Omni Hotel

[kevinpate]

Will be surprised if it tops out above 25 stories; hotel height stories, not big energy height stories.

[GaryOKC6]

JTF prediction - this hotel will have financial problems and below-estimated attendance for its entire life.

It is safe to say that you are a "glass half empty" kind of guy Kerry. I hope that your prediction is wrong. Me being the "glass half full" guy that I am, I believe that everyone's surprise the hotel will be a huge success!
'

[mkjeeves]

Where's the faith! As soon as we become an airport hub city we're golden.

[kevin lee]

Louisville is getting a brand new 36 floor, 471ft Omni for $261 million. It includes space for another 225 apartments and 70,000 square-feet of meeting space, but the main tower is for the hotel. So a 400ft hotel is completely within OKC's range.

[s00nr1]

A couple of my convention hotel favorites (in no particular order):

1. Marriott Rivercenter San Antonio -- 918 rooms, 38 floors, 546 feet



2. Omni Fort Worth -- 614 rooms, 447 feet



3. JW Marriott/Ritz Carlton Los Angeles L.A. Live (there is zero chance of us getting a JW in OKC) -- 878 rooms, 54 floors, 660 feet



4. Omni Nashville -- 800 rooms, 21 floors, 269 feet, $250 million -- probably in-line with what OKC will be getting

[Just the facts]

It is safe to say that you are a "glass half empty" kind of guy Kerry. I hope that your prediction is wrong. Me being the "glass half full" guy that I am, I believe that everyone's surprise the hotel will be a huge success!
'

For the record, I am a realist and the glass is completely full - half with water and half with air.

The list of troubled convention hotels is a very long list with very few success stories (and even those success stories are the result of smoke and mirrors). The Denver Hyatt is touted by many pro-convention center people as the model to emulate, but instead of being a profit center for the city, it receives a $9,000,000 annual payment from the city. So on paper it looks to be profitable, but in real life it can't support itself. It's not a sustainable model.

https://www.moodys.com/research/MOOD...e--RU_16970784

Anyhow, I won't belabor the point any longer as we have been over that a million times and the hotel IS going to be built, so back to height and room count predictions. If anyone else wants to comment on the prediction I will give them the last word.

Peace out.

[mkjeeves]

It's only money. We subsidize everything else downtown. Might as well build another hotel too.

Fischer said the project is a public-private partnership with Omni paying 52 percent of the development costs ($150 million) and the city and state providing 48 percent ($139 million), which includes a rebate of taxes generated by the project, $17 million for a parking garage to be constructed and owned by the Parking Authority of River City (PARC) and $17 million, the value of the land.

Omni to Construct 30+ Story Building Downtown; Hotel, Apartments, Grocery, Local Art Gallery | LouisvilleKy.gov

[GaryOKC6]

The sustainable model have never really been accurate for OKC. Macy's in Penn Square mall is a great example. They started a retail revolution when it was revealed that his was one of their top grossing stores. A lot of the others took notice event though we have one of the worst demographic models for retail. Same for the Outlet shops who are on their 3rd expansion. Better yet the model for cities who build an NBA arena in hope that a team will come is not very positive either. I am not saying that anyone is right or wrong here, only that I have a positive outlook for the convention center hotel and only time will tell.

[bchris02]

The sustainable model have never really been accurate for OKC. Macy's in Penn Square mall is a great example. They started a retail revolution when it was revealed that his was one of their top grossing stores. A lot of the others took notice event though we have one of the worst demographic models for retail. Same for the Outlet shops who are on their 3rd expansion. Better yet the model for cities who build an NBA arena in hope that a team will come is not very positive either. I am not saying that anyone is right or wrong here, only that I have a positive outlook for the convention center hotel and only time will tell.

Agree with this.

