9-Story Hilton for I-40 & Meridian

[OKCisOK4me]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... that Stay Bridge Suites design looks familiar!

[bradh]

I bet all those hotels will help up the ridership on the Riverboats, especially since you can just walk over to Meridian Landing, take a boat to the Bricktown connection, then hop a water taxi to the heart of Bricktown.

I'm sure their numbers are still low but this development and the new connection will have to really help.

how long is that boat ride? is it really an hour like someone posted in another thread?

[ljbab728]

how long is that boat ride? is it really an hour like someone posted in another thread?

The scheduled time for the full length is one hour and fifteen minutes. I've done that route and that's fairly accurate.

[Pete]

Is that round trip or one way?

[ljbab728]

Is that round trip or one way?

One way.

[Pete]

Wow, it takes over an hour to go five miles??

You could literally almost walk it that fast.

[bradh]

how much of that time is spent at the dams waiting (i'm assuming there is some sort of locks process along the way)

[Zuplar]

Wow, it takes over an hour to go five miles??

You could literally almost walk it that fast.

I think it's due to the fact that the 'Oklahoma' part of the North Canadian is a no wake zone.

[OKCisOK4me]

how much of that time is spent at the dams waiting (i'm assuming there is some sort of locks process along the way)

There are two locks that the boats have to proceed through and they take at least 10 minutes for each process. I know because one day I was riding my bike along the river trail and there was a cruiser heading westbound. It slowed getting closer to the lock and I raced by (this was at the lock that's located between Penn & May). I continued riding toward the end of the north shore trail at Portland. When I got back, the boat was just gaining back up to its cruising speed--which is not fast at all.

[catch22]

The boats are not transit. They are fairly expensive too? We need a bus that starts downtown, takes I-40 to meridian. Has regular service along Meridian (normal stop schedule), and then south of the hotel area, resume express limited stop service to the airport. Could even terminate at the future rental car facility, since it will run a shuttle every few minutes to the terminal.

Coming back do the exact same. Express service from the airport to the meridian hotel district, then do regular stop service up to I-40, and express to the streetcar/transit hub.

From this we would have great feed downtown, and also make airport service viable since they plan on cutting airport service.

[catch22]

The meridian hotels would be a 15 minute ride downtown. That's essentially an extra thousand rooms with quick and easy access to downtown.

[Larry OKC]

The Chesapeake Arena is probably their biggest money generator. Keep in mind, absolutely no debt service on the facility, only upkeep. And at least 43 dates are sold out every year.

probably right...last I read on it, the Arena has almost always turned an operating profit (not requiring any subsidies from the City like the Cox that runs an operational deficit), But to Pete's question, it would be interesting to see how close the City is to "breaking even" to the amount spent (on those projects that generate revenue, directly or indirectly). I am pretty sure that Pete isn't talking about the overall private investment spurred by MAPS vs. public investment (which is several-fold), but rather individual projects...in other words how many of them are self-sustaining (of those that were designed to be).

[bradh]

Good points catch22. Houston opened up an IAH Express bus service downtown, but it was eventually eliminated due to low ridership. Originally a $15 fare, even after reducing the fare to $4.50 they canned it.

[Lazio85]

Check out the ferry cruise schedule here: Ferry Schedule - Oklahoma River Cruises
Adult Passenger Fare
$6 per stop
$15 maximum
Special Patrons & Kids
$3 per stop
$7.50 maximum
Special Patron - ages 60+, persons with disabilities, medicare cardholders and kids ages 6-12.

Children under age 6 are free. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

[Larry OKC]

FWIW: Pretty sure I read in the last week that the City is/considering dropping the bus that goes to the airport and a couple of other routes??

[Teo9969]

FWIW: Pretty sure I read in the last week that the City is/considering dropping the bus that goes to the airport and a couple of other routes??

Until they can make the trip at the very least once every 1:30 there's no point in having that route.

[Pete]

Looks like they are getting ready to go forward with the convention center / hotel to be placed as shown on the graphic below (between the new Hampton Inn and Meridian Landing).

Application before the Board of Adjustment for a setback variance for this project:

[OKCisOK4me]

They closed off that portion of the river trails off to pedestrians cause they were doing something over there, I figure drainage for this new convention center.

[Pete]

Here are the renderings for the newest hotel, a Hilton Home2

[warreng88]

Is this the one that will be connected to the new convention space on the map above?

[bchris02]

That doesn't look 9-stories. And I am guessing Hilton Home is not a full-service Hilton...more like Marriott Courtyard or Sheraton Four Points?

[Pete]

Is this the one that will be connected to the new convention space on the map above?

I believe this is instead of the convention center.

[Mississippi Blues]

That doesn't look 9-stories. And I am guessing Hilton Home is not a full-service Hilton...more like Marriott Courtyard or Sheraton Four Points?

This is a different hotel. Hilton Home2 is on 15th Street, east of the existing Holiday Inn & U/C Hampton Inn. The 9-story hotel is on I-40 & Meridian. You can see it in the very first post of this thread.

[OKCNDN]

Wow, it takes over an hour to go five miles??

You could literally almost walk it that fast.

On foot would be faster...since a person would have to run through certain parts of the city to get downtown.

[ljbab728]

This is a different hotel. Hilton Home2 is on 15th Street, east of the existing Holiday Inn & U/C Hampton Inn. The 9-story hotel is on I-40 & Meridian. You can see it in the very first post of this thread.

Wherever it is, that is one ugly looking building.