In the old City Office building at 7th and Houston that the Snyder's bought. It's going to be a 82 room Best Western opening in December '14.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/developers-plan-affordable-hotel-in-downtown-tulsa/article_95aab3df-3d23-5be6-bc41-c30bd144e43b.html
2 by Oneok/Brady/Greenwood - Wilkins(Unnamed), Promise(Holiday Inn Express)
1 in the CBD - Anish Hotels (Unnamed)
3 by BOk/Convention Center - Snyer/Bhow(Best Western), Promise (Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn)
When does the Blue Dome get a hotel?
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/developers-plan-affordable-hotel-in-downtown-tulsa/article_95aab3df-3d23-5be6-bc41-c30bd144e43b.html#user-comment-area
Turn the Blue Dome into a bed n breakfast
Sweet. Keep em' coming.
Nice!
Better than tearing it down and turning it into a parking lot. Put a taxi stand in front of it for cabs to run around downtown to the entertainment district, ball park etc. Good to have some lower priced rooms for the frugal travelers.
I drove by this building the other day. It's already fenced off and demo work in progress.
Quote from: sgrizzle on December 24, 2013, 10:47:18 PM
I drove by this building the other day. It's already fenced off and demo work in progress.
Wow!
That is GREAT to hear!
To keep up with all the hotel announcements, I made this map with the information we know about each one as of now. If you count ZipInn, seven hotels have been announced in the past six months. What an exciting time! Restaurants and retail are sure to fill in the areas adjacent to the new hotels.
(http://djeffries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dthotels.jpg)
I heard someone mention the Zip Inn should be going by the Spring. We'll see.
All of this on top of the Aloft which opened earlier this year. That's a total of over 800 rooms that will have been added from 2013-15. I know there was a study that came out a few years ago that downtown Tulsa needed a couple thousand more rooms or something like that to compete for various conventions and events.
Not downtown but I think the Utica Square area could support a large full service hotel. There is even space for it on the old H&P site..
Quote from: SXSW on December 27, 2013, 05:20:36 PM
All of this on top of the Aloft which opened earlier this year. That's a total of over 800 rooms that will have been added from 2013-15. I know there was a study that came out a few years ago that downtown Tulsa needed a couple thousand more rooms or something like that to compete for various conventions and events.
Not downtown but I think the Utica Square area could support a large full service hotel. There is even space for it on the old H&P site..
Very much agreed. The highest end shopping in town and a large hospital and there isn't a hotel right there? What zee heck? It's never made sense.
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Quote from: jacobi on December 27, 2013, 11:40:42 PM
Very much agreed. The highest end shopping in town and a large hospital and there isn't a hotel right there? What zee heck? It's never made sense.
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Must be a NIMBY thing. People want to enjoy high property values and convenience of high-end shopping and dining at Utica Square, but they don't want to share it with outsiders. 99% of other cities would put lodging for their out of town guests very near a destination area like Utica Square, except Tulsa for some reason. Perhaps there's just nowhere to put one? In any case, it's beyond insane
Quote from: SXSW on December 27, 2013, 05:20:36 PM
All of this on top of the Aloft which opened earlier this year. That's a total of over 800 rooms that will have been added from 2013-15. I know there was a study that came out a few years ago that downtown Tulsa needed a couple thousand more rooms or something like that to compete for various conventions and events.
Not downtown but I think the Utica Square area could support a large full service hotel. There is even space for it on the old H&P site..
Anyone know if H & P still owns the lot or if SJMC owns it now? St. John's purchased the Davis building to the north of the old H & P tower several years ago. I'm guessing either SJMC owns that land or has an option on it at this point as they cannot expand outward anywhere else. According to people I deal with in the maintenance and engineering department, they can add on vertically, but that's it. H & P would be about their last option for outward expansion without encroaching further into the residential area to the northeast of the campus now.
Quote from: dsjeffries on December 26, 2013, 04:09:25 PM
To keep up with all the hotel announcements, I made this map with the information we know about each one as of now. If you count ZipInn, seven hotels have been announced in the past six months. What an exciting time! Restaurants and retail are sure to fill in the areas adjacent to the new hotels.
(http://djeffries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dthotels.jpg)
Is the 120 room property shown between the Hilton Garden Inn and Best Western supposed to be branded as the Hampton Inn?
Quote from: Conan71 on December 29, 2013, 01:12:22 PM
Anyone know if H & P still owns the lot or if SJMC owns it now? St. John's purchased the Davis building to the north of the old H & P tower several years ago. I'm guessing either SJMC owns that land or has an option on it at this point as they cannot expand outward anywhere else. According to people I deal with in the maintenance and engineering department, they can add on vertically, but that's it. H & P would be about their last option for outward expansion without encroaching further into the residential area to the northeast of the campus now.