With everything in OKC it seems like many underestimate what this city can really support. In the early 2000s people said the city would never be able to support an NBA team. It was said for years that OKC couldn't support retail like Whole Foods yet this location is one of the top grossing locations in the country and they are now looking to build their second. In fact times when investment in this city doesn't totally blow projections out of the water are rare. I think the convention center and hotel will be a huge success.

[OKCRT]

Agree with this.

With everything in OKC it seems like many underestimate what this city can really support. In the early 2000s people said the city would never be able to support an NBA team. It was said for years that OKC couldn't support retail like Whole Foods yet this location is one of the top grossing locations in the country and they are now looking to build their second. In fact times when investment in this city doesn't totally blow projections out of the water are rare. I think the convention center and hotel will be a huge success.

That is 100% correct. It's the attitude from 30 years ago and OKC isn't the same city now as it was. I say go for it.

[DocThunder]

If it is going to be on TV for every Thunder home game and then on display during the Playoffs, then let's not build it for today's figure of 735, but reach for tomorrows growth of 1,000 rooms w/ 500 ft + in height. A great design and the latest in lighting, would make this an iconic look and something we could all be proud of. The Hotel Group that wins this prize (should) make this property as a Signature piece for their brand.

When people across the US see this type of "wow" from OKC on game nights, it will help OKC to capture more interest in additional events held & larger single trade show events too.

[Motley]

I don't know the right number of rooms, but if this is to receive subsidiaries from the city, they should require a design that the city can use for promotion. We need it to stand out on tv and for I-40 and to give conventioneers something to comment about when they go back home.

[Laramie]

If it is going to be on TV for every Thunder home game and then on display during the Playoffs, then let's not build it for today's figure of 735, but reach for tomorrows growth of 1,000 rooms w/ 500 ft + in height. A great design and the latest in lighting, would make this an iconic look and something we could all be proud of. The Hotel Group that wins this prize (should) make this property as a Signature piece for their brand.

When people across the US see this type of "wow" from OKC on game nights, it will help OKC to capture more interest in additional events held & larger single trade show events too.

Agree 100%.

The convention center & hotel needs to be the iconic centerpiece of the MAPS 3 projects. Anything short of the 735 rooms suggested in the study will be a disappointment. The city may have to fork over some financial incentives to get a developer to provide a 1,000-plus room hotel development. Time (2018-19 completion) for OKC to break out; it will be a gamble that will be well worth it.

[kevinpate]

And if the next arena isn't anywhere near this desired over built dreamtel, the one that's advocated because it'll look goos on the brief clips going into and out of commercial breaks, aka time to hit the fridge or the head or let the dog out so none of the game is missed periods. Sorry, maybe it's because I like sports but do not live and breathe it, but this doesn't sound like a solid idea to me.

[Paseofreak]

These folks are the last ones I would want to extend credit to. The study by an expert says 735 rooms. OK, let's overbuild by 25% and judge suitability by height. SMDH!

[adaniel]

Yeah, I'm really not sure why everyone is working themselves into a lather thinking this hotel needs to be huge and iconic or it will be a failure. Trust me, you all will just be disappointed in the end LOL. I trust the experts here...700 hotel rooms is A LOT. It would be at least the second largest full service hotel in the state. There's also several hotels within walking distance, and most of the BT hotels and (future) midtown hotels will be accessible by the streetcar. Don't forget 21c whatever comes of FNC.

The last really huge convention I went to was the North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) in Houston. While the Hilton next door has 1200 rooms, its nowhere near enough hotel rooms for NAPE. The convention center itself runs buses to hotels as far away as Uptown (that's about 7 miles away). The point being, big conventions understand they will not all be able to fit into one property; so long as one is available for a majority of attendants and its close it doesn't matter.

And speaking of the Hilton in Houston, it wouldn't shock me if the design is somewhat similar. The Hilton down there is wider than it is taller to take advantage of the views of Discovery Green. I imagine this will be similar due to its location next to MBG.

[Plutonic Panda]

Typical small town thinking going on here.

