Hilton Skirvin Hotel

[Pete]

[Pete]

City leaders foresee downtown boost from Skirvin
by Brian Brus
The Journal Record
10/14/2005



City leaders and hotel developers declared that the impending reopening of the 225-room Skirvin downtown will further boost Oklahoma City's ability to host major events and attract visitors.

The downtown area already has 930 hotel rooms within walking distance of convention sites, of which 700 can be committed at any one time, said Steve Collier, executive director of the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Can the current demand for hotel rooms sustain the supply?

"We continue to look for additional rooms to add to our inventory downtown," Collier said. "Hotel rooms are critical to being able to attract conventions, and the added rooms are going to propel us to a new level. We really need a strong inventory in order to pursue some of the larger conventions we're capable of supporting otherwise."

Mayor Mick Cornett said, "I think we can support the three we have opening in '06 and '07, and I think we'll be having more coming on line. What we've seen so far in the recent past is that the hotel market has not acted quickly enough. We've occasionally lost a convention because the room rates were so healthy that hoteliers were reluctant to lower their rates because there was so much demand."

In addition to the Skirvin, renovation work is already under way on the 108-room Colcord hotel less than a mile away. And developer John Q. Hammons has said he's still planning a 150-room Marriott Residence Inn in Bricktown as well as an Embassy Suites brand hotel nearby. Developer Marsh Pittman also plans to build up to 200 rooms for a Hampton Inn in the area.

Matt Cowden, director of sales and marketing at the Sheraton Oklahoma City just two blocks away from the Skirvin, said he's also considered the question, "Are we putting the cart before the horse?"

"They'll tell you a lot of times our city can't handle larger events because of our hotel density downtown, and I've seen it myself," Cowden said. "When I worked in the Houston market, we had close to 4,000 rooms in one area, which enabled the city to attract a lot of events. Downtown Oklahoma City just isn't there yet.

"So this is really a matter of, 'If you build it, they will come.' … Sure, there's going to be some ramp-up and initial shock to the market on supply and demand, but I think the dynamics in play are going to make us stronger in the long run," he said.

Even investors from outside the market have taken notice of the shifting dynamics of hotel properties downtown. For example, Linda Anglin with Shadow Lake Commercial Properties in Norman said an investor group currently looking to buy the Bricktown Central Plaza Hotel at Interstate 40 and Eastern Avenue has been asking questions about other hotels planned for the area. Shadow Lake is listing the hotel for MOS Investments at $3.2 million; additional renovations later this year may increase that price, she said.

"They're really interested in the property because it's so close to where the Indian Cultural Center is planned," she said. "But they want to be aware of how additional developments are going to affect that property - what else is going to be built nearby."

[Patrick]

I'm ready to book my room!

I'm actually kind of surprised with how poor the interior of the Skirvin looks from the pictures Malibu posted. I guess some areas of the Skirvin look better than others.

[Pete]

Patrick, they have been gutting the place for several months now, and are stripping away a lot of the wood columns and ceilings that were added in the 70's.

As far as the guestroom floors, the video I saw showed they are completely gutted... They said not a single wall will remain from the previous configuration, which I suppose is necessary when you double the size of the rooms.

[Patrick]

In a way I'm sad to see some of it go, especialyl the wood columns, but I guess you can't save everything. For the Skirvin to be a functional modern hotel, the rooms simply need to be enlarged, and a lot of updating is way over due. I suppose the interior still has a 70's look to it, since that's the last time it was renovated.

[Patrick]

I wouldn't want to be the electrical company, plumbing company, HVAC company, etc. having to work on the Skirvin. Old buildings are such a pain to work on, and try to update to modern code. I suppose since they're gutting the inside, that will make the job a tad bit easier.

[metro]

I wouldn't want to be the electrical company, plumbing company, HVAC company, etc. having to work on the Skirvin. Old buildings are such a pain to work on, and try to update to modern code. I suppose since they're gutting the inside, that will make the job a tad bit easier.

That's why they get paid good

[BDP]

In a way I'm sad to see some of it go, especialyl the wood columns,

I could be wrong, but aren't they just removing the wood from the columns to restore the original tile underneath? That would actually be pretty cool.

