Yes, March 21, 2012, the President arrived around 9:50 pm and the Thunder played the Clippers at 7:00pm. I remember people saying they were leaving the arena and walking through the Cox Convention Center to skywalk to get to the parking garage next to the Skirvin and there were secret service agents lined up along the glass looking at everyone walking by.

Not that I know but I would think that the NBA would plan and contract for accommodations for visiting teams for the upcoming season shortly after the schedule is released.

If there is no provision for cancellation on short notice for such an event as a Presidential visit, they may not have had much choice in the matter...

Not that I know but I would think that the NBA would plan and contract for accommodations for visiting teams for the upcoming season shortly after the schedule is released.

If there is no provision for cancellation on short notice for such an event as a Presidential visit, they may not have had much choice in the matter...

Kind of what I was thinking. I doubt the management at the Skirvin gave up the chance to host the POTUS due to political affiliations. It was more than likely due to the fact that they had 15 6-7 ft tall guys plus trainers and coaches staying on the top couple of floors and people being in town for the game that made them not host the President.

I guess I am confused, what are you angry about? That Obama did not stay at the Skirvin?

You're confused? Come on. I'm upset the president was denied a room. I don't know how it could be more clear.

You're confused? Come on. I'm upset the president was denied a room. I don't know how it could be more clear.

To be fair, there was a lot more talk about the Skirvin's GM being let go on this thread and I wasn't sure if you were upset about that or about POTUS being denied a room. What proof is there that he was denied just because they didn't want him there? More than likely, it is because the Skirvin books a full two or three floors for the visiting basketball team playing the Thunder that night and other rooms for people coming in from out of town to go to the game. The Sheraton is the largest hotel in DT OKC at 395 rooms and has the ability to clear out multiple rooms for the President to visit.

I don't think you were being attacked. Can you provide the link to the original story?

What makes this story worse is that the OKC Obama Campaign chose the Skirvin for its campaign-night watch party in 2008, with money provided by the state Democratic Party. It was a cash bar situation and the Skirvin made a ton of money that night. If memory serves, it was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, revenue nights the hotel had had since its reopening.

The more I think about this, the angrier I am getting. Think I'm going to bypass spending my money at the Red Piano or Park Avenue Grill.

There was no story at the time. The manager, Martin Van Der Laan, wasn't very talkative. They apparently didn't want to relocate booked guests to other hotels.

This whole deal is just weird. Does Marcus Hotels not want the Skirvin improved? Why was the lady manager let go so abruptly?

There was no story at the time. The manager, Martin Van Der Laan, wasn't very talkative. They apparently didn't want to relocate booked guests to other hotels.

That is understandable, but it is the President of the United States!

There was no story at the time. The manager, Martin Van Der Laan, wasn't very talkative. They apparently didn't want to relocate booked guests to other hotels.

Martin Van Der Laan:

http://that70scard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ruprecht-1.jpg

I may have missed it but did someone explain exactly why and how POTUS was denied room at the Skirvin?

In this thread I see where the Skirvin has 225 rooms compared with Sheraton's 390, so maybe size was the issue. The presidential entourage must be quite large.

President Obama may have made a last-minute decision to come here, and in that case they'd have to relocate many guests who were already in place. Even if that's legal (I believe that real estate laws govern hotel room occupancy rights), it isn't something a hotel owner or manager wants to do (enter a guest's room without his permission, pack his things and move them to either another room or a holding area).

Again, maybe I missed the reason POTUS was denied by the Skirvin, but I didn't see it.

real shame and as bchris said, this is an embarrassment for the city of OKC.

It is one thing for the POTUS to CHOOSE to stay at the Sheraton, it is another for Oklahoma's #1 Hotel in the Skirvin to refuse to accommodate the POTUS irregardless of who the heck else was booked. I'm sure those 15 NBA players would understand and likely GLADLY move to accommodate the president if the hotel did so much as mention to the booking people that Obama was potentially interested in staying there.

The prestige of hosting the President of the United States, (not to mention the money likely to be gained) far offsets any inconvenience of other guests (who as I said, likely would understand and agree to accommodate him). I suppose the Skirvin is not the grand hotel it claims to be; now the Sheraton OKC (of all hotels) can boast of hosting President Barak Obama.

Welcome to OKC! Big-League City.

:shakes head with disgust:

I may have missed it but did someone explain exactly why and how POTUS was denied room at the Skirvin?

In this thread I see where the Skirvin has 225 rooms compared with Sheraton's 390, so maybe size was the issue. The presidential entourage must be quite large.

President Obama may have made a last-minute decision to come here, and in that case they'd have to relocate many guests who were already in place. Even if that's legal (I believe that real estate laws govern hotel room occupancy rights), it isn't something a hotel owner or manager wants to do (enter a guest's room without his permission, pack his things and move them to either another room or a holding area).

Again, maybe I missed the reason POTUS was denied by the Skirvin, but I didn't see it.

We don't know. How would we? And what would be acceptable? In a post above, Steve speculated it had to do with relocation of guests. To me, not an acceptable reason.

Also, his visit was not "last minute." It was widely reported several days ahead of time. They probably were planning it several weeks out. It would not have been a situation where hotel guests were forced from their rooms. Geez.

real shame and as bchris said, this is an embarrassment for the city of OKC.

It is one thing for the POTUS to CHOOSE to stay at the Sheraton, it is another for Oklahoma's #1 Hotel in the Skirvin to refuse to accommodate the POTUS irregardless of who the heck else was booked. I'm sure those 15 NBA players would understand and likely GLADLY move to accommodate the president if the hotel did so much as mention to the booking people that Obama was potentially interested in staying there.

The prestige of hosting the President of the United States, (not to mention the money likely to be gained) far offsets any inconvenience of other guests (who as I said, likely would understand and agree to accommodate him). I suppose the Skirvin is not the grand hotel it claims to be; now the Sheraton OKC (of all hotels) can boast of hosting President Barak Obama.

Welcome to OKC! Big-League City.

:shakes head with disgust:

100% agree. I am almost certain refusing him was about politics. What other reason would it be?

The hotel may not have wanted to repair all the damage those hard-rocking, party-animal secret service guys would have inflicted on the hotel. LOL!

Didn't this happen over a year ago? Why does is matter? Is Obama upset? Did he ever publicly come out in disgust? There are other things to worry about. If it were me, I'd relocate my guest on the account of a presidential visit and give them a week or two free. But again, I don't really think it is that big of an issue.

I may have missed it but did someone explain exactly why and how POTUS was denied room at the Skirvin?

In this thread I see where the Skirvin has 225 rooms compared with Sheraton's 390, so maybe size was the issue. The presidential entourage must be quite large.

President Obama may have made a last-minute decision to come here, and in that case they'd have to relocate many guests who were already in place. Even if that's legal (I believe that real estate laws govern hotel room occupancy rights), it isn't something a hotel owner or manager wants to do (enter a guest's room without his permission, pack his things and move them to either another room or a holding area).

Again, maybe I missed the reason POTUS was denied by the Skirvin, but I didn't see it.

I remember when George HW Bush stayed at the Sheraton during the 1980's or early 90's during the now famous Cattlemen's visit, the Secret Service required a minimum of 250 rooms. The Skirvin may not have had enough rooms to accommodate the President and his entourage.

Bigray in Ok

that could be a point but I doubt two floors of the Sheraton = 250 rooms. Not sure if Obama is upset but those of us on this forum sure are and I think it does need to be discussed that the POTUS should be accommodated if OKC truly wants to join the league of big cities. There is no excuse in my book for wherever he wants to stay and whenever it is; who could trump the President of the US?

On another note, Charles Barkley and Marv Albert will be broadcasting from OKC on Thursday night TnT; I'm sure the Skirvin is available to them. Should be a fun night in the city.

I still don't see what everyone is so up in arms about. There have been no reports that POTUS was denied any sort of lodging anywhere in the city. It can be assumed that the Skirvin was too full with the Thunder to host him. The basketball teams probably book the rooms further in advance than the President knew he was coming to Oklahoma in the first place. Again, the President requires a significant amount of space around and below him for security and for his people to stay. It's like being mad that the new Stage Center Tower might be 15 stories tall, but we have no idea so we are getting mad about nothing.

100% agree. I am almost certain refusing him was about politics. What other reason would it be?

That's actually the least practical, and least likely, reason for it. No business person who has been successful enough to become the GM at a hotel like this is going to make such a personal, arbitrary decision in that situation. So much of your thinking in discussions here seems to be driven by a desire to confirm your biases about the people who live with you in this community.

I still don't see what everyone is so up in arms about. There have been no reports that POTUS was denied any sort of lodging anywhere in the city. It can be assumed that the Skirvin was too full with the Thunder to host him. The basketball teams probably book the rooms further in advance than the President knew he was coming to Oklahoma in the first place. Again, the President requires a significant amount of space around and below him for security and for his people to stay. It's like being mad that the new Stage Center Tower might be 15 stories tall, but we have no idea so we are getting mad about nothing.

There you go again. You are incorrect, sir. Here is the report, from Steve.

A New Manager at the Skirvin | News OK (http://newsok.com/a-new-manager-at-the-skirvin/article/3905189)

And here is the money quote:


I’m going to be a bit honest – the last manager and his marketing director did not make the greatest impression on me, and they weren’t a big hit with local industry leaders either. To sum it up – when it came to needing lodging in Oklahoma City, Barack Obama, the first black president, was denied a room at the Skirvin. A chance to atone for its history of barring black guests through the early 1960s was dismissed. It also cost the Skirvin of reviving its past glory as being the hotel of choice for visiting presidents (Obama ended up staying across the street at the Sheraton Hotel).


What else do you want, Warren? Are you saying Steve's reporting is incorrect on this matter?

My reporting was correct. Martin Van der Laan, manager at the time, was not very communicative with me at the time and did not offer any real explanation. Marcus folks have since contacted me (this week) and say they had a full hotel and did not want to relocate guests to other hotels to make room for Obama and his staff.

There you go again. You are incorrect, sir. Here is the report, from Steve.

A New Manager at the Skirvin | News OK (http://newsok.com/a-new-manager-at-the-skirvin/article/3905189)

And here is the money quote:

What else do you want, Warren? Are you saying Steve's reporting is incorrect on this matter?

My apologies, I guess I missed the report, but again, it does not say WHY he was not given a room. Again, NBA teams book rooms months in advance and take up multiple floors for the players, staff, trainers, media, etc. They might have been at capacity and could not move around enough rooms to house the President and the dozens and dozens of people he brings with him. We don't know and we (you) are getting angry that he was refused a room (multiple rooms due to security purposes) without completely understanding the situation.

My reporting was correct. Martin Van der Laan, manager at the time, was not very communicative with me at the time and did not offer any real explanation. Marcus folks have since contacted me (this week) and say they had a full hotel and did not want to relocate guests to other hotels to make room for Obama and his staff.

Thanks for the clarification. And again, I was not saying your reporting was incorrect, just there were questions that went unanswered like why he was refused a room and you just answered that. Thanks again for your reporting and looking forward to your chat tomorrow.

No problem. And quite frankly, I was unable to give that context until Marcus folks finally agreed to provide it to me.

My reporting was correct. Martin Van der Laan, manager at the time, was not very communicative with me at the time and did not offer any real explanation. Marcus folks have since contacted me (this week) and say they had a full hotel and did not want to relocate guests to other hotels to make room for Obama and his staff.

So what they are saying is that it had zero to do with race, but that they were just at capacity.

So what they are saying is that it had zero to do with race, but that they were just at capacity.

Yes, exactly. So they denied the president a room because they were full. Classy. They could have relocated their guests, as I'm sure other properties do, but they didn't. Not cool in my book.

steve, please get ahold of the fired manager and get her story. weird deal.

yes, exactly. So they denied the president a room because they were full. Classy. they could have relocated their guests, as i'm sure other properties do, but they didn't. not cool in my book.

bingo

The Skirvin has never been the same since John Williams went to the Colcord. I co-hosted the 2008 Obama Democratic watch party there. Also the streetcar project debut in 2009. John and his staff handled both events impeccably. The Dems made the Skirvin a lot of money that one November night!

I did go over there last night. The Red Piano Bar is still the place for old school politics despite the overall management.

It's extremely disappointing the President was denied a room at our finest hotel but to try to stir the pot and dramatize the event by insinuating it was racially driven was a mistake and a rare sophomoric move by Steve.

You don't know what I know or witness what I witnessed from that management team... so you might want to stop short at the word "sophomoric".....