Utica Square (owned by the Helmerich family) has a maintenance shed and storage area right by that lot where the old H&P building used to be so it wouldn't surprise me if they still own it. I could see SJMC wanting it though, but wouldn't it make more sense for the hospital to expand east instead of across Utica? I work out there and there is a big parking lot by the health club that could be developed, I'm addition to a big parking lot along Utica by Swan Lake. A hotel on the H&P site would be great, and would offer really nice views of the skyline.
I did hear once that the developers of Utica Place across the street wanted to do a similar project on the H&P land, including the old homesites along St Louis and 19th. I imagine it was a mix of office and residential, but a hotel in the middle of a larger redevelopment there would be awesome. I wonder about Swan Lake NIMBY's though...
Back to downtown, I'm surprised there isn't a Residence Inn or something similar/extended stay.
Quote from: SXSW on December 30, 2013, 10:49:43 AM
Utica Square (owned by the Helmerich family) has a maintenance shed and storage area right by that lot where the old H&P building used to be so it wouldn't surprise me if they still own it. I could see SJMC wanting it though, but wouldn't it make more sense for the hospital to expand east instead of across Utica? I work out there and there is a big parking lot by the health club that could be developed, I'm addition to a big parking lot along Utica by Swan Lake. A hotel on the H&P site would be great, and would offer really nice views of the skyline.
I did hear once that the developers of Utica Place across the street wanted to do a similar project on the H&P land, including the old homesites along St Louis and 19th. I imagine it was a mix of office and residential, but a hotel in the middle of a larger redevelopment there would be awesome. I wonder about Swan Lake NIMBY's though...
Back to downtown, I'm surprised there isn't a Residence Inn or something similar/extended stay.
I'm just going based on what the M & E guys have told me about their only expansion options of being vertical rather than horizontal. Next time I'm in there, I'll see if I can get come clarification.
You'd think development on the other side of Utica would be counterintuitive, but considering SJMC already owns the Robert Davis building, all they need to do is add a skywalk over Utica and between the existing building and a future one. I suppose the costs of clearing out more housing in the immediate area would be pretty substantial. That neighborhood supports a pretty good price/ft and lot price.
A Hotel would seem to make sense with a hospital as well as a couple of shopping and entertainment areas within a short walking distance (Cherry St. and Utica Square).
Quote from: Rookie Okie on December 29, 2013, 10:04:41 PM
Is the 120 room property shown between the Hilton Garden Inn and Best Western supposed to be branded as the Hampton Inn?
Good catch! I forgot they'd announced the brand. I'll update the graphic to reflect that.
Thanks to Daniel for the map.
Quote from: dbacksfan 2.0 on December 24, 2013, 01:15:05 AM
Put a taxi stand some light rail in front of it for cabs to run around downtown to the entertainment district, ball park etc. Good to have some lower priced rooms for the frugal travelers.
Fixed it. Bigger.
Quote from: patric on December 30, 2013, 01:17:21 PM
Fixed it. Bigger.
I think you and I might have different ideas of light rail. If Tulsa could develop, as others have suggest some type of circulator for DT would be beneficial. Since DT is a grid layout, you could choose two N/S streets and three or four E/W streets (two way streets might be the best choices) run a fixed rail down the center of the streets and run a vehicle similar to a cable car, (maybe powered by a CNG generator to power an electric drive) stops every other street 7AM to 6PM and a limited schedule 6PM to 1AM to cover hotels and dining/entertainment.
When I think "light rail" I tend to think of something like BART that links suburbs, or Metro in Phoenix, a smaller version of BART that has a loop around the central part of DT Phoenix.
Quote from: dbacksfan 2.0 on December 31, 2013, 03:14:09 PM
I think you and I might have different ideas of light rail. If Tulsa could develop, as others have suggest some type of circulator for DT would be beneficial. Since DT is a grid layout, you could choose two N/S streets and three or four E/W streets (two way streets might be the best choices) run a fixed rail down the center of the streets and run a vehicle similar to a cable car, (maybe powered by a CNG generator to power an electric drive) stops every other street 7AM to 6PM and a limited schedule 6PM to 1AM to cover hotels and dining/entertainment.
When I think "light rail" I tend to think of something like BART that links suburbs, or Metro in Phoenix, a smaller version of BART that has a loop around the central part of DT Phoenix.
I did get sorta excited and lump trolleys in with it ;D but is there any hard rule that says those systems couldn't be integrated?