[John]

I could be wrong, but aren't they just removing the wood from the columns to restore the original tile underneath? That would actually be pretty cool.

In the lobby, there will still be wood columns with gargoyles perched atop, as have long been fixtures in the Skirvin's lobby.

I think the removal of wood is from paneling and such that was added in the more recent renovations (70's), much like the stucco exterior is being removed to restore the beautiful cast stone detailing.

[jbrown84]

I'm really glad they are restoring the original art deco.

You know what's even better about all this? Not only has OKC been able to get a major national hotel restoration firm to revive our landmark Skirvin, but we are getting another hotel restoration/conversion with The Colcord. Coury, the developer of the Colcord, decided to convert it to a hotel after being a runner up to convert the Skirvin. That is how far we have come in 10 years.

[BG918]

So within the next few years downtown OKC will have:

Skirvin Hotel - CBD (4 stars)
Colcord Hotel - CBD (4 stars)
Westin - CBD (3 stars)
Marriott - CBD (3 stars)
Embassy Suites - CBD/Arts District? (3 stars)
Best Western - CBD (2 stars)
Residence Inn - Bricktown (2 stars)

Seems like Bricktown could use another hotel, what is the status of the proposed "boutique" hotel by JDM place?

[Pete]

Don't forget the Hampton Inn proposed for just north of The Brick.


I haven't heard any more about the boutique hotel but I recall it was to be quite small.

[jbrown84]

What's this about a Best Western?

[brianinok]

The hotels currently open/under construction:

Skirvin Hilton - 225 rooms - 4 stars
Renaissance - 311 rooms - 4 stars
Sheraton - 395 rooms - 3 stars
Courtyard Marriott - 225 rooms - 3 stars
Colcord - 108 rooms - 4 stars
Residence Inn - 150 rooms - 2/3 stars

Total: 1,414 rooms

Proposed hotels:

Embassy Suites - ~250 rooms - 3 stars
Hampton Inn - ~150 rooms? - 2/3 stars

Total: 1,700+ rooms.

All we need is one more major hotel chain (like Hyatt or Omni) to announce a 300-500 room hotel and we will reach the 2,000 mark!

[Luke]

So, the Colcord will be a 4-star? cool.

That means four 4-star hotels in OKC: Waterford, Renaissance, Skirvin and Colcord.

Movin' up up up

[BG918]

Oops, I meant Courtyard Marriott, not Best Western. And I was thinking the Sheraton was a Westin, wasn't it at one time?

The Hampton Inn, according to the press release, will be just east of the big parking garage on Sheridan. It will be 150-200 rooms, most likely closer to 200. I wonder how tall that would make it then? The one in downtown Dallas has 309 rooms and is 15 stories tall with a pretty large footprint, would that make the one in Bricktown 8-10 stories considering the site is pretty small by the parking garage?


The one in Dallas, hopefully the one in Bricktown is much nicer...

[BG918]

The AmeriSuites in the West End (Dallas) would be a good model for the Hampton in Bricktown. Nice use of brick and glass, and integrates well with the street and urban surroundings. I wish the Residence Inn looked more like this but there's still hope for the Hampton...

[TheImmortal]

If you want to see a great Hampton Inn go here: Columbus Downtown Hampton Inn and Suites

If you go to the tour section there are more photos. Something like this would look absolutely gorgeous in Bricktown. The mixture of brick and glass would fit well and I love the cylindrical tower like extension of the corner. I have actually stayed here and it is top notch for the price. Service is 1st rate and there are free snacks and drinks 24/7. There are 179 Guest Rooms and 43/69 Suites/DBL-DBLs as you can see on the site. Although I'll have to say I am more excited about the Embassy Suites.

[jdsplaypin]

Check out the one in downtown memphis. It's the largest hampton inn.

[fromdust]

yeah those brick hotels are nice, and it would be great to see somrthing like that in bricktown. but i just cant see something like that happening; that would mean they would try to make it mix in with bricktown and we know thats not what they are really going for.

[brianinok]

Wouldn't the Hampton Inn be in actual "Bricktown?" So, that would mean it would have to adhear to strip brick standards. Right?

[John]

Wouldn't the Hampton Inn be in actual "Bricktown?" So, that would mean it would have to adhear to strip brick standards. Right?

