Holiday Inn Express

[David]

Someone must have snuck in and buried them.

[soonerguru]

A recent power outage provided me the unwanted opportunity to stay here. It is very nice -- easily the nicest HI Express I've seen. That said, it wasn't cheap -- and totally sold out. For the price point, it would be nice to feature bedside reading lamps. However, the room was palacial, the location is fantastic, and the pillows and beds are extremely comfortable -- something that gives this limited service chain a leg up on the competition. Terrible, almost inedible breakfast offerings, but friendly staff and convenient valet. Worth $150 and up a night? Not sure, but people are paying it. The demand for hotel rooms in Bricktown is astonishing.

[Pete]

The high level of finish and attention to detail bodes well for the two Steelyard hotels this group will be building, especially the AC.

The AC is a very cool concept and several notches above the HIE, so they should turn out something pretty great.

[no1cub17]

A recent power outage provided me the unwanted opportunity to stay here. It is very nice -- easily the nicest HI Express I've seen. That said, it wasn't cheap -- and totally sold out. For the price point, it would be nice to feature bedside reading lamps. However, the room was palacial, the location is fantastic, and the pillows and beds are extremely comfortable -- something that gives this limited service chain a leg up on the competition. Terrible, almost inedible breakfast offerings, but friendly staff and convenient valet. Worth $150 and up a night? Not sure, but people are paying it. The demand for hotel rooms in Bricktown is astonishing.

That is impressive that a limited service chain can charge rates like that, in downtown OKC, no less. I've paid around that for a four points in downtown Philly, so to think we're somehow approaching that price point ... impressive indeed. (Wow I just said impressive twice in one sentence. Time to expand my vocabulary!).

[Urbanized]

If it's sold out, that's what it's worth. Or so my Economics professor told me.

[jccouger]

If it's sold out, that's what it's worth. Or so my Economics professor told me.

That's certainly true for one time purchases. If you haven't stayed at a hotel before you won't really know what your getting, which is why people become so brand loyal.

If somebody find that what they apaid for wasn't worth it, I doubt they'd become a repeat customer.

[jccouger]

And for the record, $150 seems cheap for something with such close proximity to downtown. My prior statement was just in general.

[Spartan]

That's certainly true for one time purchases. If you haven't stayed at a hotel before you won't really know what your getting, which is why people become so brand loyal.

If somebody find that what they apaid for wasn't worth it, I doubt they'd become a repeat customer.

It's true. On first thought, it sounds great to get to try boutique hotels, maybe pay a little more, but support the local economy and get much more of a local flavor. That said, I've definitely descended into brand loyalty (Hampton for me).. I've learned to really value free Internet and decent breakfasts..

Aloft is also really cool. I haven't gotten to stay at enough of those to get a real feel...

[Pryor Tiger]

Hello Everyone!

I am newly officially registered on OKCtalk.com but I have been lurking for several years, and have had the pleasure of meeting Pete and many others on this board. My name is Brian Werkman and I opened the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Bricktown as the General Manager. My user name is paying homage to my hometown- Pryor Creek, Oklahoma! As a 30 year old that has lived in Norman from 2003-2010 and Moore from 2010-current, I am very passionate about Downtown OKC, Bricktown, and all of the other outstanding emerging districts. While I am still learning about urban design, I will try to help when I can with pictures and information since our hotel is right in the middle of the construction boom area.

The feedback on this post for the Holiday Inn Express is extensive but very positive overall and I can tell you that we appreciate the feedback that has been offered! As many know, I work for NewcrestImage out of Lewisville, TX, and our goal was to represent Oklahoma City in a modern but classic way. Please feel free to message me any time with questions and I will answer anything I am able to.

Looking forward to officially being on board!

[catch22]

Hello Everyone!

I am newly officially registered on OKCtalk.com but I have been lurking for several years, and have had the pleasure of meeting Pete and many others on this board. My name is Brian Werkman and I opened the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Bricktown as the General Manager. My user name is paying homage to my hometown- Pryor Creek, Oklahoma! As a 30 year old that has lived in Norman from 2003-2010 and Moore from 2010-current, I am very passionate about Downtown OKC, Bricktown, and all of the other outstanding emerging districts. While I am still learning about urban design, I will try to help when I can with pictures and information since our hotel is right in the middle of the construction boom area.

The feedback on this post for the Holiday Inn Express is extensive but very positive overall and I can tell you that we appreciate the feedback that has been offered! As many know, I work for NewcrestImage out of Lewisville, TX, and our goal was to represent Oklahoma City in a modern but classic way. Please feel free to message me any time with questions and I will answer anything I am able to.