Ive ridden BART many moons ago, and while I dont recall the routes exactly, I could conceivably imagine a series of short stops in one node followed by a leap to another node in a bedroom community. Wouldn't want all routes like that, though.
Here is the map for BART. I used it back in September for a game at AT&T Park. I rode from Fremont to The Embarcedaro Station, went up on level to the underground portion of SF Muni Train (not the cable cars) to get to the park. Going back it was a repeat, but at night they run fewer BART trains, so I had to change at Bayview because the one that I was on was going to Dublin/Pleasanton. Total cost $18.00 I think.
http://www.bart.gov/stations (http://www.bart.gov/stations)
Bay Area's rail transit is actually kind of mediocre considering how dense it is. I always thought they could do better the two summers I was there.
Time for a room count inside of the IDL
Existing Properties
Courtyard by Mariott: 111 Rooms
Doubletree: 417 Rooms
Hyatt Regency: 454 Rooms
The Mayo: 102 Rooms
Holiday Inn City Center: 232 Rooms
Fairfield Inn: 104 Rooms
Aloft: 200 Rooms
Total: 1316 Rooms
Announced
Wilkins Project: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Holiday Inn Express: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Hilton Garden Inn: 134 Rooms
Hampton Inn: 120 Rooms
Best Western: 82 Rooms
Unknown Brand: Unknown Rooms (Lets assume 50 to be very conservative)
Zipp Inn: Unknown Rooms (again, assume 50)
Approximate Total: 636
Total Existing and announced approximate room count: 1952
We are still 1,000 short of the study recommendation for a city our size, but we get closer if you add the near proximity hotels Ambassador and Savoy.
Quote from: davideinstein on December 31, 2013, 04:05:32 PM
Bay Area's rail transit is actually kind of mediocre considering how dense it is. I always thought they could do better the two summers I was there.
One single subway tube for a city that size and density is really weak. Getting around via car/taxi/bus/train in the bay area is really difficult. SF is one of the very hardest and most expensive cities to live in.
They are finally building a second route to Chinatown/Northbeach but that is billions of dollars, years away and very short.
Quote from: swake on January 01, 2014, 10:27:24 PM
SF is one of the very hardest and most expensive cities to live in.
A lot of people seem to think it is worth it though.
Quote from: Red Arrow on January 01, 2014, 10:39:30 PM
A lot of people seem to think it is worth it though.
I like SF a lot, but that doesn't make it easy.
Quote from: carltonplace on December 31, 2013, 06:36:04 PM
Time for a room count inside of the IDL
Existing Properties
Courtyard by Mariott: 111 Rooms
Doubletree: 417 Rooms
Hyatt Regency: 454 Rooms
The Mayo: 102 Rooms
Holiday Inn City Center: 232 Rooms
Fairfield Inn: 104 Rooms
Aloft: 200 Rooms
Total: 1316 Rooms
Announced
Wilkins Project: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Holiday Inn Express: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Hilton Garden Inn: 134 Rooms
Hampton Inn: 120 Rooms
Best Western: 82 Rooms
Unknown Brand: Unknown Rooms (Lets assume 50 to be very conservative)
Zipp Inn: Unknown Rooms (again, assume 50)
Approximate Total: 636
Total Existing and announced approximate room count: 1952
We are still 1,000 short of the study recommendation for a city our size, but we get closer if you add the near proximity hotels Ambassador and Savoy.
My understanding is the Chamber/CVB would like those 1,000 rooms to be all one hotel (or at the least a big chunk of that 1000) with a lot of meeting space. Now that OnePlace has moved forward without a high end full service hotel I have turned my eye to the block that was formerly occupied by the BOk motor bank bounded by Denver/1st/Cheyenne/2nd.
Quote from: carltonplace on December 31, 2013, 06:36:04 PM
Time for a room count inside of the IDL
Existing Properties
Courtyard by Mariott: 111 Rooms
Doubletree: 417 Rooms
Hyatt Regency: 454 Rooms
The Mayo: 102 Rooms
Holiday Inn City Center: 232 Rooms
Fairfield Inn: 104 Rooms
Aloft: 200 Rooms
Total: 1316 Rooms
Announced
Wilkins Project: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Holiday Inn Express: 90-110 Rooms (Assume 100 for the count excercise)
Hilton Garden Inn: 134 Rooms
Hampton Inn: 120 Rooms
Best Western: 82 Rooms
Unknown Brand: Unknown Rooms (Lets assume 50 to be very conservative)
Zipp Inn: Unknown Rooms (again, assume 50)
Approximate Total: 636
Total Existing and announced approximate room count: 1952
We are still 1,000 short of the study recommendation for a city our size, but we get closer if you add the near proximity hotels Ambassador and Savoy.