We can only hope!

[Pete]

The following is an article from the Oklahoma of about 3 months ago, but it does say the Embassay Suites will be in Bricktown and be 10 stories.

Some other information of note shown in bold:



Planned downtown hotels to meet variety of needs
Tricia Pemberton
07/16/2005

Several hotels planned for downtown will target different clienteles, adding hundreds of rooms over the next several years.

Developers will stir a mix of new and old structures to deliver expanded accommodations in the heart of the city.

Construction started this week on transforming the historic Colcord building at 15 N Robinson into a 108-room boutique hotel. Stephen Browne Sr., president of All-American Bottling Co., is the building’s owner and an investor in the $9 million project.

We plan to have luxury suites that will rent for about $150 a night. We’ll also have a really nice club lounge that will have a very sophisticated, upscale feel to it,” Browne said.

Tulsa-based developer Paul Coury of Coury Properties Inc. said he chose the project because of Oklahoma City’s dynamic downtown.

Coury plans to target the high-end business traveler and the social market, he said.

Manhattan Construction Co. from Tulsa is doing the remodeling, with Oklahoma City architect Don Beck in charge of design. Steve Raupe, president of Eureka Water Co., is also an investor.

The hotel will include an independently operated restaurant and lounge run by Alain and Michel Buthion of Oklahoma City’s La Baguette Bistro.

Meanwhile, demolition and reconstruction at the 225-room Hilton Skirvin, 1 Park Ave., is hoped to begin Aug. 1, said John Weeman, president of Partners in Development, an Irving, Texas-based company that is a member of Skirvin Partners LLC

Leslie Batchelor, associate general counsel for Oklahoma City’s Urban Renewal Authority, said some construction may start before the city closes on the real estate and financing deal later in August.

Batchelor said the city is reworking part of the financing to take advantage of new tax credits. Environmental abatement work is under way.

The city is investing $18.4 million in the project that it hopes to recoup from the ground lease arrangement with Skirvin Partners.

The first work to be done on the $46.4 million project is the removal of the old stucco facade on the first floor, taking it back to the original stone and brick, Batchelor said.

Weeman said a model of a finished suite should be on display by October in the Santa Fe Parking Garage. Skirvin Partners is negotiating lease of the space and additional office space with the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority.

The Skirvin will be managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts under the Hilton flag. Duncan & Miller Design and Kahler Slater architects also are involved in the project.

Not yet through the development phase but promised are two additional hotels by Missouri-based developer John Q. Hammons.

We will soon be putting under construction a six-story 150-room Residence Inn and a 10-story Embassy Suites in Bricktown,” Hammons said.

With both projects needing final approval from Oklahoma City’s Urban Renewal Authority it would be premature to comment further, Hammons said.

Randy Hogan with Stonegate Hogan said he sold property to Hammons in 2004 on a site south of Reno between Bass Pro Shops and Sonic’s headquarters building.

It’s there that Hammons would construct a Residence Inn, which Hogan said he expects to see open by fall 2006.

JoeVan Bullard, director of Oklahoma City’s Urban Renewal Authority, said an amendment to delay commencement of construction and approval of conceptual drawings for the Residence Inn is on the authority’s July 20 agenda. The delay would allow the city to move a sewer line that’s under the footprint of the proposed hotel.

Marsh Pittman said he is 90 percent sure he will be building a Hampton Inn with 150 to 200 rooms on a site just east of his parking garage at 222 E Sheridan in Bricktown.

Obviously, we feel like Bricktown is the best place in the state of Oklahoma to build a hotel, and the Hampton Inn is a very good product at a reasonable price,” Pittman said.

A bed and breakfast is envisioned by Chris Johnson, owner of USA Screen Printing and Embroidery. Johnson purchased a 28,000-squarefoot piece of canal-side property just west of the SBC Bricktown Ballpark from area developer Jim Brewer.

We want to do something smaller and not compete with the big guys,” Johnson said.

[Spookytourchick]

I cant wait! I have been preaching about history of that building for years. I have never been in it when it was operational. I cant wait to stay there!

[Pete]

I found this rendering of a guest room on the site of the hotel's interior designers: