I wasn't really sure which area this topic fits best. This Marriot is no longer a Marriott. It is now called The Tower Hotel. I know it's not unusual for a hotel to change affiliation but since this has always been a Marriott I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about this change.

Wow, it's no longer listed on the Marriott website...

Very strange.

Well, that's a shame...

Had not heard this. may bother a few friends, as it was there go-to when in OKC.

Wow. Surprise! Does anyone know if this was a corporate or franchise location? Surely it won't operate with no flag for long?

Had my wedding rehearsal dinner there umpteen years ago...really nice place. Shame. I generally have had really good experiences with Marriott hotels, hate to see the loss of the well-recognized name...wonder what happened?

Okay....just talked to Marriott. The operators/management of the hotel chose not to renew their long-term contract with Marriott. However, they expect to announce another flag soon.

EDIT - To clarify, I talked to the "Tower Hotel" and they told me the above.

Okay....just talked to Marriott. The operators/management of the hotel chose not to renew their long-term contract with Marriott. However, they expect to announce another flag soon.

EDIT - To clarify, I talked to the "Tower Hotel" and they told me the above.

bueno

Okay....just talked to Marriott. The operators/management of the hotel chose not to renew their long-term contract with Marriott. However, they expect to announce another flag soon.

EDIT - To clarify, I talked to the "Tower Hotel" and they told me the above.

I'm sure they will have easily have a new flag but it would be interesting to know why they left Marriott. Marriott is a top brand for business travelers.

The former owners lost the hotel to the bank. Marriott likely pulled there flag. I have coworker who used to work for the Waterford. The staff that ran the OKC Marriott into the ground is now at the Waterford and yes the Waterford is going downhill fast so you can expect the Waterford to lose it's flag at some point.

Too bad for sure. I had my wedding reception there. Was a bit pricey, but they did an amazing job with everything.

The former owners lost the hotel to the bank. Marriott likely pulled there flag. I have coworker who used to work for the Waterford. The staff that ran the OKC Marriott into the ground is now at the Waterford and yes the Waterford is going downhill fast so you can expect the Waterford to lose it's flag at some point.

That surely makes more sense to me. Had not heard Waterford was having troubles....

Sad news. Even sadder about the Waterford being run into the ground. Those were some of the best hotels in OKC. How does the Renaissance downtown compare?

Sad news. Even sadder about the Waterford being run into the ground. Those were some of the best hotels in OKC. How does the Renaissance downtown compare?

It is actually pretty nice and is full service. The Sheraton across the street has done a good job renovating an old property and it also is a decent place to stay or have a reception. The OK Bar Association has their annual convention there in the years it is in OKC and never really had complaint. Renaissance is a little nicer though imho. I'm not sure if Renaissance has any convention space at hotel. I think they do everything at the Cox Center which has a skywalk.

It is actually pretty nice and is full service. The Sheraton across the street has done a good job renovating an old property and it also is a decent place to stay or have a reception. The OK Bar Association has their annual convention there in the years it is in OKC and never really had complaint. Renaissance is a little nicer though imho. I'm not sure if Renaissance has any convention space at hotel. I think they do everything at the Cox Center which has a skywalk.

Been a long time since I stayed there, but the Renaissance was absolutely beautiful when we did - surprised my spouse on our 15th anniversary for an overnight stay, and they bumped us up to some extra-nice accommodations, sent us a gratis platter of various snacks, although that hardly seems a fitting word for all the goodies they sent up. Our room overlooked the Myriad Gardens, which was all lit up for Christmas.

Very, very nice place.

The Renaissance does have some meeting rooms on property.

I stayed at the Waterford not to long ago and I thought it was great. maybe its more behind the scenes

I stayed at the Waterford not to long ago and I thought it was great. maybe its more behind the scenes

I hope so. The Waterford is one of the best hotels in the city and I would hate to see it go downhill.

As for the now former Marriott, I hope the new brand is something decent. I hope it isn't a significant downgrade like when the Westin became the Sheraton. I am not saying that the Sheraton is a bad hotel at all, its just Westin was a better brand.

Does anybody know when the new brand will be revealed?

Maybe having only a single Marriott in NW OKC will lead to a mainline Marriott being developed in the Urban Core... or I could be trying to make lemonade.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vjHp3xi6PNI/UroM9WLmxtI/AAAAAAAAj0o/NVPFCjikUHA/w1358-h768-no/IMAG1177.jpg

They were working on covering up the sign yesterday...

Wow. Well, THAT makes it real...

as a Marriott employee working at a corporate location, I can tell you all that there are certain standards that has to be met by a franchised hotel in order to keep the Marriott name, since I get deep, deep discounts with the company, I've been "lucky" enough to stay at this former location and I was surprised it was still a Marriott hotel at the time. For example, all Marriott hotels were to upgrade to flat panel HD tv's by Dec. 2010 and this location still had the old school tube tv's. The furniture was in just such bad shape and with the new direction that Marriott is going into, it would have cost in the tens of millions of dollars to update this hotel, probably not worth it to the owner. This is just my speculation on why they dropped the Marriott name.