And just think, only 5-6 years ago, there were only 871 rooms downtown, split between the Doubletree and Hyatt. That was it. We've gone from two hotels to seven and doubled our room count, with another 636 rooms and seven new hotels to be added in the next 12-18 months. What a transformation! As the planner of a large conference to be hosted downtown in September, I wish we had a hotel large enough to accommodate 700-1000 people by itself. Right now, meeting/conference planners have to piecemeal accommodations together for their attendees.
Quote from: rdj on January 02, 2014, 08:37:32 AM
My understanding is the Chamber/CVB would like those 1,000 rooms to be all one hotel (or at the least a big chunk of that 1000) with a lot of meeting space. Now that OnePlace has moved forward without a high end full service hotel I have turned my eye to the block that was formerly occupied by the BOk motor bank bounded by Denver/1st/Cheyenne/2nd.
That would make the most sense. It would be great to see something like this replace the Page Belcher federal building for better connectivity to the convention center, or even the parking lot at 4th/5th & Denver.
Quote from: dsjeffries on January 02, 2014, 10:00:31 AM
And just think, only 5-6 years ago, there were only 871 rooms downtown, split between the Doubletree and Hyatt. That was it. We've gone from two hotels to seven and doubled our room count, with another 636 rooms and seven new hotels to be added in the next 12-18 months. What a transformation! As the planner of a large conference to be hosted downtown in September, I wish we had a hotel large enough to accommodate 700-1000 people by itself. Right now, meeting/conference planners have to piecemeal accommodations together for their attendees.
Holiday Inn City Center has been downtown for years.
Quote from: rdj on January 02, 2014, 12:32:18 PM
Holiday Inn City Center has been downtown for years.
It was run as the Downtown Plaza Hotel (a dump) for a long time and then closed. It came back to life in late 2009 or early 2010 when Holiday Inn bought it and did a complete remodel.
Quote from: dsjeffries on January 02, 2014, 02:23:25 PM
It was run as the Downtown Plaza Hotel (a dump) for a long time and then closed. It came back to life in late 2009 or early 2010 when Holiday Inn bought it and did a complete remodel.
Had someone into town for business years ago when it was still the Downtown Plaza Hotel. When I asked how his room was last night, his response was "It had an air conditioner with two settings: off, and loud"
Quote from: dsjeffries on January 02, 2014, 02:23:25 PM
It was run as the Downtown Plaza Hotel (a dump) for a long time and then closed. It came back to life in late 2009 or early 2010 when Holiday Inn bought it and did a complete remodel.
Is it actually owned by IHG, or is it like most everything under the "Holiday Inn" banner, a franchise? I know that the vast majority under the various HI names are actually owned by investors/investment groups.
Quote from: dsjeffries on January 02, 2014, 02:23:25 PM
It was run as the Downtown Plaza Hotel (a dump) for a long time and then closed. It came back to life in late 2009 or early 2010 when Holiday Inn bought it and did a complete remodel.
Wasn't it the Great Western under the Best Western flag in the years before it was the Holiday Inn?
The Boulder Grill is actually not a bad spot to grab a low-key dinner with a Marshall's and watch a ball game. The hotel & restaurant are owned/managed by a group out of Springfield.
Quote from: rdj on January 02, 2014, 04:01:41 PM
Wasn't it the Great Western under the Best Western flag in the years before it was the Holiday Inn?
The Boulder Grill is actually not a bad spot to grab a low-key dinner with a Marshall's and watch a ball game. The hotel & restaurant are owned/managed by a group out of Springfield.
Yes, and it was a Ramada before that. And a Holiday Inn originally.
Quote from: swake on January 02, 2014, 04:05:11 PM
Yes, and it was a Ramada before that. And a Holiday Inn originally.
I remember working at the Double Tree about 10-12 years ago. While the Adams Mark (now Hyatt) was our competition, there was a sense of mutual respect. The Ramada was always spoken of in tones of amused contempt. It was very run down and we would always hear complaints about the place.
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I just heard about this one today and didn't see it on the map: new 5 story, 110 room Residence Inn at 5th & Denver. Andy Patel already owns the L-shaped parking lot around the YMCA. From the rendering it looks like this will extend along 5th between Denver and Cheyenne. I don't know if they plan on sharing a lot or garage with the YMCA Lofts.
