I was poking around on the Embassy Suites website, and came across a DoubleTree by Hilton coming soon to 4410 SW 19th. Looks to be the same address as Cambria Suites, so I guess the flag is changing. Seems like a win for the city; never had a bad stay at Cambria or any DoubleTree.

http://http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/oklahoma/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-oklahoma-city-airport-OKCARDT/index.html

Doubletree is actually a pretty nice brand, or at least it used to be before Hilton bought it out. I am surprised though its not going downtown. Most Doubletree hotels I know of are in the core of their cities.

Doubletree is actually a pretty nice brand, or at least it used to be before Hilton bought it out. I am surprised though its not going downtown. Most Doubletree hotels I know of are in the core of their cities.



https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXg0wqUU8j4290CpercDA7SHZ17CLbS oFbDdxNuoEDGFx014AW https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTk15wlt1mDIiKLOC6taq_RV-bnudnUA9YvW9P386dJLrQHaGu1 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr2i0F6p9To8BYjNrEHuNqD8CbQIHNG 6hxcNGQK0e7p3UBbiHWyw
417 room, DoubleTree by Hilton, Downtown Tulsa

This appears to be a 20 story tower in Tulsa; if they were to become an anchor for our convention center with 700 plus rooms, you would be looking at a 30-35 story tower based on what they have in T-town.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvqk3AYAajFqWpAmYnXADhPAtKhryRn DvjjWwtjWICvGBdn_xIYg https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSir_APLo6rNE2XPaxoCu9d2o8I5PxUN Lusq646OZaGFv_bwcc1 Cambria Suites is now a DoubleeTree?

Great that Doubletree

has put its initial brand within our city. Could be a precursor of things to come. We will need an anchor hotel for the convention center complex once it reaches the developmental stages.

Pat Chisom, who is the sales manager for the Cambria was in my office last week. She said they would be changing to a Doubletree so that is correct. That hotel has already been very successful with it's current brand.

mmmm...DoubleTree cookies

Doubletree is actually a pretty nice brand, or at least it used to be before Hilton bought it out. I am surprised though its not going downtown. Most Doubletree hotels I know of are in the core of their cities.

That could have been true at one time but not any more. Just look at Dallas. Most of the Doubletree Hotels are not in the core.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXg0wqUU8j4290CpercDA7SHZ17CLbS oFbDdxNuoEDGFx014AW https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTk15wlt1mDIiKLOC6taq_RV-bnudnUA9YvW9P386dJLrQHaGu1 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRr2i0F6p9To8BYjNrEHuNqD8CbQIHNG 6hxcNGQK0e7p3UBbiHWyw
417 room, DoubleTree by Hilton, Downtown Tulsa

This appears to be a 20 story tower in Tulsa; if they were to become an anchor for our convention center with 700 plus rooms, you would be looking at a 30-35 story tower based on what they have in T-town.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvqk3AYAajFqWpAmYnXADhPAtKhryRn DvjjWwtjWICvGBdn_xIYg https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSir_APLo6rNE2XPaxoCu9d2o8I5PxUN Lusq646OZaGFv_bwcc1 Cambria Suites is now a DoubleeTree?

Great that Doubletree

has put its initial brand within our city. Could be a precursor of things to come. We will need an anchor hotel for the convention center complex once it reaches the developmental stages.Let's hope we get something a little better than DoubleTree for our CC hotel anchor.

Well I don't think anyone is talking about a Doubletree for that. They serve their purpose though.

Well I don't think anyone is talking about a Doubletree for that. They serve their purpose though.Fun fact: when I was in Tuscon, I stayed at a Double Tree. I asked the guy that was working the front desk if they had cheese sticks for sale. He told me they aren't a cheesery and to go suck a railroad spike and made a hand gesture like he was sucking a ***** and told me to go do that ... to which I said: f#ck you buddy, you're a fraud and he took his shirt off, told me he isn't a robot and it is time to set himself free. I said alright, and he ran out the front door. Not sure where he went or if he is still employed there. I wrote Hilton a very strongly worded message about the encounter and I refuse to step foot into a DoubleTree. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure I'll patronize businesses that are within close proximity to a DoubleTree.

Let's hope we get something a little better than DoubleTree for our CC hotel anchor.