For reference, here's the direction that Marriott will be going forward with. The Southern Hills Marriott in Tulsa is one of the first to start updating their lobby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IQ-0zt0vGE

(Cue the "see, Tulsa IS better" posts, followed by the "Nuh-uh" posts)

:-P

What's the difference between the Renaissance downtown and a flagship Marriott?

What's the difference between the Renaissance downtown and a flagship Marriott?

Not sure, but we stayed at the Renaissance one night on a stay-cation and the service and room were fantastic.

Cool story, I saw young Williams sisters there.

I saw this evening that the Marriott signage is down. Does anybody have any idea as to what the new brand will be?

That location has really become a dive. We've had a couple of fraternity formals there recently and for that purpose, the Marriott has been pretty good to us. That said, the place has really become run down in recent years and there are some sketchy folks roaming the halls. On the plus side, the last time I was there, I'm pretty sure I saw Elizabeth Warren.

Renaissance is technically a higher-end product than a standard Marriott. The downtown OKC Renaissance was built before Marriott started renovating its lower-tiered brands, so it actually is possible that some lesser Marriott properties now surpass it in some of their finishes. It will require updating at some point. Where it really distinguishes itself right now is in its service. Even though it is now (very) slightly dated, the Renaissance is still by far one of the best properties in OKC, and when you factor location perhaps THE best, overall.

Hotels are in an arms race though. Keep up (or ahead) or be left behind, like you're seeing with the NW Expressway Marriott this thread is about. As pointed out, the downtown Sheraton spent a similar period wandering in the wilderness. The main problem with losing your flag is losing the reservation system.

I'd stayed in the NW Marriott a couple of times and noted it was in need of renovation. Calling it a "dive" was really a stretch but one thing that was happening was the club was really starting to become a hot spot. Lots of folks decided to "get a room" so I was treated to pre-room action and some great audio last time I stayed. I know this can happen everywhere but it was definitely overdue for remodeling. Having a club is great but when it becomes a "hot spot." it can be detrimental to the hotel overall.

This is bad news for OKC. I've never been overly enamored with that property, though. I had family stay there for a wedding and it was in need of an upgrade 19 years ago. Russell's was a fun place to go, but was always somewhat sketchy.

OKC is lagging other cities in attracting top-flight hotel brands. Not quite big league in that department (although it seems we will have two of every limited-service hotel in existence).

This is bad news for OKC. I've never been overly enamored with that property, though. I had family stay there for a wedding and it was in need of an upgrade 19 years ago. Russell's was a fun place to go, but was always somewhat sketchy.

OKC is lagging other cities in attracting top-flight hotel brands. Not quite big league in that department (although it seems we will have two of every limited-service hotel in existence).

Agreed. We have so many Holiday Inn Expresses and Marriott Courtyards and the ilk going up but relatively few, and even fewer quality full service hotels. Is there a specific reason for that?

Agreed. We have so many Holiday Inn Expresses and Marriott Courtyards and the ilk going up but relatively few, and even fewer quality full service hotels. Is there a specific reason for that?

The reason is numbers on a spreadsheet and nothing more. Some marketing people are clearly overpaid.

Agreed. We have so many Holiday Inn Expresses and Marriott Courtyards and the ilk going up but relatively few, and even fewer quality full service hotels. Is there a specific reason for that?

As you so often point out, it's because we aren't Charlotte or Louisville. :D

Agreed. We have so many Holiday Inn Expresses and Marriott Courtyards and the ilk going up but relatively few, and even fewer quality full service hotels. Is there a specific reason for that?

I think it is because people are tired of paying two -four times the room rate for hotels that then charge for parking, wifi, and breakfast when they can stay at a Hampton, Springhill, etc and get those amenities for free. We just got back from a trip to Philadelphia and Hershey where we stayed at three different hotels. Two were Springhill and the other was a Marriott. My wife and I have 3 kids so like Springhill where it is two double beds and a pull out sofa so fits us better. The Marriott in Philly charged $54 per night for parking plus 12.oo day for wifi. (I have a close family member who works for Marriott so I usually stay at Marriott brand hotels due to great rates.) Look at OKC, you can stay at the high end hotels and pay for all that or get a room at the Hampton in Bricktown and get free parking and breakfast. I stay at a lot of the high end hotels when I travel and it pisses me off when I am paying $300 dollars a night for a room and they can't even put a coffee maker in the room for me because they want me to spend $25.00 on room service for a pot o coffee.

Most people don't need concierges, valets, bellmen but just want a clean comfortable place to sleep. It has nothing to do with the city or location as I am seeing these midlevel offerings opening up in or near city centers all over the country

FWIW, I saw on Facebook (on a local developer's personal page) that BOTH the NW and the Waterford were de-flagged by Marriott. The Tower Hotel lost its flag, it didn't decide to not renew its franchise. Not sure of the validity of all that, but it's coming from a relatively reliable person.

