Aloft Hotel

[Pete]

[kevinpate]

Saw my first google ad for this today. Laughed as the thought ran through my brain ... guess it's for real now.

[Pete]

Some photos from https://www.facebook.com/downtownokc.

Note the view from the large outdoor terrace that faces the skyline. This will be meeting space -- the main bars will be on the first two levels of the lobby.

But from the terrace, Devon Tower is almost completely obscured. Weird.

The picture of the corner room and spiral staircase are of the two-story suite located on the top NW corner.

[Anonymous.]

Eyes immediately drawn to the Santa Fe Garage.

[MustangGT]

It would be nice if the construction was full time. Am I the only one who has noticed that the timeline is waaaaay too long for a building this sized?

[OKCisOK4me]

It would be nice if the construction was full time. Am I the only one who has noticed that the timeline is waaaaay too long for a building this sized?

No, you're not.

[ljbab728]

No, you're not.

True. I think it's been mentioned 256 times here to be exact.

[BeardedWonder]

What a lot of people don't know is that this property was running out of money to finish the hotel. They attempted to bring on board a management company named Peach Tree Management from Georgia to run the hotel and be part owners, but the company found some inconsistencies and backed out. I have a couple of friends familiar with this situation.

[GoThunder]

Tonight is the first night I've seen the red, yellow, and blue accent lights lit up.

[Pete]

Cool!

Do those larger boxes shift colors?

[GoldFire]

Cool!

Do those larger boxes shift colors?

I walked by twice this evening and didn't see the colors change, but it looks like they are still working on the lights.

[GoldFire]

Also, here's another shot from the other direction.

[catch22]

Also, here's another shot from the other direction.

Great shots. Glad to see it light up, will look good with hotel room lights on and people walking around. So glad to see this project finally wrap up.

[shawnw]

I could see this all the way from Hudson and Kerr, walking to the MOA for a movie, and I was like, what the heck is that? Didn't realize there would be lighting. Way cool.

[jrod]

The blue lines can be clearly seen traveling northbound on 35/235. Contrasts nicely with the bright red letters of the Hilton Garden Inn. Couple of nice new lights in our skyline.

The Aloft lines give a nice nighttime place marker for DD.

[Pete]

The wxyz bar in this hotel is a going to be a homerun as a gather place.

[Urbanized]

Not really a complaint, but the LEDs were incredibly bright coming east on Kerr/2nd last night. Almost blinding. I'm guessing/hopeful the can slightly modulate the brightness after they get everything set up and dialed in. They also cast a large amount of light onto neighboring buildings (check out DD Apts in one of the photos) and into neighboring windows. Hopefully not so much that neighbors take issue. Not trying to be negative; just an observation. They look fantastic though.

[Anonymous.]

I echo Urbanized's post.

The LEDs are pleasing to see, giving some much needed color to downtown. However, they are somewhere close to hitting obnoxiously bright.

[Pete]

One of the great things about LED's is they are very easy to control.

I'll find out if they plan to turn them down a bit.

[AP]

Not really a complaint, but the LEDs were incredibly bright coming east on Kerr/2nd last night. Almost blinding. I'm guessing/hopeful the can slightly modulate the brightness after they get everything set up and dialed in. They also cast a large amount of light onto neighboring buildings (check out DD Apts in one of the photos) and into neighboring windows. Hopefully not so much that neighbors take issue. Not trying to be negative; just an observation. They look fantastic though.

I live in the first DD Apt on the north side of 2nd, third floor. I haven't noticed the lights from inside the apartment the last couple of nights they've been on. I'm sure the residents at Level might be impacted, though.

[Pete]

Yesterday, I had a conference call with the General Manger of the Aloft, along with their executive chef and sales director. They are a fun and enthusiastic group!

For those who have not stayed or hungout out an Aloft or W Hotel, they work very hard to set themselves apart by being fun, casual and hip. Very different than most hotels.

Here is a summary:


Opening / Rooms / General

• Opening is still set for March 13th and they are on track. Aloft features polished concrete floors and exposed duct work in most common areas, so things come together pretty quickly at the end.
  
  
• To book rooms before April, call the hotel directly. They'll take your reservations with some caveats about the possibility of not being fully up to speed.
  
  
• Rates are seasonal but for a trational room: $169-229; “Savvy” Suite +$60; “Ultra Savvy” +80; and 2 story Presidential Suite (on the top two floors facing northwest) is $750 per night, 2 night minimum.
  
  
• The rumors about Jim Thompson (owner/developer) living in that two-story space – or anyone else living in the hotel full-time – are false.
  
  
  
  
  
• More exterior lighting to come!
  
  
• There will be no retail other than Aloft's Restock; small sundry items mainly for hotel guests.
  
  
• There will not be a separate coffee shop (now integrated into the for-lease restaurant space).

Bars / Dining

• There will be three main bar areas, all under the Aloft wxyz brand. 1) Main lobby; 2) 2nd floor lobby (these two are connected by a large opening and spiral staircase; and 3) the “Round at the Rooftop”; the open terrace and adjoining indoor space on the west end, top level with large TV's for game days.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  /center]
  
  
• The bars will serve food until 11PM and drinks until 1PM, but of course, the hotel is open 24/7.
  
  
• There will be made-to-order breakfast and lots of grab-and-go options and coffee/expresso starting at 6AM every day.
  
  
• You can order food in the bar areas on the 1st and 2nd levels; Round at the Rooftop will have a limited menu.
  
  
• Emphasized that their brand is very bar-heavy and want to attract a big local crowd. Said they are very much beverage first, food second.
  
  
• They are looking forward to building a quality nightlife scene with WSKY and Urban Johnnie.
  

Top Floor / Meetings

• Everything on the 6th floor is for private meetings and events, and the rooftop terrace will often be leased out as well. When it isn't leased, it will be open to the public.
  
  
• 10,000 sqaure feet of meeting space on the top floors with large windows for great views in all directions.
  
  
• They are already booking events and said demand has been strong.

Restaurant Space for Lease

• Restaurant / retail / coffee space on the far west end of the ground floor is now all combined into one leaseable area, with adjoining patios.
  
  
• Negotiating with a few different possible tenants.
  
  
• Want them to integrate full coffee service.

[OKVision4U]

OKC's Aloft is much better than Denvers'

[Teo9969]

Sounds like a major game changer to the area, especially when Steel Yard, Mosaic, and both Maywoods open up (+ everything else that is going to fill-in Deep Deuce).

Awesome that the rooftop Terrace is open to the public…those will be great views. Is there going to be anyway to check and see if it is closed to the public on certain days, or will it be a thing where you have to just go to find out?

[Pete]

Is there going to be anyway to check and see if it is closed to the public on certain days, or will it be a thing where you have to just go to find out?

You would will probably have to call.

You can bet it will be leased a good percentage of the time.

[ljbab728]

Is there any information available about the seating capacity for the event space based on different seating configurations?