Got to give it up to you, Plutonic Panda, you think outside the box.

How about a Hyatt Regency?

Our little sister to the northeast (Tulsa) has a leg up on us when it comes to downtown hotels.

A 700-plus room Hyatt Regency as an anchor tenant to the convention center complex would be a whale of a development for Oklahoma City's convention & tourism industry.


https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607989721040094716&pid=15.1&P=0 https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607990004503085212&pid=15.1&P=0
454-room Hyatt Regency, Downtown Tulsa

Got to give it up to you, Plutonic Panda, you think outside the box.

How about a Hyatt Regency?

Our little sister to the northeast (Tulsa) has a leg up on us when it comes to downtown hotels.

A 700-plus room Hyatt Regency as an anchor tenant to the convention center complex would be a whale of a development for Oklahoma City's convention & tourism industry.


https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607989721040094716&pid=15.1&P=0 https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607990004503085212&pid=15.1&P=0
454-room Hyatt Regency, Downtown TulsaHyatt would be cool. Honestly, how about a JW Marriott? Perhaps an Omni or Intercontinental? Park Hyatt would be awesome. Rosewood would be another luxury hotel chain and they are based in Dallas if I remember right.

http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/default

Fun fact: when I was in Tuscon, I stayed at a Double Tree. I asked the guy that was working the front desk if they had cheese sticks for sale. He told me they aren't a cheesery and to go suck a railroad spike and made a hand gesture like he was sucking a ***** and told me to go do that ... to which I said: f#ck you buddy, you're a fraud and he took his shirt off, told me he isn't a robot and it is time to set himself free. I said alright, and he ran out the front door. Not sure where he went or if he is still employed there. I wrote Hilton a very strongly worded message about the encounter and I refuse to step foot into a DoubleTree. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure I'll patronize businesses that are within close proximity to a DoubleTree.

Fun fact: What was fun about that experience?

Can say that I can't top that...

Horrible experience, sounds like the guy was under a lot of stress as his reaction was to unload on you, over a request for some cheese sticks? Wow! Wouldn't let one bad experience 'poison the well.' Your written communication to Hilton was the right call; did you receive feedback from them?

Fun fact: What was fun about that experience?

Can say that I can't top that...

Horrible experience, sounds like the guy was under a lot of stress as his reaction was to unload on you. Wouldn't let one bad experience 'poison the well.' Your written communication to Hilton was the right call; did you receive feedback from them?Yeah they pretty much told me that the indecent is under investigation and they will do whatever necessary to prevent it from happening in the future. I'll still go to Hilton Hotels, just not DoubleTree.

BTW, in case you missed it, I responded to your other post about what hotel chains I would like to see. JW Marriott, Hyatt Park, Omni, or Intercontinental.

Also, if you haven't seen this hotel, I would suggest cheeking them out. Very cool hotel chain!

Luxury Hotels and Resorts | Rosewood Hotels & Resorts (http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/default)

fun fact: When i was in tuscon, i stayed at a double tree. I asked the guy that was working the front desk if they had cheese sticks for sale. He told me they aren't a cheesery and to go suck a railroad spike and made a hand gesture like he was sucking a ***** and told me to go do that ... To which i said: F#ck you buddy, you're a fraud and he took his shirt off, told me he isn't a robot and it is time to set himself free. I said alright, and he ran out the front door. Not sure where he went or if he is still employed there. I wrote hilton a very strongly worded message about the encounter and i refuse to step foot into a doubletree. Quite frankly, i'm not even sure i'll patronize businesses that are within close proximity to a doubletree.

bahahahahahahaha

Got to give it up to you, Plutonic Panda, you think outside the box.

How about a Hyatt Regency?

Our little sister to the northeast (Tulsa) has a leg up on us when it comes to downtown hotels.

A 700-plus room Hyatt Regency as an anchor tenant to the convention center complex would be a whale of a development for Oklahoma City's convention & tourism industry.


https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607989721040094716&pid=15.1&P=0 https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607990004503085212&pid=15.1&P=0
454-room Hyatt Regency, Downtown Tulsa

That is depressing.

