So in other terms, it's just them being cheap. I'm sure other cities have it in one form or another.

Being cheap and being a sound investor are two different things.

Being cheap and being a sound investor are two different things.Sure, in OKC; where most things are done to minimal level. You can be sound investor and still do things nicely.

The more people actually spend their money in nice places for nice things, the more nice places will be built. If we want nicer projects we need to support higher prices that go along with higher development costs.

Oy vey.

Again, considering these floors are poured on site concrete vs. Aloft with prefabricated concrete sections provided by a company that went bankrupt and probably had to have another similar company make new prefab concrete pieces.

Do you know if it was precast tees or hollow core planks they were using?

Looked good tonight. Some of the vertical accent lighting was on!

Hilton Garden Inn & Homewood Suites (December 2 2013) - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhider/sets/72157638312741804/)

Thanks Will!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/11187842265_7070d13708_b.jpg


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/11187998133_d4a7ae3404_b.jpg


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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/11187564646_75c963897e_b.jpg

Another perspective:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/hilton12313.jpg

Bunch of photos courtesy of Downtown OKC, Inc.'s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/downtownokc):



https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1487255_642527872452264_1530976233_n.jpg


https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1512632_642527899118928_1036246022_n.jpg


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Aaaand it's finished before Aloft.

Will it open by the 31st of Jan?

Just drove past. To be honest I kind of felt like something was missing, but that's probably due to the incomplete nature of everything around it. It's difficult to imagine a consistent scale going down East Sheridan. The street is a little hard scrabble..

Aaaand it's finished before Aloft.

Although, to be a bit fair, it's a brick box.

Although, to be a bit fair, it's a brick box.

Plus, they poured the floors. Aloft's slabs were on back order.

Photo of the restaurant area of this project, courtesy LiquidFish's Facebook page.

Looks like they will be opening very soon:

http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/6017d1389658514-hilton-garden-inn-hilton11314.jpg

I had an invite to preview, but I think I screwed up on my calendar and missed my meeting. I need to get over there.

I drove by this last night and saw all the furniture in there covered in plastic like the picture two posts above me. On the back of the property (facing the alley) is the pool area and there are even tables covered there. I wouldn't be surprised if this was open by the end of the month. It looks like they just have some finishing touches and they are done.

Just checked the website and found this:

This hotel will soon be joining the Hilton Worldwide Portfolio of Brands and is presently accepting reservations for arrival February 14, 2014 and beyond.

Here is the link: Hotels in OKC - Hilton Garden Inn Oklahoma City-Bricktown - Hotel Details (http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/oklahoma/hilton-garden-inn-oklahoma-city-bricktown-OKCSAGI/about/index.html)

Another note: I was looking at the room rates and they are $189 for a king bed, $194 for two queens and $209 for two queens - ball park view. I would personally rather have a view of DD than the ballpark (and what's past the ballpark? The Coop...) when I don't even have a balcony to go out on.

The Homewood Suites website has 1 King studio nonsmoking for $199, 1 King studio nonsmoking-ballpark view for $204, 1 King bed, 1 bedroom suite nonsmoking for $209, 2 queen beds, 1 bedroom suite nonsmoking for $219 and 1 Kind/2 Queen - 2 bed/2 bath suite - nonsmoking for $249. There are nonrefundable rates for a 15% discount.

Pretty sure I stayed in a nicer hotel for less in Dallas...

They have most the landscaping in... This project looks like it could open any day now.

Also, note that there are two separate entrances; one for Hilton Garden Inn (west) and one for Homewood Suites (east).

http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/6117d1389823698-hilton-garden-inn-hilton11314a.jpg


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http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/6121d1389823702-hilton-garden-inn-hilton11314e.jpg

That area just feels so less claustrophobic without the concrete barriers and construction fences.

I wonder what it is like being the very first guest to check into a new hotel?

Very clean

That area just feels so less claustrophobic without the concrete barriers and construction fences.

I wonder what it is like being the very first guest to check into a new hotel?

I did that one time at a Marriott on the Woodlands (TX) Waterway. I literally was in the first five people to check in on opening day, and the first ever in my room. The upside? Everything looked and smelled awesome. The downside? Scratchy sheets.

Very clean

No need to sweep the room with a black light!

Grody

6221

From inside the ballpark today with the HGI external essentially complete.

If we could just get a nice big building on the parking lot behind center/right field.