Perhaps I am the only one, but truthfully I'm far more curious on how a major hotel like Skirvin hires a new Gm and sends her packing before she is unpacked than I am on whether the hotel booted out guests to accommodate a VIP, even if the VIP is the president and entourage

You're confused? Come on. I'm upset the president was denied a room. I don't know how it could be more clear.

If any of this ^ is even remotely accurate, in terms of veracity, I have to ask if Rosa Parks is retired.
It is a potential outrage. For The New Millennium . . . just after The Celebration of The Gettysburg Address . . .
(on the cusp of The 50th Anniversary of The End of Camelot)

(truth be known: are you really "upset"?)

You don't know what I know or witness what I witnessed from that management team... so you might want to stop short at the word "sophomoric".....

Considering that the accusation involves politics, or even racism, perhaps you could provide some measure of clarification as these are rather major accusations.

Because that is the accusation that has been insinuated here - that this now departed gm denied him a room because of his race. Is that what happened here?

Oh stop. I made no accusations. Once again, some members of OKC Talk just make stuff up and put words in my mouth that I've never said. Go and read the post. I made no such insinuation. Simply because an anonymous member of OKC Talk says I did so doesn't mean that's so. My advice: reading is always a great first step toward comprehension. That, and if you don't believe what I say, you can always go to the Subway lady.
Now, all that said... again... go read my blog post.

Steve, in fairness, I don't those accusations were being attributed to you.

I didn't say it was racism either. So just who said it? I said the hotel had a history of racism, which is true, and which Steve mentioned in his piece. Some people were defending the hotel by saying this couldn't possibly be because of racism or politics, but no one really knows. What we do know is that the president was denied a room at our nicest hotel, and that is a story.

Steve, in fairness, I don't those accusations were being attributed to you.

Obviously.

It's extremely disappointing the President was denied a room at our finest hotel but to try to stir the pot and dramatize the event by insinuating it was racially driven was a mistake and a rare sophomoric move by Steve.

Guys, it was this comment that caught my attention.... anyway, back to the Grippo bit. I'm still digging into it. It's concerning to a lot of people.

Guys, it was this comment that caught my attention.... anyway, back to the Grippo bit. I'm still digging into it. It's concerning to a lot of people.
Consider the source... not worth giving it a second thought. How does the phrase go? "You can't fix stupid."

I apologize for my role in taking this discussion off on a tangent, but I just didn't think the casual insinuation of ulterior motives was fair to the management of the hotel.

For my 2-cents.....if I were a destination hotel manager with a booked hotel and got a request for the POTUS to stay, it would be quite a quandry. However, no matter who the POTUS might be, and considering it sounds like I would have to rebook virtually the entire hotel, I think I would have to defer to the guests. Guests are the bread and butter and at risk of alienating a good portion of my guests from future stags, I have to go with the best long-term financial decision. If the POTUS required a more reasonable number of rooms.....like 20, that would be different.

The Skirvin posted a picture on their facebook page of Brett Sundstrom as their interim GM. He graduated from the OSU Hotel and Restaurant Program and has been with Marcus since 2008.

Why would they have to rebook the entire hotel?

The entire hotel probably wouldn't have to be rebooked in Mug's scenario, but because the Skirvin is a relatively small property with a high occupancy, and the presidential entourage would be large, a large number of guests would have to be relocated. That may not even be legal to do - moving a guest's belongings out of an occupied and paid-for room.

As I posted earlier, it's possible given adequate notice, but if the presidential request involved moving guests already in place, I'd have to say no. Again, this is a hypothetical because we don't know - and likely WON'T EVER know - details of the request and the denial. I'm simply putting myself in the role of hotel owner:

I exist in a service industry where my reputation is built by loyalty and customer service, and I have no shortage of competitors eager to undercut me at any time. I run at 90% occupancy, some of the guests are corporate regulars, some are couples on their honeymoons, others are one-nighters who I've never seen before and will never see again, and they're scattered throughout the entire property. I have corporate and nonprofit events schedule in meeting rooms, and possibly black tie galas in the ballroom. Then - the phone rings and the White House suddenly needs 50% of my rooms in a contiguous block of floors one or two days from now, and everyone in that block must be moved right now so a security team can sweep the hotel. I'll have to call in every employee who is on vacation, and many will have to be paid overtime. They'll also need from me: The name, SSN & DOB of every hotel employee from GM to bus boy; names & addresses of every current and scheduled guest including clients who have booked events in meeting rooms and ballrooms; blueprints of the entire hotel including parking structure and ballrooms (the list goes on), records from all recent inspections by fire marshals, county board of health, insurance underwriters, etc. Once the property is secure, every guest, visitor and bag will be screened (magnetometers at a minimum) when they enter, cars probably won't be able to enter the garage, all deliveries (food, laundry, supplies) will have to be inspected.