(http://www.anishhotelsgroup.com/media/TulDTResidenceInn/Tulsa%20Downtown%20Residence%20Inn.jpg)
http://www.anishhotelsgroup.com/media/The%20Journal%20Record%20Article.pdf (http://www.anishhotelsgroup.com/media/The%20Journal%20Record%20Article.pdf)
So here are the new hotels proposed downtown and starting construction in 2014-15:
- Residence Inn - 5th & Denver - 110 rooms, 5 stories
- Hampton Inn at One Place - 3rd & Cheyenne - 120 rooms, 7 stories
- Hilton Garden Inn - 2nd & Cheyenne - 134 rooms, 7 stories
- Best Western - 7th & Houston - 82 rooms, renovation of vacant 5 story building
- Holiday Inn Express - Cincinnati & Archer - 100 rooms, 5 stories
Total: 546 rooms
And the "proposed" hotels with no set construction dates:
- Hotel that is part of Wil Wilkin's development across from ONEOK Field - anyone know the latest on that?
- Zip Inn in First Place Tower
- Another Patel hotel in the Parker Drilling building at 3rd & Main - he owns the building but hasn't announced any plans yet
Looks good. Good fenestrations along 5th with just enough architectural and material differences to make it interesting, and great canopy and awnings. Very pedestrian friendly which is great for that street.
What sucks is the hotels, convention center, and BOK center being largely removed from nightlife, museums, and places for people to easily spend money!
Let's keep this ball rolling!
I too am opening a hotel downtown.
Empty lot @ Archer & Guthrie
high visibility to 244/44
It's going to be awesome
Air Conditioning, cable TV, in-house bail bondsman, the works.
Quote from: cannon_fodder on June 10, 2014, 12:35:01 PM
What sucks is the hotels, convention center, and BOK center being largely removed from nightlife, museums, and places for people to easily spend money!
As downtown builds up it won't seem as far between the above and existing retail/restaurant districts. The walk down 5th from Denver to Elgin, for example, feels a lot shorter than the walk down 3rd because of the built environment, the presence of retail and restaurants and a nice streetscape. The key will be to eventually have a streetcar to tie them together, and focus development along the lines.
Having high quality pedestrian friendly streets can make walking distances seem shorter and quite enjoyable. If we could encourage the creation of the right built environment, the walk say from Boston Ave Church to Blue Dome and Brady Arts could be an easy enjoyable stroll. Right now I hesitate to send people walking from my shop at 6th and Boston to the church. One could also easily walk from the Arena to say the Pearl District. Those types of distances in a good city are nothing. And you don't even need transit for an area that small really. As I had mentioned in another thread about Portland being startled to discover that their transit ridership was going down, and then also noticing that the number of car trips on the streets were also going down, but then discovering that what was going on was that the number of pedestrian/biking trips were up. If your built environment gets better, aka more pedestrian friendly, people enjoy walking more and for longer distances. I would say creating a high quality, pedestrian friendly built environment would be a higher priority than transit for quite a while. It will get us more "bang for the buck" quality of life wise and make us more competitive with other cities. It could be a "killer app" that could help boost our growth up to a higher level. Even Dallas with it's high growth (for other reasons that we can't hope to replicate, or perhaps even want to) doesn't have really good quality pedestrian friendly environments, especially in it's downtown area. We could beat them, and other cities in the region, at that game and pull more buzz, people, jobs, and companies our way and increase our growth, including urban tax revenue growth.
Walking from there to the Brady or Blue Dome Districts is not a big deal. On extremely hot days, or for people who think walking a few blocks is tantamount to torture, most reputable hotels will have a free shuttle to take you those few blocks.
Quote from: DowntownDan on June 10, 2014, 03:08:19 PM
Walking from there to the Brady or Blue Dome Districts is not a big deal. On extremely hot days, or for people who think walking a few blocks is tantamount to torture, most reputable hotels will have a free shuttle to take you those few blocks.
BOk to Blue Dome seems like a very long walk as there is nothing at street level except parking and building lobbies. Looks like a long desolate stretch. Need something to liven it up and inform people of what is just down the road.
BOk to Brady isn't really all that inviting. The bridge is nice but you cross it and it looks like little to nothing is there except milk and the homeless. Need some good signage along the way letting people know what is really over there.
Blue Dome to Pearl is a stretch IMO. As much as I walk downtown, I would likely drive from downtown to Pearl.
Quote from: Weatherdemon on June 16, 2014, 01:59:00 PM
BOk to Blue Dome seems like a very long walk as there is nothing at street level except parking and building lobbies. Looks like a long desolate stretch. Need something to liven it up and inform people of what is just down the road.
BOk to Brady isn't really all that inviting. The bridge is nice but you cross it and it looks like little to nothing is there except milk and the homeless. Need some good signage along the way letting people know what is really over there.
Blue Dome to Pearl is a stretch IMO. As much as I walk downtown, I would likely drive from downtown to Pearl.
