AC Hotels, an urban concept by Marriott that has been popular in Europe, will be coming to central Oklahoma City in one of the chain's first entries into the United States market.



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NewcrestImage of Lewisville, Texas will build an AC Hotel and Hyatt Place as part of the massive Steelyard (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Steelyard) complex currently under construction in east Bricktown. The company recently opened the nearby Holiday Inn Express (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Holiday+Inn+Express) and the first AC Hotel in the U.S. in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

In addition to the New Orleans location, AC also has hotels in Chicago, Miami Beach, Kansas City and the Washington D.C. Area, as well as 80 destinations in Europe.

From the AC Hotels website:

“The brand targets travelers searching for a design-led hotel in a great location. Sleek, sophisticated European inspired aesthetics bring the culture of the location alive to support our guests’ experience.
The public space in AC Hotels by Marriott has a crisp, linear design, and features carefully curated museum-quality artifacts. The AC Lounge creates a dynamic atmosphere, offering evening cocktails, quality wines, beverages and "small plate" food offerings. The signature AC Guestroom boasts sleek European-inspired design with sophisticated furnishings and dramatic retail-inspired lighting.”


As a part of the same development, NewcrestImage will also build a Hyatt Place hotel and the two properties will share a common outdoor courtyard. Both hotels will be 5 stories and approximately 150 rooms each. The group is also planning to develop for-lease space on the corner of Joe Carter and Sheridan that they hope to lease to an upscale restaurant.


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The two new properties would bring the downtown hotel count to 22. As recently as 1998, the downtown area only had one hotel. See our comprehensive Downtown Hotel Summary (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Downtown+Hotel+Summary) for details.

When complete, The Steelyard (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Steelyard) will be the largest apartment complex in the urban core with a total of 400 units, structured parking and considerable retail space.

Directly across the street, Criterion Concert Hall (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Criterion+Concert+Hall) just broke ground in the suddenly booming East Bricktown area.


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It almost feels like "East Bricktown" is developing its own identity a little bit.

Awesome news about the AC Hotel. NewcrestImage knows what they're doing and the AC in New Orleans is simply elegant. Really excited to see how these properties turn out. However, just like everyone else will say, I wish it was taller!

Note that the 1-story restaurant building (will likely be similar to 2-story, with high ceilings) will be on the corner, which will somewhat detract from the emerging streetwall along Sheridan.

Awesome. This kind of reminds me of the hotel I stayed at in Dallas this weekend. That area is going to be truly special in a couple of years once everything has been built.

It's interesting they are doing two smallish hotels rather than one larger one.

I suppose it's to take advantage of both brands; get booking through both the Hyatt and Marriott systems.

There certainly seems to be a strong lean towards 100 to 150 room limited service hotels these days, rather than bigger ones from a generation ago. And they are almost all franchises.

Note that the 1-story restaurant building (will likely be similar to 2-story, with high ceilings) will be on the corner, which will somewhat detract from the emerging streetwall along Sheridan.

I love almost everything about this project but am disappointed in what they have planned for the corner. I would be interested to see what the Main St and Charlie Christian terminal views are. Those streets should terminate with distinctive architecture.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Main St. is running through. It terminates at the Hotels.

I agree that it would be nice to have more massing at the corner, but they did the right thing by putting the Restaurant at the corner of Carter/Sheridan. I feel like they could build rooms on top of the restaurant, but it's a relatively minor complaint.

I know I dinged the SpringHill for putting their entrance mid-block, but that's what I would have done with the Hyatt (although that likely would have screwed up the meeting rooms: Especially if I'm right that they're not continuing Main through the development, an entrance to your hotel makes for a GREAT terminal view to a street.

If they bring in PF Changs, like the owner has indicated as a possible restaurant, would the two large horses holding up the roof be a good terminal view? They look fairly impressive at some of the restaurants.

If the horses are at the corner there won't be a terminal view of them since no street will dead end into them. Looking at the drawings again it looks like Main St will terminate into a unique part of the Hyatt Place (the metal looking part with the sloping roof). I can't tell what Charlie Christian terminates into.

If PF Changs goes in, and I hope it does, how they get the horses in without increasing the setback from the corner will be interesting.

I know I dinged the SpringHill for putting their entrance mid-block, but that's what I would have done with the Hyatt (although that likely would have screwed up the meeting rooms: Especially if I'm right that they're not continuing Main through the development, an entrance to your hotel makes for a GREAT terminal view to a street.

I would do that also.

I don't think it will be PF Changs. I suspect that name-drop was a placeholder that communicated the minimum quality of tenant you can expect.

I am not familiar enough with the food scene in OKC to know what you need, but from this site, it seems that you have steakhouses covered. All I hope is that they choose a place that fills an unmet need and attracts more tourist money to the area.

I was really hoping for a PF Changs because they bring a lot tag-along businesses with them.

I am not familiar enough with the food scene in OKC to know what you need, but from this site, it seems that you have steakhouses covered. All I hope is that they choose a place that fills an unmet need and attracts more tourist money to the area.

I agree. OKC has no shortage of quality steakhouses. I would really like to see something like McCormick and Schmicks there. PF Changs would be good because it has draw and a lot of other businesses like to be near them.

It looks like steakHAUS is what we will get instead.

Assuming Ruth's Chris goes into Gilmcher's development, McCormick and Schmicks would be a good addition to the list of upscale national restaurants for OKC. But you are about to get two other seafood places in the next year or two, so the pent up demand for that might be met. I would say a Nobu, but it is quite expensive.

Funny enough, AC Hotels was just announced for San Antonio as well.

Here's the link to my post here (http://www.okctalk.com/other-communities/35797-san-antonio-%7C-deep-heart-21.html#post882224).

I'm more excited for Phase II of the development to be honest.

Looks great!

Don't be afraid of one story buildings in urban environments. They are plentiful in Portland :)

Looks great!

Don't be afraid of one story buildings in urban environments. They are plentiful in Portland :)

I agree. It's the gaps and surface parking that detract from our urban environment more than our lack of height.

Looks great!

Don't be afraid of one story buildings in urban environments. They are plentiful in Portland :)

I don't disagree, but corners are not the best place for them. Now if they add some sort of sculpture/place-making-thing on top of the building, then I suppose that helps, but massing at the corner is pretty important.

That being said, this is not exactly the most important corner downtown.

That being said, this is not exactly the most important corner downtown.

It is the only at-grade connection between Bricktown a Deep Deuce and will be the primary intersection connecting residential, retail, 7 hotels, and live entertainment. In 3 years this intersection will be pretty darn important (way more active than any current intersection in Bricktown from a pedestrian perspective)

Revised plans to be presented next week now show a 3-level structure on the corner of Sheridan & Joe Carter, with a restaurant on the ground floor, meeting rooms on the 2nd then a open air bar on the 3rd.

Looks pretty slick.

^ Scroll to top of page for previous story about this project with more details.




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Looks nice. Just wish it wasn't a stick built through the wall AC type structure. When will we learn these structures just aren't as sustaining or as high quality.

Here are a couple of better renderings:



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I like the look of the AC and the addition of the lounge but the Hyatt Place is quite a downgrade from the original renderings.

I like the look of the AC and the addition of the lounge but the Hyatt Place is quite a downgrade from the original renderings.

I agree. It's not bad but is kind of weak.

Based upon the comments at BUDC I would expect more brick on the south facade of Hyatt Place and a bit more on the primary also, when it comes back for formal review in November. There were initial comments directed at the AC wondering if it were too modern to be acceptable, but once it was shown next to Hyatt Place the comments switched to where they were more critical of the overall blandness of the Hyatt when juxtaposed with the AC. ADG pointed out that they were working within the constraints of a corporate prototype, which committee members agreed could be limiting when trying to provide style upgrades.

After the presentation when they went to comments from committee members I found one of Tom Wilson's comments fascinating and enlightening. He had correctly withheld comment during the presentation as ADG is his firm (I'm certain he will recuse himself from voting when the project is formally reviewed). But he made an excellent guidance point to some of the newer members - people who are thoughtful, well-intentioned and very qualified, but new to the process - that instead of saying things like "we would like to see..." they should instead ty to phrase things to the effect of "I would be unlikely to vote to approve if..." The reason, he said, was that when architects are working on a project where design is dictated by corporate prototype, stronger comments such as that one give the architect more leverage with their clients to make changes to better fit district guidelines. It was a small thing, but it gave me some insight to the process that I had not had before this. It also demonstrated that while occasional new blood and views are very important to committees like this, having some continuity and earned wisdom is also very helpful.

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The Hyatt Place does look very bland. I would have expected more from a Hyatt Place. They just broke ground in Madison, WI on a new AC Hotel, which in my opinion, looks better than the one proposed for OKC.

Yea it looks better but mostly because its twice as tall as the OKC version. Shrink it down to five stories and it would look quite different. There's a lot of good examples of Hyatt Places around the U.S. so I'm fairly confident the architects will find something the committee deems worthy.

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The Hyatt Place does look very bland. I would have expected more from a Hyatt Place. They just broke ground in Madison, WI on a new AC Hotel, which in my opinion, looks better than the one proposed for OKC.

That does indeed look nice, but architecturally does not belong in Bricktown.

As per Steve, problems have come up with the design.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/5472372?embargo_redirect=yes


Revised plans for a Marriott AC Hotel to be built as part of the Steelyard in east Bricktown were criticized by a city planning committee unhappy with the hotel chain's decision to make the project look like its other properties.
“Our client and the Marriott brand decided the three-story component at the corner was incompatible,” said J.C. Witcher, an architect with ADG. “We eliminated the three-story restaurant and bar, we now have guest rooms out to the corner.”
A final vote on the design isn't set until March. But committee members Omar Khoury, Jonathan Dodson and Sandino Thompson all indicated they loved the first plans and were unhappy with the revisions.

I can't see the new renderings but I am okay with increasing the height at the corner. That is how it should be. I only hope they move the entrance to the corner as well. To create great urban space everything should be massed at the corners. Each intersection is the equivalent of a center court in a mall - and that is where the highest priced stores go (usually jewelry stores) because the space is so valuable. For the life of me I can't figure why a mall developer knows this but regular developers don't. Then we wonder why street-level retail doesn't exist. Just take the entrance from where ever it is (usually right in the center of the building), and move it to the intersection.

Only the Aloft and Courtyard did that in OKC, and then both ruined it by putting in the driveway there.

Just do this.

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Differentiation is good.

Yeah, I didn't even bother posting the latest design because it had changed so many times and I didn't think the committee would accept them anyway.

Here they are:



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The committee didn't criticize massing at the corner. They were critical of the new lack of sidewalk interaction on Joe Carter and to a lesser extent of the materials and overall feel of the building compared to the earlier design. But more than anything they placed a big focus on the lack of sidewalk interaction.

The article from Steve with an access key: Revised hotel designs disappoint Bricktown Urban Design Committee | Oklahoman.com (http://www.oklahoman.com/article/5472372?access=e1e47efac06e82ab82af4ab963dab896)

Yeah that's kinda fugly.

I'd take that Ferrari parked out front though. :wink:

Yep - that revision was a failure. Why is this so hard for some professionals to figure out? I think it shows a complete lack of passion. Just developers going through the motions with no interest or desire to make a place special.

I thought the renderings posted back in September knocked it out of the park... The newest revision is very, very bland, and while this layout provides more guest rooms, it's drastically reduced the amount of sidewalk interaction. Moving the main hotel entrance to the corner would help, but honestly not by much. I sincerely hope they return to a design like the one they presented in September.

I remain underwhelmed. None of the renderings have really impressed, but the most recent batch is the worst. I never really liked the 3 story structure being the corner "centerpiece" either though. So, IMO, they still have a long, long way to go.

^^^^^^
The changes were client-driven, not architect-driven. The explanation given was that AC wanted them to walk it back a little bit to more closely match the corporate prototype.

^^^^^^
The changes were client-driven, not architect-driven. The explanation given was that AC wanted them to walk it back a little bit to more closely match the corporate prototype.

I should have clarified that I don't hold ADG staff responsible. It was clear it's client driven and I think they're making a sizable mistake.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? They questioned this but allowed the Springhill Suites to build that nasty thing just across the way. I would prefer this over that any day.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? They questioned this but allowed the Springhill Suites to build that nasty thing just across the way. I would prefer this over that any day.So is that your justification of getting this thing built?

I think it's okay, but I really, really liked the previous version much better.

Was the Hyatt Place already announced?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? They questioned this but allowed the Springhill Suites to build that nasty thing just across the way. I would prefer this over that any day.

This is why we REALLY need to be concerned as to how we set precedents. We allow way too much crappy development to move forward, and we loose credibility for the few times we actually want to assert design standards. It's important to take a comprehensive look. Looking at you Staybridge/Candlewood/Whatever.

This is why we REALLY need to be concerned as to how we set precedents. We allow way too much crappy development to move forward, and we loose credibility for the few times we actually want to assert design standards. It's important to take a comprehensive look. Looking at you Staybridge/Candlewood/Whatever.

Completely agree with this and I've said this for a long time. Downtown OKC has reached the point where the city should demand higher standards and enforce design codes. Development for development's sake is no longer necessary. I am not sure the city understands this given the developments that have been allowed to move forward. When crappy development is allowed to be built, not only is it bad for the city but its unfair to developers who make the effort to do things right.

The AC lounge renderings above are my choice.

Architects hope third time's a charm when submitting designs for hotel in Oklahoma City's Bricktown | News OK (http://newsok.com/architects-hope-third-times-a-charm-when-submitting-designs-for-hotel-in-oklahoma-citys-bricktown/article/5473781)

FYI, the new rendering is the 3rd one visible on the mobile site.

Completely agree with this and I've said this for a long time. Downtown OKC has reached the point where the city should demand higher standards and enforce design codes. Development for development's sake is no longer necessary. I am not sure the city understands this given the developments that have been allowed to move forward. When crappy development is allowed to be built, not only is it bad for the city but its unfair to developers who make the effort to do things right.

I don't think we are at all desperate for development, or else I wouldn't try to shame the bad projects. I've done affordable housing projects in Youngstown, Ohio (think Gary or East STL) that would be totally inappropriate for a revitalized part of Cleveland, for instance, so yes perspective is vital. OKC has so much going for it, but our biggest problem is that we're such a "don't rock the boat" kinda place. We are way too nice. Denying a bldg/demo/etc permit is not very nice.

You can't always play nice though. I promise that I'm a nice guy, but I've been around bigger cities long enough to have seen shrewd land use / design controls work well, but I also know that there's a way to bring the overall quality up so that everyone benefits. This isn't intended to be personal, mean-spirited, or anti-development. I am probably the most pro-development person to ever work in planning, but you gotta have a strategy and know what you're doing.

In this case, even though the design standards in OKC usually fail in the event of an unwilling/uninterested developer, here the standards are working to make this the perfect project for this site. You win some, you lose some. Kudos to ADG for their effort, and for coming to the table with an interest in working with the BUDC. Obviously ADG is established in the community and I'd consider their firm a stakeholder group in and of itself, regardless of the great developers they get as clients.

Pete can you put the now current and approved plans at the top of the page, I'm not sure what's what any more...

I like this latest rendering, I think it is much more attractive than the stale second choice.

I agree the new design is better than the 2nd for sure.

Pete can you put the now current and approved plans at the top of the page, I'm not sure what's what any more...

Nothing has been approved yet and the hotel group will have to submit their new design to Bricktown Design Review for approval in the next meeting.

And BTW, there has already been more than 3 revisions to the design and there may be more before this is over with.

It's better for sure. More interesting massing. The change is not unlike Ford Center becoming the CHK Arena.

Oh oops I saw the other approval and missed that they still have to go back to BUDC.

The hotel looks significantly less bricked than in the original renderings. And I'm a little surprised there's been no reaction to the travesty that is the Hyatt Place renderings. These hotels' designs are going to detract significantly from the Steelyard apartments.