every other day) and the most expensive room I found was at the Hotel Ambassador for $156.87. The Mayo was only $139 at most and the Holiday Inn maxed out at $116. If I wanted to stay in a reasonable hotel outside of downtown I probably approaching $100, so the difference is pretty small in my opinion.

I compared that to hotels in downtown Fort Worth and I could barely find a room under $200 except for the Sharaton (which is situated similarly to our Doubletree, away from everything but the convention center).

The rates that downtown hotels in Tulsa charge are unreasonably low in my opinion and would lead me to believe that the demand is not there. Maybe it is, I personally don't have any proof one way or the other.

And in defense of high priced downtown hotel rooms, there is a limited amount of space downtown and they tend to be some of the nicer hotels in any town, for that very reason. They need higher rents to stay in business, because the cost is higher.

[Red Arrow]

And in defense of high priced downtown hotel rooms, there is a limited amount of space downtown and they tend to be some of the nicer hotels in any town, for that very reason. They need higher rents to stay in business, because the cost is higher.

I can't disagree with your reasons.  From there it's a matter of whether someone wants to pay the price or do something else.

[DolfanBob]

Hmm lets see. I checked Courtyards, Doubletree and The Mayo. I really wanted to stay at the Mayo just because of the History. And I have stayed at the Doubletree several years back at a Christmas party but of course that price was reflective of a lot of rooms being occupied by the hosting company so that low price doesn't count.
Who knows. May 5th(A Saturday)of this year may have just been a bad Hotel night in good ol T-Town.

They should come up with a local resident rewards card. Lower rates for non tourist, just to drum up local business and not rely on all out of town gouging price rates.
What a concept. Fill empty rooms with locals at a reasonable price. Sounds like some kind of Kramer idea.

[sgrizzle]

Hmm lets see. I checked Courtyards, Doubletree and The Mayo. I really wanted to stay at the Mayo just because of the History. And I have stayed at the Doubletree several years back at a Christmas party but of course that price was reflective of a lot of rooms being occupied by the hosting company so that low price doesn't count.
Who knows. May 5th(A Saturday)of this year may have just been a bad Hotel night in good ol T-Town.

They should come up with a local resident rewards card. Lower rates for non tourist, just to drum up local business and not rely on all out of town gouging price rates.
What a concept. Fill empty rooms with locals at a reasonable price. Sounds like some kind of Kramer idea.

I oftentimes book a hotel in May downtown, never paid more than $100.

[Weatherdemon]

We paid $100 for a regular room at the Sleep Inn near Frontier City two weeks ago. Decent standard issue hotel with clean rooms and all the core amenities.

IMO, a room in downtown Tulsa for $100 is pretty sweet.
I would have no problem staying at the Mayo for $139!