It's a shame OKC no longer has this gem.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/hotels/biltmore02_vsp.jpg

AMEN, on of the worst cases of lost structure from Pei.....

mmmm...DoubleTree cookies

+1

Yes, they probably could have saved the Biltmore (aka: Sheraton Oklahoma Hotel).

http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/w300-fadad278fd3c24a85eaeeaf44c163491.jpg

It was an exciting event--tallest structure to be imploded at that time; many of us watched on that historic day in 1977 when the sequence of charges brought down that 600-room 26-story structure. Once it was gone, then there was that feeling 'what have they done...'

Looking Back at the Biltmore Hotel | News OK (http://newsok.com/looking-back-at-the-biltmore-hotel/article/3470180)

^^^ Sickening.

DoubleTree by Hilton!

We need to be very careful about the way we approach any future development for an anchor hotel for the convention center complex. I'd settle for an Omni, Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton or DoubleTree, I just don't want us to get 'Double-crossed.

That is depressing.

It's a shame OKC no longer has this gem.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/hotels/biltmore02_vsp.jpg

Hey, we've still got this Biltmore, though.

http://i.imgur.com/KlFNUY2.jpg

And what a lovely gem it is. Last time I was inside (about 15 or so years ago) it was a piece of crap. I can only imagine how bad it is now.

^^^

It's hard to believe that used to be a Hilton, way back in the day.

When I was a little girl, we stayed there for some sort of convention. On the way in, there was this man who had blood running down his face and arms. He had just walked through the plate-glass window beside the door, thinking it was an open door. Creepy. After that, they put big stickers right at eye level so it wouldn't happen again.

^^^

It's hard to believe that used to be a Hilton, way back in the day.

I think it's been many things. I remember at one point it being a Raddisson (sp?).

The day downtown Okc died was when they imploded that wonderful building. They could have saved it. What a shame.

The day downtown Okc died was when they imploded that wonderful building. They could have saved it. What a shame.I'm not so sure they could have saved it. It was quite literally filled with asbestos. People less than 60 years old may not remember that for many years before the cancer risk came to light, asbestos-based insulation was required by the building codes of just about every city. As a major high-rise, in the days when the largest ladder truck couldn't reach higher than the 4th or 5th floor, the Biltmore had even more than its fair share of the stuff.

The cost of removing all that and making the building safe for human occupancy was estimated to be even greater than the cost of rebuilding it from scratch, and was a primary reason it was allowed to fall into decay. By the time the Pei Plan furnished its death warrant, it was already far beyond the state of being salvaged!

I have fond memories of interviewing celebrities there in the mid-50s, and in the early 60s attending a major cat show in its main ballroom (at which management refused to allow one entrant, a full-grown puma, to come into the building; she spent the show in a station wagon in the parking lot next door and frightened a would-be hubcap thief away). However I recognize that no other choice was practical in 1977, much as I regret the loss.

Actually Pei intended that the Biltmore would be retained. It's in his conceptual plan for the MBG. That was a business decision made independent of Pei's recommendations. I've always understood that the real limiting factor on rehabilitation of the Biltmore was low ceiling heights which among other things made modern HVAC nearly impossible. Of course I have always been a believer in "when there is a will there is a way" when it comes to preservation, but those are the explanations I have always heard.

Got to give it up to you, Plutonic Panda, you think outside the box.

How about a Hyatt Regency?

Our little sister to the northeast (Tulsa) has a leg up on us when it comes to downtown hotels.

A 700-plus room Hyatt Regency as an anchor tenant to the convention center complex would be a whale of a development for Oklahoma City's convention & tourism industry.


https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607989721040094716&pid=15.1&P=0 https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607990004503085212&pid=15.1&P=0
454-room Hyatt Regency, Downtown Tulsa

I stayed at the Tulsa Hyatt last night. Not near as nice as an Omni or JW Marriott. The rooms had nice amenities but the furniture appeared a little worn and outdated. I know that it varies from property to property but this one needs updating.

yup.. stayed there as part of a national Softball tournament this past year.. the place needs some attention. very worn and outdated. while we were there the Escalators were broken down and the elevators had one or two down at a time.

btw, it appears as though the Tulsa Hyatt and Doubletree are the same *same building?

btw, it appears as though the Tulsa Hyatt and Doubletree are the same *same building?

The Doubletree is off of 7th and the Hyatt is between 3rd and 4th. The picture posted by Laramie is the Doubletree on 7th. Nice pick up.