It's hard enough doing this with months of advance notice, which is usually the case. But in less than a week? That's an easy request to decline.

As it should have. The big story (and only story) here was the President being denied lodging. In my opinion there was no need to provide even the slightest innuendo that race might have played a factor. As a reader, that is exactly how it came across.


Guys, it was this comment that caught my attention.... anyway, back to the Grippo bit. I'm still digging into it. It's concerning to a lot of people.

--------------------------------------------


Consider the source... not worth giving it a second thought. How does the phrase go? "You can't fix stupid."

Consider the source? I'm not sure you and I have even come across each other on this board before. But bravo to you, sir.

he should sleep on air force one, we're paying for that too.

As it should have. The big story (and only story) here was the President being denied lodging. In my opinion there was no need to provide even the slightest innuendo that race might have played a factor. As a reader, that is exactly how it came across.

With all due respect, you might as well have also read into the blog post that W.B. Skirvin led an alien race that landed from Venus and his descendents now manage every McDonald's in the world. This, too, would be a poor conclusion from my writing. I don't know who you are, but your comment is way off base.

Ok Steve, you're right. I read way too much into you mentioning race twice in your article (more specifically "Barack Obama, the first black president"). What reason was there for this other than to stir the pot? I understand you might have prior knowledge of the goings on with management at the Skirvin but there is no supporting material of that in your article (in terms of racial discrimination). Again, I realize you most likely had no intention of coming across this way but it unfortunately did.


With all due respect, you might as well have also read into the blog post that W.B. Skirvin led an alien race that landed from Venus and his descendents now manage every McDonald's in the world. This, too, would be a poor conclusion from my writing. I don't know who you are, but your comment is way off base.

It was to point out that this would have been a great way of fixing the Skirvin's past (60s and earlier) as a segregated hotel. Not that it's racist now. Good grief....

If I remember this right, the Presidents trip to OKC was very last minute. He came to make a speech in Cushing. When it was apparent he could not stop the southern section of the pipeline, he showed up to make a speech in support. The visiting basketball team was already in their rooms, and the Sheraton was able to receive the POTUS and entire group. The Sheraton HAS a Presidential Suite. It was hoped Obama would make an appearance at the BB game. What I remember most is downtown traffic that evening was a complete cluster...
The whole story raised fewer eyebrows THEN than it has here. Race was never an issue then, a very high percentage of the visiting BB team is not white anglo-saxon protestant either.

If I remember this right, the Presidents trip to OKC was very last minute. He came to make a speech in Cushing. When it was apparent he could not stop the southern section of the pipeline, he showed up to make a speech in support. The visiting basketball team was already in their rooms, and the Sheraton was able to receive the POTUS and entire group. The Sheraton HAS a Presidential Suite. It was hoped Obama would make an appearance at the BB game. What I remember most is downtown traffic that evening was a complete cluster...
The whole story raised fewer eyebrows THEN than it has here. Race was never an issue then, a very high percentage of the visiting BB team is not white anglo-saxon protestant either.

It most certainly was not "last minute." It was reported that he would visit several days in advance. You're not "remembering it right."

the visiting bb team also isn't the president of the united states either. that alone should garner attention regardless of the city or tactful booking policy, don't you think? After all, don't you want the most powerful leader to stay at the best hotel in your city? AND, don't you agree that the Secret Service would keep his plans a secret for as long as possible so to further guarantee that his stay would be, secret.. and without incident....

Hmm. ..... Put on your current events thinking hat for a second. ... What are they talking about? ..... Dallas TX a few decades ago. .... JFK. .. . Wasn't he president and visiting a city and his plans were ANNOUNCED to the public ahead of time? .... What happened. ..... OH, could that be why the Secret Service contacted Skirvin likely hours prior to his arrival?

