Holiday Inn Norman loses its flag, now "Hotel Norman"

[pure]

Looks like the Holiday Inn is going the way of the NW OKC Marriott and lost its flag. This is a Premier Hospitality hotel and they happen to also own the Hilton Garden Inn in town and the new Holiday Inn Express next to Embassy (among a bunch of other hotels in Oklahoma). I know the hotel has been in rough shape, needs a new roof and updates bad, but it's too bad to lose the Holiday Inn brand

[Plutonic Panda]

How do you loose a Holiday Inn flag? lol

[SoonerDave]

How do you loose a Holiday Inn flag? lol

You beat me to it. Kinda like saying a neighborhood is "Not upscale enough for a WalMart"

[venture]

If we were playing SimNorman... I would bulldoze that entire section there. The road setup is stupid as it is, but the movie theater is just not any good and the Holiday Inn isn't what use to be. I stayed there one time several years ago when I moving and it was really nice. Sad owners just give up.

I wonder if the new Holiday Inn Express in UNP had any play in this to drop the flag. Looking at the other brands the ownership group deals with...there aren't any that are missing from the Norman market except Springhill Suites - which I can't see being possible. That would take a ton of money to redo.

[ljbab728]

I could be wrong because it's been quite a few years since it was built, but I seem to remember that it wasn't a Holiday Inn to start with.

[MWCGuy]

I think it was originally a Marriott. I can help but thank of Hotel Norman Bates.

[venture]

I was thinking Ramada for some reason.

[Jeepnokc]

I was thinking Ramada for some reason.

I worked there around 1990 and was a Marriott then. Not sure before that though.

[venture]

I worked there around 1990 and was a Marriott then. Not sure before that though.

My brain doesn't work well in the morning, so I'm not basing it on anything factual. LOL

Would be nice to get a Marriott here, even though yes we have the largest hotel (and a Marriott at that) in the state...but the NCEP isn't exactly open for the public.

[kevinpate]

...
Would be nice to get a Marriott here, even though yes we have the largest hotel (and a Marriott at that) in the state...but the NCEP isn't exactly open for the public.

I think the NCEP is open to all these days. Reading their website, they seem to suggest it is Hotel Near Oklahoma City - NCED Conference Center & Hotel including their specials page at Oklahoma Vacation Packages for an Extra-Special Stay

[kevinpate]

I worked there around 1990 and was a Marriott then. Not sure before that though.

Didn't remember that. I was thinking the one on 35 had always flown the Holiday Inn flag. But I'll yield to jeepokc on this one. I only ever went to their bar to eat boiled shrimp on Fridays with a lovely friend. She loved shrimp, as did I. Neither of our spouses cared much for boiled shrimp. So we had our shrimp nights for a spell.

[venture]

I think the NCEP is open to all these days. Reading their website, they seem to suggest it is Hotel Near Oklahoma City - NCED Conference Center & Hotel including their specials page at Oklahoma Vacation Packages for an Extra-Special Stay

Well how about that.

[Jeepnokc]

Didn't remember that. I was thinking the one on 35 had always flown the Holiday Inn flag. But I'll yield to jeepokc on this one. I only ever went to their bar to eat boiled shrimp on Fridays with a lovely friend. She loved shrimp, as did I. Neither of our spouses cared much for boiled shrimp. So we had our shrimp nights for a spell.

I may have the wrong hotel in mind. I am speaking of the approx. 8 story tall hotel just south of Robinson on the west side of I 35. Would be north of Big Red Auto

[kevinpate]

I may have the wrong hotel in mind. I am speaking of the approx. 8 story tall hotel just south of Robinson on the west side of I 35. Would be north of Big Red Auto

We're talking the same property. I just thought it had always been an HI property. But as I sit here mulling it over, there was an HI property on W Main at I-35 when I came to town in 86. That one has been a Super 8 for a long, long freaking time. So looking back, it does seem unlikely, even odd, that 80's era Norman would have had a conference capable HI at W Main at I-35 and a larger conference capable HI a mere mile up the interstate.

[pure]

I think the NCEP is open to all these days. Reading their website, they seem to suggest it is Hotel Near Oklahoma City - NCED Conference Center & Hotel including their specials page at Oklahoma Vacation Packages for an Extra-Special Stay

This is where I work. It's owned by the USPS and they have contracted Marriott to run the hotel for them and it is a Marriott just like most others minus a few exceptions. (You can even use and earn your Marriott rewards points here). Because the USPS owns it, we're not allowed to advertise ourselves as a Marriott but everyone who works on the hotel side are 100% Marriott employees. A lot of employees have transferred from Renaissance, Gaylord, and other Marriott's all over the country. The big thing though is that it is indeed open to the public, in fact, on OU Football weekends, every one of our 964 rooms is sold out.

On this note, not everyone who works here are Marriott employees, the NCED also comprises of employees from OU, Xerox, and Trax International. Hitachi is also present here with them renting out some office space.

[ljbab728]

I think it was originally a Marriott. I can help but thank of Hotel Norman Bates.

Yes, I'm very sure you're correct. I remember thinking that going to a Holiday Inn was a downgrade at the time it changed.

[kevinpate]

Thanks pure. I wasn't real sure if USPS was still out there or at what level. I've only been on the property a couple of times .. a meeting here and there, and conducting a bit of business a few years back.

[macfoucin]

http://m.hospitalitynet.org/news/4076438.html
Interesting...

[traxx]

Link doesn't work for me.

[macfoucin]

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4076438.html
Try this. Basically the article says hotel will be converted to a Delta by Marriott...one of the first Delta locations in the US.

[kevinpate]

from the article:

Atlanta, GA -- Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) announced a management contract to operate the Delta Norman by Marriott in Norman, Oklahoma. The 150-room former Norman Hotel will convert to the Delta by Marriott brand as one of the first Delta hotels in the US. It is located at 1000 N. Interstate Drive, only a few minutes from the University of Oklahoma campus.
Marriott announced its acquisition of the Delta Hotels and Resorts brand at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Conference in June of 2015. The Delta brand, formerly located exclusively in Canada, encompasses a rich Canadian history. The hotel in Norman, OK will be the first of the brand located west of the Mississippi. The conversion of the former Norman Hotel is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter 2017. Premier Hospitality Management, Inc. (PHMI) is the owner of the property.
"Bringing one of the first Delta brand hotels in the nation to Norman and the University of Oklahoma, my alma mater, is exciting both personally and for our organization," said Raj Patel, President and CEO of PHMI. "Our strategic partnership with Hotel Equities has helped us secure an agreement with Marriott International to convert one of the city's largest hotels into a regional icon with this exciting new brand. It will be a pacesetter for the area."

[macfoucin]

Thanks Kevin! Working from my phone can be challenging at times

[s00nr1]

from the article:
[/FONT][/COLOR]

This is certainly great news for that property.

[s00nr1]

Any idea what happened to this being turned into a Delta by Marriott? If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be renovated and re-flagged by 1Q of 2017, but the place looks deserted and has for quite some time.

[DowntownMan]

Any idea what happened to this being turned into a Delta by Marriott? If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be renovated and re-flagged by 1Q of 2017.

Last time I drove by the property looked abondoned