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/oklahoma/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-tulsa-downtown-TULSDDT/index.html

OKC needs the top of the line and at least 33 stories. That puts us directly in line with tier 2 cities. OKC is a tier 2 city right? Tulsa is tier 3.

M-pressive that Tulsa had the foresight to build two convention hotels downtown. Now why didn't OKC have this? We had the Myriad for how long? And really only the Sheraton for so long; Renaissance was an add in the 2000's. But even still our two doesn't have the room count of theirs.

OKC is behind Tier 3 Tulsa on conventioneering and this needs to (and will) change. Hat's off to Tulsa and it really shows that there is a little something to Tulsa's bravado at times. ... They really pack a huge punch above their weight (or better yet, OKC has drastically under-performed and underwhelmed).

Which flags would you rather have for your convention center?

- Convention/Full Service hotels downtown -

Tulsa:
Hyatt - world recognized for convention and big business
Doubletree - national business chain (typically CBD)

OKC:
Sheraton - Full Service hotel, national icon
Renaissance - Marriott luxury brand, limited location
Hilton - World recognized brand, heritage restoration

Probably OKC's flags, but Tulsa is indeed impressive and likely wont need to do as much. OKC needs to land a Hyatt and perhaps a Marriott to really be in the Tier 2 and compete. Just for kicks, I think Wichita also has a Hyatt Regency (but that's all they have).

Tulsa Hyatt Regency

http://tulsa.hyatt.com/content/dam/PropertyWebsites/regency/tulrt/Media/All/Hyatt-Regency-Tulsa-P067-Exterior-1280x427.jpg




Tulsa Hyatt Regency -454 room Downtown


Tulsa Downtown DoubleTree


http://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/T3wcpZvU6-7h0N-q3C1ufg/l.jpg


Tulsa DoubleTree - 417 room Downtown

He's a correction on the two downtown Tulsa hotels: Hyatt Regency (Top) and DoubleTree (second pic from top).

Fun fact: when I was in Tuscon, I stayed at a Double Tree. I asked the guy that was working the front desk if they had cheese sticks for sale. He told me they aren't a cheesery and to go suck a railroad spike and made a hand gesture like he was sucking a ***** and told me to go do that ... to which I said: f#ck you buddy, you're a fraud and he took his shirt off, told me he isn't a robot and it is time to set himself free. I said alright, and he ran out the front door. Not sure where he went or if he is still employed there. I wrote Hilton a very strongly worded message about the encounter and I refuse to step foot into a DoubleTree. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure I'll patronize businesses that are within close proximity to a DoubleTree.

LOL, great story, bro.

M-pressive that Tulsa had the foresight to build two convention hotels downtown. Now why didn't OKC have this? We had the Myriad for how long? And really only the Sheraton for so long; Renaissance was an add in the 2000's. But even still our two doesn't have the room count of theirs.

OKC is behind Tier 3 Tulsa on conventioneering and this needs to (and will) change. Hat's off to Tulsa and it really shows that there is a little something to Tulsa's bravado at times. ... They really pack a huge punch above their weight (or better yet, OKC has drastically under-performed and underwhelmed).

Which flags would you rather have for your convention center?

- Convention/Full Service hotels downtown -

Tulsa:
Hyatt - world recognized for convention and big business
Doubletree - national business chain (typically CBD)

OKC:
Sheraton - Full Service hotel, national icon
Renaissance - Marriott luxury brand, limited location
Hilton - World recognized brand, heritage restoration

Probably OKC's flags, but Tulsa is indeed impressive and likely wont need to do as much. OKC needs to land a Hyatt and perhaps a Marriott to really be in the Tier 2 and compete. Just for kicks, I think Wichita also has a Hyatt Regency (but that's all they have).
Actually Renaissance was opened in late 1990's.

OKC needs the top of the line and at least 33 stories. That puts us directly in line with tier 2 cities. OKC is a tier 2 city right? Tulsa is tier 3.

Depending on who you have in your Tiers, I'd said say no. OKC is a tier 3 city and metro.

T1: NYC, LA, Chicago, SF, Miami. Philly, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc..

T2: Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Orlando etc.

T3: Memphis, El Paso, Louisville, OKC, New Orleans, Raleigh, Buffalo etc.