How embarrassing is that eyesore behind the Sonic? Is that the Cotton Mill elevator or something? Driving by it always makes me cringe and wonder what people think of OKC when they see this. Are their any plans to level that area and build something cool? I think a nice Hard Rock Hotel and casino would look GREAT right there all lit up and maybe connect it to the river.

How embarrassing is that eyesore behind the Sonic? Is that the Cotton Mill elevator or something? Driving by it always makes me cringe and wonder what people think of OKC when they see this. Are their any plans to level that area and build something cool? I think a nice Hard Rock Hotel and casino would look GREAT right there all lit up and maybe connect it to the river.

That's the old cotton oil co-op and it's been for sale for quite some time, at an unreasonable price.

How embarrassing is that eyesore behind the Sonic? Is that the Cotton Mill elevator or something? Driving by it always makes me cringe and wonder what people think of OKC when they see this. Are their any plans to level that area and build something cool? I think a nice Hard Rock Hotel and casino would look GREAT right there all lit up and maybe connect it to the river.

It's nice to dream. I think the same thing when I see it, but I don't see it going anywhere near-term. After Core2Shore starts developing, IF it develops as intended, it will probably get bought out and developed. I think a Hard Rock casino or some thing like the new Margaritaville casino being built in Tulsa would be good there. I am typically not a fan of casinos but if its a destination casino/resort, I think that would be great for the area.

How embarrassing is that eyesore behind the Sonic? Is that the Cotton Mill elevator or something? Driving by it always makes me cringe and wonder what people think of OKC when they see this. Are their any plans to level that area and build something cool? I think a nice Hard Rock Hotel and casino would look GREAT right there all lit up and maybe connect it to the river.


What? Random thread to mention this...

I think you may be referring to specifically the old silos that are not used for rock climbing.

But yes the entire plant needs to go.

6221

From inside the ballpark today with the HGI external essentially complete.

The Grand opening is Thursday for anyone that would like to come. SeeBelow

Thursday, January 23, 2014
Hilton Garden Inn / Homewood Suites
3 p.m. – Ribbon Cutting
3 - 4 p.m. – Time of Event
328 E. Sheridan Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Refreshments will be served.

Apparently the cotton oil mill is still in business. How in the world will anyone ever be able to build and develop something cool there? Geesh, how embarrassing.

That is the plant that is responsible for the smell that drags over downtown when we have southeasterly winds.

Apparently the cotton oil mill is still in business. How in the world will anyone ever be able to build and develop something cool there? Geesh, how embarrassing.

Agreed. It is an eyesore and really helps confirm the stereotype most Americans have of OKC when people drive in from the east. I don't see anything that can be done about it though without eminent domain.

The Grand opening is Thursday for anyone that would like to come. SeeBelow

Thursday, January 23, 2014
Hilton Garden Inn / Homewood Suites
3 p.m. – Ribbon Cutting
3 - 4 p.m. – Time of Event
328 E. Sheridan Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Refreshments will be served.

If anyone goes, please take some photos.


That's a bunch of new hotel rooms coming on-line all at once. Should bring that much more like and energy to Bricktown and downtown.

With the opening of this hotel I could see people wanting to walk to Deep Deuce to go to Deep Deuce Grill, The Wedge, WSKY, and such, but are there sidewalks? I haven't been over there in a while (so correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't remember sidewalks linking the two last I checked. That seems like an impediment to synergy developing between the two districts...

My goodness. They officially finished this off 400 times as fast as aloft, which is STILL delayed! Sigh.

With the opening of this hotel I could see people wanting to walk to Deep Deuce to go to Deep Deuce Grill, The Wedge, WSKY, and such, but are there sidewalks? I haven't been over there in a while (so correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't remember sidewalks linking the two last I checked. That seems like an impediment to synergy developing between the two districts...

It's definitely a problem. The best pedestrian connection is to take the Walnut Ave bridge right by Slim's. But even that involves a rather dangerous road crossing on Main St. I believe Sid tried to fix this a little while ago to no avail. Russell M Perry is unfinished, barely paved, and completely unlit. Totally ridiculous. If I was a Hill resident, I'd be livid.

I was riding my bike at night on Sheridan and turned onto Russell M. Perry about 4 months ago when I was in town for a conference and I almost rode my bike into a 3 foot hole. Ridiculous. The streetscaping on that stretch is characteristic of the countryside, not the core. And, I agree, The Hill residents should be livid that there aren't sidewalks into Bricktown. Access to core amenities is why people are shelling out the big bucks for those places... and the city doesn't even provide one block of sidewalks to connect them to Bricktown. Crazy.