Looking forward to officially being on board!

Great having you on board. The hotel seems to be a great success, and very sharp looking also. Congratulations on a successful launch and looking forward to future projects you may be involved with.

[Urbanized]

Brian's good people. He's told me several times that he's been lurking; glad he registered. Welcome, Brian!

[Pete]

Yes, Brian is the man.

Super nice guy running a great operation in Bricktown.

Welcome to the jungle!!

[Pryor Tiger]

Thank you Catch 22, Urbanized, and Pete. It is a jungle in here, but that is okay! I feel like iron sharpens iron, and this site has certainly helped many individuals who might have been unsure about speaking out, have the bravery to make real changes in OKC.

I will say that as far as the hotel boom goes, we must not forget that how we operate our service establishments will go a long way to determine the viability of our tourism and convention business. I believe that we are reaching a point where we need to market our city's need for a new infusion of population that is dedicated to the service industry and trained properly.

This could come from marketing outside of our city to let people know that we have an opportunity here for a hospitality/service career and that we have a shortage of qualified managers and associates. It could also come from ensuring all school systems in OKC/Moore/Edmond/Norman etc. are offering this career path as an opportunity, and offering opportunities to learn through job shadowing, internships, and/or technical school classes.

I know that I was not aware of what a great opportunity hospitality was until I was 23 years old. Now I know that this is the career that I was always meant to be in.

[_Cramer_]

Thank you Catch 22, Urbanized, and Pete. It is a jungle in here, but that is okay! I feel like iron sharpens iron, and this site has certainly helped many individuals who might have been unsure about speaking out, have the bravery to make real changes in OKC.

I will say that as far as the hotel boom goes, we must not forget that how we operate our service establishments will go a long way to determine the viability of our tourism and convention business. I believe that we are reaching a point where we need to market our city's need for a new infusion of population that is dedicated to the service industry and trained properly.

This could come from marketing outside of our city to let people know that we have an opportunity here for a hospitality/service career and that we have a shortage of qualified managers and associates. It could also come from ensuring all school systems in OKC/Moore/Edmond/Norman etc. are offering this career path as an opportunity, and offering opportunities to learn through job shadowing, internships, and/or technical school classes.

I know that I was not aware of what a great opportunity hospitality was until I was 23 years old. Now I know that this is the career that I was always meant to be in.

I'm not sure if you're aware, (I assume you are) but we have one of the top 10 best Hospitality Programs in the world at Oklahoma State in Stillwater? Just throwing it out there. Let me know if you want more information about how to get interns or potential employees.

[Pryor Tiger]

HRAD at Oklahoma State is an amazing program. A hotel like ours would love to partner with them for job shadowing or unpaid internships, but the infrastructure would not support a paid internship. Also, they are a great resource when hiring new managers for our different departments.

However, graduates of HRAD are not usually interested in line level positions such as breakfast attendants, housekeeping, or even in guest services. That is our lack right now in OKC; servers to fill the number of new restaurants, hotel entry positions, lower level supervisors, etc. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they are and the value of starting in these roles is high. I think as our city sees growth among hotels and restaurants, we will see more people stay local after attending different hospitality programs. More students will decide to stay and live in Oklahoma City after graduating high school instead of moving away. I know it will start to improve!

[soonerguru]

Congratulations, Pryor Tiger, on a great hotel launch! I've been a fan of your ownership's dedication to quality design from Day One. It is a great little hotel.

[Teo9969]

...bacause okc has a great track record when it comes to tearing down buildings to make room for holiday inn's?



-M (with apologies to doug for hot-linking one of his images)

In an effort to do some research before making a claim in a post I came across this post. I didn't want to be alone in feeling a bit of my soul crushed so I'm sharing this as a reminder of things many of us have never known but wish we could have.

[hoya]

In an effort to do some research before making a claim in a post I came across this post. I didn't want to be alone in feeling a bit of my soul crushed so I'm sharing this as a reminder of things many of us have never known but wish we could have.

As I recall the old courthouse burned down, a long long time ago. It appears to have been a beautiful building, and I wish it was still around. But from what I heard, it was destroyed back in the 1930s. Not exactly an "urban renewal" problem.

[Sooner.Arch]

“The old Court House building was used by the federal government to house a group of wartime agencies during World War II, but a fire in 1944 caused the building to be abandoned and boarded up. Demolition began late in 1950 and was completed the following year. The land was used for a time as a parking lot and later sold to the Holiday Inn Corporation for a downtown motel.” - OHS