[Motley]

It's not a waste of money to create a signature design that will identify OKC. Many large cities across the world are immediately known by an iconic building. It's good advertisement. Since the city will subsidize this building, they should get the additional exposure out of the investment. It doesn't have to be a tall tower or 1000 rooms, but a unique building that makes a statement.

[jccouger]

This is the one building I want to be all glass and super futuristic lookin . Needs to be decked out in all kinds of lights. Neon, LEDs, flood, Spotlights . It needs to be obnoxious and loud. I don't care about height as much but it needs to be a attention grabber at night.

[Village]

These folks are the last ones I would want to extend credit to. The study by an expert says 735 rooms. OK, let's overbuild by 25% and judge suitability by height. SMDH!

Well that depends, Are we building for now or the future? Is the 735 rooms already economically feasible, or is it already being built for the next 10-20 years? If the 735 rooms is feasible now, why don't we anticipate for future growth?

[Motley]

You don't want to oversaturate the market so that they have to start discounting the rooms to fill them. That hurts all the other hotels and leads to an overall decline in quality and lower future development. When 735 rooms began to be routinely filled, a second large hotel can be built or they can leave room in the design for a second tower.

[Laramie]

Typical small town thinking going on here.

Plutonic Panda it is definitely small town thinking...

If you build a competitive 700 plus room hotel that is booked for a large convention that may require a block of 400-500 rooms that doesn't leave much wiggle room; therefore, you don't hold that advantage over neighbor cities like Dallas, Denver or Houston.

Situated in the middle of the country, we are the crossroads city (I-35/I-40) interchange) of the United States--take advantage of this.

OKC will need a large hotel if we want to compete for conventions which could attract convention blocks of 300 to 500 rooms on any given night. Get away from these small-town plans if you want your airport to grow to mini-hub status.

Most large conventions want to house all of their conventioneers in the same venue. A plus for OKC if you have the facilities to accommodate large gathering without the use of shuttle service to other hotels to your convention center. We could attract large blocks of conventions where Houston & Dallas are overbooked which results in the use of nearby hotels.

You want to be prepared for growth--take advantage of what Dallas & Houston can't handle.

[adaniel]

It's not a waste of money to create a signature design that will identify OKC. Many large cities across the world are immediately known by an iconic building. It's good advertisement.

Devon Tower??

Well that depends, Are we building for now or the future? Is the 735 rooms already economically feasible, or is it already being built for the next 10-20 years? If the 735 rooms is feasible now, why don't we anticipate for future growth?

Full disclosure, I haven't seen the consultant's full report. But I imagine that it accounts for future growth. The southern part of the CC site would be good for any needed expansion. Ft. Worth is our closest peer city in terms of conventions and they got a hotel with considerably less room count than what we are asking for. The hotel there only seems larger because it is attached to a high rise condo.

I tend to agree that a slightly scaled down version of the Nashville development is probably most likely for OKC.

[bchris02]

Devon Tower??

The Devon Tower is a cool tower, especially for a city as small as OKC, but it isn't iconic other than the fact it's the only real skyscraper downtown. If there is one thing in OKC that is iconic it is the Skydance Bridge. The Convention Hotel needs to be engineered in such a way that it stands out in one way or another. It needs to be eye catching as does the convention center itself. I would like to see an elaborate LED scheme on it like the Omni in Dallas as part of the equation. I would like to see a lot of height but I don't think height is an absolute necessity as long as there is something unique about it. The convention center is going to basically be OKC's "living room." I think it is worth going the extra mile to do it right.

[Plutonic Panda]

Devon Tower??

Wow. If that tower is our iconic tower, than what a pathetic bar we have set for ourselves. We need every new tower to try and become iconic so everything we get is better than the last.

Was the Devon it? Was that what we wanted for so long, now that we got it, we can lower our bar again?

The Devon Tower stands out because it is the only real skyscraper downtown. Put that in Dallas or Houston, it'd fade in with the rest of the buildings.