T4: Boise, Omaha, Tucson.

Also, one could argue a "tier list" that only has LA and NYC as T1. That would then drop the rest of the cities in tier ranking.

Meaning OKC would be a T4 city.

nm

Depending on who you have in your Tiers, I'd said say no. OKC is a tier 3 city and metro.

T1: NYC, LA, Chicago, SF, Miami. Philly, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc..

T2: Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Orlando etc.

T3: Memphis, El Paso, Louisville, OKC, New Orleans, Raleigh, Buffalo etc.

T4: Boise, Omaha, Tucson.

Also, one could argue a "tier list" that only has LA and NYC as T1. That would then drop the rest of the cities in tier ranking.

Meaning OKC would be a T4 city.

2013-2014: New Orleans might surprise many; it probably among the top convention cities in the United States.

Best Convention City Winners: 2014 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards (http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-convention-city/)

Top convention destinations: Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas (http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/08/21/top-50-destinations-for-meeting-planners/2681695/)

Defining First, Second and Third Tier Meeting Destinations

Defining First, Second and Third Tier Meeting Destinations | Blog.empowerMINT.com (http://blog.empowermint.com/site-venue-inspection-selection/defining-first-second-and-third-tier-meeting-destinations/)

Oklahoma City will have an opportunity to leap frog some cities in the convention industry once we build the new convention center-hotel complex. Hotel rooms and exhibition space are the key elements. Our new convention center will put us in competition with many tier II, III level cities.


https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608010435660612777&pid=15.1&P=0
Why couldn't the new exhibition hall at the fairgrounds be counted into the equation of exhibition space?

Which is better:

OKC OR TULSA?

https://s.yimg.com/vw/api/res/1.2/GxPdfY_CPqwBcw_oQi_yOw--/YXBwaWQ9eWlzcmNoZHNrO2ZpPWZpdDtnZT0wMDY2MDA7Z3M9MD BBMzAwO2g9NTkzO3c9OTYw/http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/b7/01/48/b70148dc65900d1d90f9eafd40c1c358.jpg.cf.jpg

The sun sets on the downtown Oklahoma City skyline in this photo from January.


The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer took questions from readers in today's OKC Central Live Chat. You can join Steve's Q&A's on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and submit your questions about the happenings in and around downtown Oklahoma City.

Some excerpts appeared in Saturday, November 15 Oklahoman Business section • Published: November 15, 2014 by Steve Lackmeyer

Oklahoma City vs. Tulsa: A look at what each city has to offer




Q: More hotel rooms in the downtown vicinity?

A: Oklahoma City



Oklahoma City vs. Tulsa: A look at what each city has to offer | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-vs.-tulsa-a-look-at-what-each-city-has-to-offer/article/5366788)
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Once we get that anchor hotel built as a part of the proposed new convention center-hotel complex; Oklahoma City should be atop of many tier III convention cities poised to move to the next tier.

Oklahoma City now has more hotel rooms than Tulsa in the downtown vicinity. Gotta hand it to Steve Lackmeyer; he very knowledgeable, also at the top of his game...

M-pressive that Tulsa had the foresight to build two convention hotels downtown. Now why didn't OKC have this? We had the Myriad for how long? And really only the Sheraton for so long; Renaissance was an add in the 2000's. But even still our two doesn't have the room count of theirs.

OKC is behind Tier 3 Tulsa on conventioneering and this needs to (and will) change. Hat's off to Tulsa and it really shows that there is a little something to Tulsa's bravado at times. ... They really pack a huge punch above their weight (or better yet, OKC has drastically under-performed and underwhelmed).

Which flags would you rather have for your convention center?

- Convention/Full Service hotels downtown -

Tulsa:
Hyatt - world recognized for convention and big business
Doubletree - national business chain (typically CBD)

OKC:
Sheraton - Full Service hotel, national icon
Renaissance - Marriott luxury brand, limited location
Hilton - World recognized brand, heritage restoration

Probably OKC's flags, but Tulsa is indeed impressive and likely wont need to do as much. OKC needs to land a Hyatt and perhaps a Marriott to really be in the Tier 2 and compete. Just for kicks, I think Wichita also has a Hyatt Regency (but that's all they have).

Actually I think there are better options than any of those for a convention hotel.