(http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/files/2012/01/1959-June-7-moving-sidewalks-sm.jpg)
I occasionally walk from DT to the Pearl.
It has a bit of variety to it and walking thru Central Park is nice.
If the "East End" ever gets something going, It could be a very nice walkable corridor
It's better than walking the parking lot district.
6th street has a lot of potential.
The problem with the Downtown/Pearl walk is the stretch from 75 to Detroit...because it literally looks like Detroit.
Quote"Hotels are no sleepy business for the Tulsa area"
The Tulsa area is becoming a hotbed for hotel competition. More than 20 hotels planned by local developers will crop up in the area through 2016.
More could arise if out-of-state developers also have plans for the Tulsa area.
Observers point to the biggest build out of the hotel industry in the area that they've seen in quite some time. Chalk it up to a growing economy, increased activity in downtown Tulsa or the desire for new hotels.
Economic upswing
Mike Craddock, a hospitality specialist with First Commercial Real Estate, tracks the growth of the hospitality market. He noted that about every 10 years the Tulsa area adds about 30 percent more new hotels to the market.
The area's current hotel growth spurt, however, is a bit different because of the extended economic recovery the area has experienced since 2008. Projects that were delayed in the past three to four years are now coming to fruition while other new projects are also developing, he said.
During downturns in the 1980s and 1990s, hotels saw drops in both occupancy and room rates. With this past downturn, hotels experienced a drop in occupancy, but the room rate either leveled off or grew a little bit.
"That was a key element in the current growth or expanding of the market, because the rate growth actually increases your bottom line at a much higher rate than occupancy rate," Craddock said. "Rate growth goes directly to bottom line. It's a very good indicator that your market is pretty healthy."
As room rates stayed high, most properties that were in "trouble" were able to work out of that with good management and good ownership.
"Our economy is rebounding, and so now is the time to build as the prices increase," said Brittany Sawyer, executive director of Metro Tulsa Hotel & Lodging Association.
She points to a national trend of hotel growth now that the economy is improving and travel is rising.
In 2009, the United States had 50,800 hotel properties with 15 or more rooms, and an average occupancy rate of 54.7 percent, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. By 2013, the number of hotel properties had expanded to 52,887 with an average occupancy rate of 62.2 percent.
Nationwide sales were $163 billion in 2013 versus $127.20 billion in 2009 and nearly $141 billion in 2008 when the Great Recession was in full swing, according to the association.
"A lot of times we follow the national trend as well, as far as the travel industry goes," Sawyer said. "It's not just leisure travel. It's also business travel, which is a huge market in Tulsa. So when people are traveling more, sales are up." Sawyer said.
Through July 2013, the Tulsa area had 148 hotels and an occupancy rate of 58.3 percent, which was up 7.6 percent from the same time in the previous year, according to Smith Travel Research.
'Timing is everything'
Timing is everything with any business, said Paresh "Pete" Patel, president of Tulsa-based Promise Hotels.
And he thinks the next couple of years will be the best time to open his hotels.
Promise Hotels currently has eight hotel properties, with plans for five new hotels in the Tulsa area over the next couple of years, including one near ONEOK Field and two within a block of the BOK Center. Plans for another hotel also are being finalized but remain confidential for now, Patel said.
Among his current hotels are two that serve the Tulsa International Airport, including the Clarion Inn Tulsa and the Hilton Garden Inn. Construction is under way on hotels in Tahlequah and Claremore.
"Hotel occupancy has grown tremendously just for the downtown market as well as for Tulsa in general," Patel said. "We also feel like that we have the right brand in our industry. Besides having the right location, you also have to have the right brand. Hilton and Holiday Inn are premier brands in the select service industry that we focus in."
Designs on downtown
The momentum of downtown Tulsa has caught the attention of hoteliers such as Pete Patel. There are events at the Brady District, the BOK Center and Cox Business Center. Also, downtown companies are expanding, which results in more business travel.
Weekend activity has increased in the past two years ago. Four years ago, investing in a downtown hotel would have been a bad idea, Patel said.
But the area has been through a tremendous amount of change.
"I think that when these hotels open in the next year and a half to two years, there will be such a huge demand for lodging in that area," Patel said. "That is what has attracted me. We hope that the demand continues."
Patel's Promise Hotels has plans for a $16 million, 134-room Hilton Garden Inn that will wrap around the Oil & Gas Journal building on the southeast corner of Second Street and Cheyenne Avenue, according to a previous Tulsa World report.
The hotel, to be built by Tulsa-based Promise Hotels and The Ross Group, will include mixed-use space with room for retail, restaurants, event space and a rooftop patio overlooking the BOK Center.