Maybe the Skirvin should have been a bit more high class and booked the two floors he desired after all; it would have been a feather in their cap and surely those non-Anglo Saxon visiting bball players would have GLADLY given up their room(s) in honor and respect for the President of the United States IF the hotel even bothered to try to shuffle around the reservations. I surely would be honored.

Folks, I don't think there's anything else to be said or any other excuse.

Leader of the United States deserves courtesy and respect regardless of who else is there and where it is particularly in the United States. Regardless of the reason for his visit or the duration of his stay (which is usually only a few hours or overnight anyways). ... He should have been accommodated and Steve is researching if 'old school' Skirvin management (aka something else discussed by some thread members) might have come into play.

As I said in another post, other big league cities accommodate the POTUS and they have even more big name events happening and big name people staying in their grand hotel; yet they end up moving around if/when the President decides to go to said city for whatever reason - I don't see any problems in those cities/hotels?

Ok Steve, you're right. I read way too much into you mentioning race twice in your article (more specifically "Barack Obama, the first black president"). What reason was there for this other than to stir the pot? I understand you might have prior knowledge of the goings on with management at the Skirvin but there is no supporting material of that in your article (in terms of racial discrimination). Again, I realize you most likely had no intention of coming across this way but it unfortunately did.If you say Pres. Obama is black, I'm going to say he is white. The guy is half/half.

If you say Pres. Obama is black, I'm going to say he is white. The guy is half/half.

Well, historically and contemporarily, that's never been how it's worked in this country.

It most certainly was not "last minute." It was reported that he would visit several days in advance. You're not "remembering it right."

A couple of days is absolutely last min for a presidential trip

And good for the Skirvin for putting there guests before a campaign stop

It wasn't a "couple of days." Do a better job of posting next time.

;)

It wasn't a "couple of days." Do a better job of posting next time.

;)

The White House informed the governers office 3 days before

BTW, he's coming to Seattle in a few days and we're more than thrilled to have him regardless of his purpose (likely a TRUE campaign stop - fundraiser).

Only read page 8 and it was making me mad that you're going to deny the POTUS, regardless of who it is BUT it sounds like they had no choice. To take a whole floor of rooms is a pretty big deal and I wouldn't want to displace my current customers or cancel future guest accommodations for other guests. Then again, if this were a planned trip by the POTUS this should never have happened. Basketball teams can stay anywhere. Maybe for the once in a lifetime pleasure of hosting a President, the Skirvin should work in accord with another downtown hotel to accommodate those future displacements when someone as important as The President comes into town on a planned trip.


BTW, he's coming to Seattle in a few days and we're more than thrilled to have him regardless of his purpose (likely a TRUE campaign stop - fundraiser).

Pretty sure two terms is the limit for Presidents.

The crazy thing about all this is that most of you acting like it was grave sin for the Skirvin to deny President Obama would probably be supporting the hotel's decision if this happened to George W. Bush.

We really need to stop putting political leaders on pedestals in this country. The King is coming to town. You peasants be gone we must prepare the rooms...... PLEASE.

In my book they are people just like the rest of that should be wooing us instead of us wooing them. A couple of years from now a presidential visit is not going to make a real difference for any hotel. Sure they can put some pictures up and wall plaques to honor the event but, most people really don't care about that.

Wife: Hey look honey, President Obama stayed here back in 2013.
Husband: Well how about that.
Kids: Do they have a pool? Do they have Wi-Fi?
Husband: Yes, let's go get check in.

In the end, it matters about as much as Garth Brooks name on Cemetery Road or Toby Keith's name on the old Smile America water tower in Moore. (I miss that by the way.)

I am not Pro Obama or Bush. I am just looking at the fact that the argument is crying over spilt milk. In the end you pay the price for either decision. Deny the president a stay during his visit. or Ship a regular customer over to the Motel 6. (That's all that is available because all the other high end hotels are booked.) One will cost you grief from local media and local political supporters in the short term. or Lose a big money client who comes in and books every couple of months and spends a lot of money in the hotel.

steve, please get ahold of the fired manager and get her story. weird deal.

I will post this again as this is the only issue/story i care about in this thread.