2013-2014: New Orleans might surprise many; it probably among the top convention cities in the United States.
[

That is not a surprise at all. New Orleans has regularly been one of the top convention and tourist destinations in the US>

Depending on who you have in your Tiers, I'd said say no. OKC is a tier 3 city and metro.

T1: NYC, LA, Chicago, SF, Miami. Philly, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc..

T2: Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Orlando etc.

T3: Memphis, El Paso, Louisville, OKC, New Orleans, Raleigh, Buffalo etc.

T4: Boise, Omaha, Tucson.

Also, one could argue a "tier list" that only has LA and NYC as T1. That would then drop the rest of the cities in tier ranking.

Meaning OKC would be a T4 city.

I agree with this.

I agree with this.

I don't. Chicago and Las Vegas are clearly equal or superior to LA or New York for conventions.

I don't. Chicago and Las Vegas are clearly equal or superior to LA or New York for conventions.

I thought his post was about cities in general zoom just conventions.

I thought his post was about cities in general zoom just conventions.

I'm not sure what zoom has to do with it. LOL

I won't argue with OKC currently being tier 3 though. I just didn't agree with only NYC and LA being in the top tier.

I'm not sure what zoom has to do with it. LOL

I won't argue with OKC currently being tier 3 though. I just didn't agree with only NYC and LA being in the top tier.Ah geez. . . that typo made me laugh so hard I dropped my chocolate milk. Have to clean that up now. :p

I meant I think he was talking about cities general, and not just related to conventions, although I could be wrong.

I quite honestly would just classify NYC and LA as tier one, and maaaaaaaabe Chicago, but that's me.

Depending on who you have in your Tiers, I'd said say no. OKC is a tier 3 city and metro.

T1: NYC, LA, Chicago, SF, Miami. Philly, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc..

T2: Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Orlando etc.

T3: Memphis, El Paso, Louisville, OKC, New Orleans, Raleigh, Buffalo etc.

T4: Boise, Omaha, Tucson.

Also, one could argue a "tier list" that only has LA and NYC as T1. That would then drop the rest of the cities in tier ranking.

Meaning OKC would be a T4 city.

I would say in terms of conventions, OKC is currently Tier 4 in this list, with Boise, Omaha, and Tucson. This city is possibly even a tad behind Tulsa. Once the new convention center/hotel gets built, it will be able to compete with similar-sized cities and bring in much more exciting conventions. The Cox Convention Center simply does not cut it.

Also I would add Indy to Tier 2 or maybe even Tier 1. They are a very popular convention city.

...I think Wichita also has a Hyatt Regency (but that's all they have).

You're right that Wichita has a beautiful Hyatt (maybe 15 years old) on the river connected to their convention center, but they do have a number of other hotels in downtown and Old Town including the large and historic Broadview (now a Drury), the wonderful Hotel at Old Town (a converted warehouse), the Courtyard at Old Town (same), an even nicer Ambassador than our own, the Hotel at Waterwalk, a Wyndham Garden and a Fairfield, just off the top of my head. I've stayed at almost all of those, and all are modern and very nice.

Keep hearing a concern that money will be taken from other projects to fund the convention center. This should not be a concern at this time. Many of the projects on MAPS III referendum will probably have bids come in over projection. We can extend the MAPS III tax an addition period to pay for all the projects or we can trim each project across the board. MAPS IV should be an interesting process as it relates to what the city & its citizens feel will be our greatest needs.

Why do we need a functional convention center? It possesses the potential to bring in a lot of out-of-state dollars (just like the rapids project) into our economy. Those projects should be given priority because they will make the greatest impression on outsiders about our city, they will help grow our local economy. Other projects should not be cut or trimmed down at the expense of the rapids & the convention center.

If the convention center complex is developed with an anchor hotel where we can bid for the more lucrative tier II level conventions--that would expand exhibit space and an anchor hotel to accommodate a minimum of 735 rooms or a combination of two hotels (450 & 325-rooms or some combination in that range), this would make us a viable convention city.

Now, I don't know of many projects that actually pay for themselves when you attempt to account for the project itself; the 'economic impact' is where you recoup the project's value--the out-of-state money generated.