A Holiday Inn Express slated for the Brady District is expected to occupy a large portion of the block bounded by Archer, Detroit, Elgin and the railroad tracks, according to a Tulsa World report. A Hampton Inn & Suites will be located at One Place near the BOK Center.
Andy Patel, president and CEO of Anish Hotels Group, said his company has six hotels planned for the area, including two downtown — one that will be located in the Parker Building downtown at 8 E. Third St.
Andy Patel is the developer of an Aloft Hotel at U.S. 169 near 71st Street and the Hampton Inn near near Tulsa Hills Shopping Center.
"I feel like we're right in the middle of all these communities around the business community and leisure community and the events," said Andy Patel, no relation to Pete Patel. "... At the same time, downtown is getting a little bit better momentum than we saw a few years ago. We are taking a risk. It's the chance we also have to take."
Hotel bonanza
Can the area support all the hotels being built?
Tulsa has benefited from the growth of the Native American hospitality market and new commercial development areas that have accompanied growth of surrounding areas such as Owasso, Jenks and Glenpool.
"Those are markets that didn't exist years ago," Craddock said. "As cities and towns grow and you have new infrastructure and new businesses, you will see a growth in the hospitality industry. So it may seem like there is a large number of property, but we also have expanded the market potential in areas of hospitality."
Downtown, in particular, has been a good growth market for hotels. And having more downtown hotels will give customers a greater choice of room prices.
"I think it's advantageous when we increase the number of hotels in the market because that allows Tulsa to be more competitive with other cities when attracting conventions and other business to the market," Sawyer said.
Pete Patel is optimistic about the future. His group is building relatively small hotels that will have anywhere from about 106 to about 134 rooms, which won't make a huge dent in the market. If large 600- to 800-room hotels are being built, then that would add too much inventory and cause concern, he said.
Roshan Patel, director of development for Leisure Hospitality, believes that the Tulsa market can support more hotels and his company has at least four new hotels planned for the Tulsa area. Leisure Hospitality recently broke ground on a Hampton Inn & Suites in Claremore, and a Holiday Inn Express & Suites will soon open in Glenpool.
"Our guests want a different type of hotel," said Roshan Patel, whose father, Robert, founded Leisure Hospitality. "They are not looking for the same experience. They are not looking for the same hotel. We're going to different niches — extended stay, limited stay, corporate stay. You have different types of hotels to cater to different types of guests."
Andy Patel said the hotel industry should do well up until 2016 and 2017 before possibly topping out. He noted that the northeast Oklahoma market isn't as strong as he noticed in other areas but building in the area is convenient for his Tulsa-based organization.
"We have good brands behind us, and being located here it helps us on the cost control and even on the construction and operations side," he said. "So we can justify our lower market revenue."
Anish Hotels Group's upcoming projects include three in Tulsa, one in Broken Arrow, Stillwater and Sand Springs.
"We have so many great developers ... But at the same time, it's very competitive for a smaller market," Andy Patel said. "That is a concern — that we are growing too fast, our supply is growing too quickly and the demand will not be able to catch up."
"I feel confident with my team, my company, our workability, and also the locations and the brands we provide. I feel good there, even though we feel like our profit margin will shrink. But we'll have to live with it."
The hope and goal is that all hotels will do well in the area. Even business partners, bankers, brokers think the hotel industry is well positioned, Andy Patel said.
"Even our competition should do well," he said. "There is no negativity to our industry."
Several hotels destined for the Tulsa area
Hotel | Location | Estimated completion date | Developer
Home 2 Suites by Hilton Tulsa Hills Shopping Center Fall 2015 Anish Hotels
Spring Hill Suites by Marriott Tulsa Hills Shopping Center 2015 Leisure Hospitality
Residence Inn by Marriott – Tulsa Next to Holiday Inn Express just off I-44 and Yale N/A Champion Hotels
Holiday Inn Express Near I-44 and Yale Avenue 2015 Champion Hotels
Value Place & Suites 11000 E. 45th St. 2015 Titleist Lodging Group
Hilton Garden Inn At Bass Pros exit in Broken Arrow Fall 2015 Anish Hotels
Broken Arrow Hotel & Convention Center TBA N/A Stoney Creek Hospitality
Holiday Inn Express Sand Springs Highways 51 and 97 January 2015 Anish Hotels
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Glenpool Next to Glenpool City Hall/Convention Center July 2014 Leisure Hospitality
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Glenpool TBA 2016 Leisure Hospitality
La Quinta Inn & Suites Owasso TBA N/A Champion Hotels
Holiday Inn Express & Convention Center 1400 Country Club Drive, Claremore 2015 Promise Hotels
Hampton Inn & Suites Claremore TBA 2015 Leisure Hospitality
La Quinta Inn & Suites in Claremore 774 S. Lynn Riggs Blvd. N/A K.T. Patel
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tahlequah On S. Muskogee Ave. where highway loops 2015 Promise Hotels
River Spirit Margaritaville Hotel River Spirit Casino, 81st Street and Riverside Parkway 2015 Creek Nation
Holiday Inn Express Near Woodland Hills Mall 2016 Leisure Hospitality
Comfort Inn & Suites West 61st Street and New Sapulpa Road N/A Sapulpa Hospitality LLC
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/retail/hotels-are-no-sleepy-business-for-the-tulsa-area/article_30ff2d8a-c48c-5cea-b6a0-22da1c19c717.html (http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/retail/hotels-are-no-sleepy-business-for-the-tulsa-area/article_30ff2d8a-c48c-5cea-b6a0-22da1c19c717.html)
I'm trying to figure where you would fit a hotel at the intersection of Highway 97 and 51, unless they are referring to the intersection of 412 and 97 in Sand Springs.