I was riding my bike at night on Sheridan and turned onto Russell M. Perry about 4 months ago when I was in town for a conference and I almost rode my bike into a 3 foot hole. Ridiculous. The streetscaping on that stretch is characteristic of the countryside, not the core. And, I agree, The Hill residents should be livid that there aren't sidewalks into Bricktown. Access to core amenities is why people are shelling out the big bucks for those places... and the city doesn't even provide one block of sidewalks to connect them to Bricktown. Crazy.

Is there any plan to fix it?

I thought there was a plan for sidewalks and streetscaping from Deep Duece to the boathouse, but don't remember where I saw that on this forum...

I thought there was a plan for sidewalks and streetscaping from Deep Duece to the boathouse, but don't remember where I saw that on this forum...

Sid mentioned that Perry was to be improved in the Springhill Suites (now dead) thread.

I've walked from near this hotel to Deep Deuce and there are no sidewalks until you get to The Hill.

Oddly, there is a brick crosswalk with no sidewalks leading to it on either side.

Just added a new video to the article at the top of the thread.

Is there any plan to fix it?

No clue. I don't live in OKC so I haven't been back to that street since.

Ribbon cutting at 3 PM today. See you there!

Was the ribbon cut? Diagonal or at a right angle?

Was the ribbon cut? Diagonal or at a right angle?

It might have been cut from end to end. :)

http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/6369d1390664318-hilton-garden-inn-hilton012314a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/6370d1390664319-hilton-garden-inn-hilton012314b.jpg

A couple of pics from the lobby area. They really went all out on this hotel from top to bottom.

A couple more.

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The developers just sold this property to a real estate investment trust in Richmond, Virginia for $31.5 million.

Hopefully Marsh Pitman and his partners will look for new OKC development, as they did with this property after selling the Hampton Inn.

The developers just sold this property to a real estate investment trust in Richmond, Virginia for $31.5 million.

Hopefully Marsh Pitman and his partners will look for new OKC development, as they did with this property after selling the Hampton Inn.

Do developers normally sell their properties that fast? I know nothing about the hotel development industry.

^

It's not uncommon for an income-producing property to be sold not long after it is finished.

This is going to be a really excellent location (not that it isn't a good spot now) once the streetcar is in place, assuming the tracks in the ground follow the Zeta plan I am looking at in another tab.

Even more so if and when the Convention center goes in south of the Myriad Gardens.

Do developers normally sell their properties that fast? I know nothing about the hotel development industry.

Actually it is EXACTLY what they indicated they would do when they announced the development. The new owners want to be hotel owners, not hotel builders, so the developer (usually a local developer who has experience with the local market, codes, etc.) steps in and takes the construction risks and is eventually rewarded with a tidy profit.

Above it says the cost is $45M. And it sold at $31.5M? That's a profit? What numbers am I missing from the formula? Not disagreeing, serious question.

Fuzzy math?

Richard Mize's article about this.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3933905?embargo=1


Hilton Garden Inn Oklahoma City-Bricktown and Homewood Suites by Hilton Oklahoma City-Bricktown, a dual-branded hotel, opened quietly and almost immediately had new owners — the same Virginia-based real estate investment trust that bought nearby Hampton Inn & Suites in 2010.

Apple Ten Oklahoma, an LCC of Apple REIT in Richmond, Va., one of the largest owners of Hilton-branded hotels in the country, purchased the new hotel property at 328 E Sheridan Ave. from Raymond Management, a Wisconsin-based multi-brand hotel company, for $31,582,000, according to county assessor’s records. The hotels opened in January.


“We continue to see great success with the dual-branded hotel model, as it caters to a wide array of guests with varying needs and desires,” Hilton spokesman Phil Cordell said. “We’re excited to add another dual-build to our portfolio and bring the unique concept to Oklahoma.”

Cordell cited the strong Oklahoma City economy and growing attraction to visitors.

He said that in the first quarter of the fiscal year, the city saw 5 percent growth in hotel occupancy as tracked by Smith Travel Research. The city also recently was named a “Top 10 Must Visit Destination” by Complex.com, Cordell said.

Hilton Worldwide opens dual-branded hotel in Oklahoma City's Bricktown | NewsOK.com (http://m.newsok.com/hilton-worldwide-opens-dual-branded-hotel-in-oklahoma-citys-bricktown/article/3933905)
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