A 1,000 room hotel would be a game changer; this would allow us to bid for the larger conventions (that bring in a lot of out-of-state dollars) and grow the industry in our city. The out-of-state dollars is what will balloon your local economy. Right now, the Cox Convention Center is just redistributing in-state/city money into our local coffers. We want to grow the convention business industry; this is an area where you expand you local economy.

Oklahoma City appears to be on the right path. The pieces of the development puzzle are coming into play. It won't require your average conventioneer to have a vehicle to get about in the CBD.

My post was a general tier ranking for city/metro areas.

If you were to their cities by conventions, well, that's an entirely different thing.

Just convention wise, depending on how you rank convention cities, I'd say OKC is a T4 or T5 city. You could rank them very tightly or very loosely base on a variety of critical. Convention center size, amount of yearly events hosted, rooms booked, hotel rooms in a 3-5 mile radius, etc. With all that said, OKC just isn't very big or noticeable on the convention business scene.

I don't. Chicago and Las Vegas are clearly equal or superior to LA or New York for conventions.

Chicago and Vegas are in the top 3 for conventions in the US, if not the world, along with Orlando. All of the biggest/best conventions fight for those locations and they don't really need to compete since they're always booked; it's just a matter of finding a date. In fact, Chicago's main convention center is the biggest in the world (I think it's 3.5 million square feet or bigger now). It is the definition of Tier 1 Business City; hence its importance to the national and world scene.Vegas and Orlando have the tourism angle vs. Chicago's #1 Business position, mega airports, and central location.

If anything, Chicago-Vegas-Orlando (in that order) would be a Tier 0 among themselves, with NY-LA-SF-DC-Phila-DFW-ATL-HOU being Tier 1.

Like it or not, OKC is an upper Tier 3 market with the Cox Convention Center and will be a Tier 2 market with the new CC and CC hotel(s). The CC people know what they're doing and I don't disagree with OKC striving to move up a notch. The problem I have with them is blatantly undercutting the other projects which were more popular, instead of being honest with the public and pleading the case for a Tier 2 Convention Center.

As to OKC's new convention center, I believe the citizens of OKC aren't stupid and likely WOULD approve a CC with all the bells and whistles as long as leaders respected their wishes and explain upfront what is involved/cost. I mean, look at the continual subsidization of the Fairgrounds (who has multiple existing revenue streams). Perhaps this will be the case going forward, but I (as an OKC expat) feel a bit slighted by the Maps 3 "governance" body and CC committees for their slimy behaviour regarding the CC vis-a-vis the other much more popular projects.

You're right that Wichita has a beautiful Hyatt (maybe 15 years old) on the river connected to their convention center, but they do have a number of other hotels in downtown and Old Town including the large and historic Broadview (now a Drury), the wonderful Hotel at Old Town (a converted warehouse), the Courtyard at Old Town (same), an even nicer Ambassador than our own, the Hotel at Waterwalk, a Wyndham Garden and a Fairfield, just off the top of my head. I've stayed at almost all of those, and all are modern and very nice.

urbanized, I was talking about full service or convention hotel. I know Wichita has other limited service and boutique hotels but my little list was just full service/convention downtown; which I believe Wichita only has the Hyatt.

Chicago and Vegas are in the top 3 for conventions in the US, if not the world, along with Orlando. All of the biggest/best conventions fight for those locations and they don't really need to compete since they're always booked; it's just a matter of finding a date. In fact, Chicago's main convention center is the biggest in the world (I think it's 3.5 million square feet or bigger now). It is the definition of Tier 1 Business City; hence its importance to the national and world scene.Vegas and Orlando have the tourism angle vs. Chicago's #1 Business position, mega airports, and central location.

If anything, Chicago-Vegas-Orlando (in that order) would be a Tier 0 among themselves, with NY-LA-SF-DC-Phila-DFW-ATL-HOU being Tier 1.

Like it or not, OKC is an upper Tier 3 market with the Cox Convention Center and will be a Tier 2 market with the new CC and CC hotel(s). The CC people know what they're doing and I don't disagree with OKC striving to move up a notch. The problem I have with them is blatantly undercutting the other projects which were more popular, instead of being honest with the public and pleading the case for a Tier 2 Convention Center.