Quote from: Conan71 on July 07, 2014, 02:21:28 PM
I'm trying to figure where you would fit a hotel at the intersection of Highway 97 and 51, unless they are referring to the intersection of 412 and 97 in Sand Springs.
It's actually just east of the intersection of Highway 97 and Morrow Road (a couple of blocks south of 412). They started on it a couple of weeks ago and is going up pretty fast. It's part of the RiverWest development (bordered by 412, Morrow Road, Main Street and Oklahoma 97). There is even talk of renovating the old power plant on Morrow Road to build a brewery and restaurant.
Quote from: Tulsa Zephyr on July 07, 2014, 03:45:48 PM
It's actually just east of the intersection of Highway 97 and Morrow Road (a couple of blocks south of 412). They started on it a couple of weeks ago and is going up pretty fast. It's part of the RiverWest development (bordered by 412, Morrow Road, Main Street and Oklahoma 97). There is even talk of renovating the old power plant on Morrow Road to build a brewery and restaurant.
That makes sense. The brewery has been rumored for a couple of years that I'm aware of. Not sure how they are coming on getting their funding together.
The brewery/restaurant will probably open around the same time "The American" statue gets built... ::)
Quote from: Tulsa Zephyr on July 08, 2014, 05:21:54 PM
The brewery/restaurant will probably open around the same time "The American" statue gets built... ::)
oooh, that soon!
Quote from: carltonplace on July 09, 2014, 08:55:57 AM
oooh, that soon!
Didn't they supposedly have some sort of groundbreaking?
We'll have giant kitschy statue before you know it (according to the statue people).
Quote from: BKDotCom on July 09, 2014, 01:50:26 PM
Didn't they supposedly have some sort of groundbreaking?
We'll have giant kitschy statue before you know it (according to the statue people).
"Soon"
http://www.theamerican.com/ (http://www.theamerican.com/)
As a person who has lived in Sand Springs, why would anyone visiting the area want to stay there?
Especially now that K-Mart is beginning their liquidation sale in a couple of weeks... ::)
Quote from: DowntownDan on July 09, 2014, 06:47:59 PM
As a person who has lived in Sand Springs, why would anyone visiting the area want to stay there?
The nightlife
River bottom parties.
Quote from: AquaMan on July 11, 2014, 09:26:33 AM
River bottom parties.
Ever popular River Bottom Nightmare Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSW5cK87JQ8&feature=kp
They even have t-shirts lol.
That was funny. Sands Springs City Council theme song.
Quote from: Townsend on July 11, 2014, 08:10:25 AM
The nightlife
Is Torchy's still the hot spot? I hear they serve beer at the Rib Crib now too.
There are actually even places that serve wine...and margaritas, and a few other things you big city boys are used to...
Quote from: Tulsa Zephyr on July 11, 2014, 04:07:51 PM
There are actually even places that serve wine...and margaritas, and a few other things you big city boys are used to...
$700 minimum bottle service on top of a skyscraper full of beautiful fun people, palm trees lit up at night, live music, and looking out over the Empire State building?
Now THAT was a night to remember. And I did remember all of it despite some others in our group seemingly not able to do so the next day.
Quote from: TheArtist on July 11, 2014, 04:31:56 PM
$700 minimum bottle service on top of a skyscraper full of beautiful fun people, palm trees lit up at night, live music, and looking out over the Empire State building?
Now THAT was a night to remember. And I did remember all of it despite some others in our group seemingly not able to do so the next day.
Soon you can do the same thing looking out over a giant indian statue. Sand Springs, well known for all of that.