As to OKC's new convention center, I believe the citizens of OKC aren't stupid and likely WOULD approve a CC with all the bells and whistles as long as leaders respected their wishes and explain upfront what is involved/cost. I mean, look at the continual subsidization of the Fairgrounds (who has multiple existing revenue streams). Perhaps this will be the case going forward, but I (as an OKC expat) feel a bit slighted by the Maps 3 "governance" body and CC committees for their slimy behaviour regarding the CC vis-a-vis the other much more popular projects.

I don't think you can have a Tier 0, as 0 has no value. lol

But I agree that those three city are the top three in a TIer 1. But the gap between them and a few other cities isn't big enough that they'd be the only cities in T1.

And as for OKC, as I said, I think it's a middle of the pack T4/T5 convention city.

Josh, you're incorrect about OKC's convention status. I'll leave it at that and trust your San Antonio updates.

Josh, you're incorrect about OKC's convention status. I'll leave it at that and trust your San Antonio updates.

An opinion is neither correct or incorrect. I see you disagree with my opinion, and that's fine. But mine is based on not only being in the convention industry locally here in San Antonio a few years ago, but also through researchable data anyone here could find themselves.

I understand the motive of city pride and seeing things through rose colored lenses but I assure you, I arrived at a T4/T5 ranking for OKC with zero bias. OKC is just not nor has ever been a convention city. In the future, perhaps, but it just isn't on any radar imaginable on a national level. Regional and locally, sure, nationally, no.

Though, I'm interested to hear your reasoning for saying I am incorrect.

Josh is right. The Cox Convention Center just doesn't cut it for anything more than a local/regional convention. I would say even Tulsa gets more.

That will all change though when the new convention center is constructed. I think a lot of people underestimate the amount of exposure the convention center will give OKC and the amount of out of state dollars it will bring in. This is going to be a game changer.

OKC is on the right track. Let's hope voters don't derail future MAPs projects because of the proposed convention center debacle.

IIRC, it took nearly a decade to get voters to approve a $23 million bond issue for the Myriad Convention Center, as a result it was downsized from a 15,000 to 14,000 seat arena. Hotels who were in need of that facility like the Skirvin, Skirvin Twin Towers, Holiday Inn, Tivoli Inn, Colcord, Sheraton (Biltmore) and Black Hotel had vacated. Anyway, by the time we got the Myriad built, Tulsa & Wichita were ahead of our game--we lost out on the Hyatt, Marriott, Omni and DoubleTree type hotel brands.

Our convention center business was DOA...

We should make MAPS a permanent tax, increase collections to 1.5 cent; create a MAPs Fund. At the end of a five year interval, use half the money for the City's pet projects and the other half for the voters' popularity. We would have the potential to collect about $750-$800 million every five years.

OKC wants to be a tier 2 city so they need to have a CC Hotel in line with tier 2 cities. No need building something that doesn't raise the bar.

I think it's weird when people get sentimental about buildings. They are just buildings, people! It's not like your best pig died.

An opinion is neither correct or incorrect. I see you disagree with my opinion, and that's fine. But mine is based on not only being in the convention industry locally here in San Antonio a few years ago, but also through researchable data anyone here could find themselves.

I understand the motive of city pride and seeing things through rose colored lenses but I assure you, I arrived at a T4/T5 ranking for OKC with zero bias. OKC is just not nor has ever been a convention city. In the future, perhaps, but it just isn't on any radar imaginable on a national level. Regional and locally, sure, nationally, no.

Though, I'm interested to hear your reasoning for saying I am incorrect.

Actually it is very rare for meeting planners to reference cities as anything less than tier 3. Not to be rude here, but I question your "industry experience."

A quick google search reveals we are actually a tier 2 city, by their definitions of course:

Second-Tier Destinations | www.themeetingmagazines.com (http://www.themeetingmagazines.com/acf/site-selection-second-tier-destinations/)

http://www.buses.org/files/ConnectMagazine%20Second%20Tier%20Cities.pdf

Now if I were just guessing, were are probably on the low end of a tier II status. But the tier definitions are really not that complicated, and I can see why OKC is tier II:

Defining First, Second and Third Tier Meeting Destinations | Blog.empowerMINT.com (http://blog.empowermint.com/site-venue-inspection-selection/defining-first-second-and-third-tier-meeting-destinations/)

Again, all this is straight from the horse's mouth. No bias here.