I think it is because people are tired of paying two -four times the room rate for hotels that then charge for parking, wifi, and breakfast when they can stay at a Hampton, Springhill, etc and get those amenities for free. We just got back from a trip to Philadelphia and Hershey where we stayed at three different hotels. Two were Springhill and the other was a Marriott. My wife and I have 3 kids so like Springhill where it is two double beds and a pull out sofa so fits us better. The Marriott in Philly charged $54 per night for parking plus 12.oo day for wifi. (I have a close family member who works for Marriott so I usually stay at Marriott brand hotels due to great rates.) Look at OKC, you can stay at the high end hotels and pay for all that or get a room at the Hampton in Bricktown and get free parking and breakfast. I stay at a lot of the high end hotels when I travel and it pisses me off when I am paying $300 dollars a night for a room and they can't even put a coffee maker in the room for me because they want me to spend $25.00 on room service for a pot o coffee.

Most people don't need concierges, valets, bellmen but just want a clean comfortable place to sleep. It has nothing to do with the city or location as I am seeing these midlevel offerings opening up in or near city centers all over the country

Lots of simple truth in this, I think. I'm no world traveler, but when I do travel, I don't even consider the $300/night kinds of places, and have no use for those extra services. To each his own, of course, but it's just not me. The Marriott Courtyards fit me like a glove. Guess it makes me lowbrow to some, but c'est la vie... :)

Lots of simple truth in this, I think. I'm no world traveler, but when I do travel, I don't even consider the $300/night kinds of places, and have no use for those extra services. To each his own, of course, but it's just not me. The Marriott Courtyards fit me like a glove. Guess it makes me lowbrow to some, but c'est la vie... :)

This is me. When I travel, I always stay at one of three places:

1. Courtyard by Marriott
2. Hilton Garden Inn
3. Four Points by Sheraton

All three are always very clean and offer a top-notch product. All in the same price point and providing everything I need - but nothing more.

FWIW, I saw on Facebook (on a local developer's personal page) that BOTH the NW and the Waterford were de-flagged by Marriott. The Tower Hotel lost its flag, it didn't decide to not renew its franchise. Not sure of the validity of all that, but it's coming from a relatively reliable person.

The Waterford hotel is still listed on Marriott's website.

That's unfortunate though if that is the case. Not necessarily unexpected though from some of the comments here. OKC needs more top-end hotels, not less.

I think the concept of full service hotels are in decline generally. In this age of bagging your own groceries, filling your own gas tank, filling your own drink at lunch, etc. we are transitioning in a different direction as a society. Even in full service hotels, how many employ an elevator operator?

I think the concept of full service hotels are in decline generally. In this age of bagging your own groceries, filling your own gas tank, filling your own drink at lunch, etc. we are transitioning in a different direction as a society. Even in full service hotels, how many employ an elevator operator?

I disagree. High-end, full service hotels still have their place.

FWIW, I saw on Facebook (on a local developer's personal page) that BOTH the NW and the Waterford were de-flagged by Marriott. The Tower Hotel lost its flag, it didn't decide to not renew its franchise. Not sure of the validity of all that, but it's coming from a relatively reliable person.

Are you comfortable providing a link, text, or his/her name?

I disagree. High-end, full service hotels still have their place.

Both have their place, but there may not be significant high-end demand for rooms in suburban OKC. Would like to hear the insight of some local hoteliers about our CBD v. suburb dynamics.

When we travel & stay in hotels, we're looking for location. Could be a conference/event and we stay in/near the host hotel, or a place close to where we'll be spending most of our time, or a place from which we can walk to the action. We'll typically avoid suburban hotels because they require transportation costs (rental cars or cabs) and time to get us where we need to be. Speaking only about our needs, travelling to OKC would put us downtown.

Both have their place, but there may not be significant high-end demand for rooms in suburban OKC. Would like to hear the insight of some local hoteliers about our CBD v. suburb dynamics.

When we travel & stay in hotels, we're looking for location. Could be a conference/event and we stay in/near the host hotel, or a place close to where we'll be spending most of our time, or a place from which we can walk to the action. We'll typically avoid suburban hotels because they require transportation costs (rental cars or cabs) and time to get us where we need to be. Speaking only about our needs, travelling to OKC would put us downtown.

I'll agree on that. As more and more business activity in OKC moves downtown, so will the need for more full service hotels downtown. Likewise, the ones on NW Expressway could suffer.

The concept is being discussed in boardrooms everywhere--bifurcation. Product lines are going to be targeted two ways--some to the upper echelons of society and others to the Wal-Mart class. This is happening because of the shrinking middle class and the new demands from both ends of the income spectrum. Where you'll see hotels getting squeezed the most is those which were sort of middle-of-the-road hotels like maybe the Renaissance. You'll see some growth from places like the Gaylord Resorts and a general decline in places like the NW Expressway Marriott. Some of your value hotels like the Four Stars Sheraton (where I recently stayed for almost a week for less than $500 in a suite) are going to grow.

I have a relative who, as a speaker, travels extensively throughout the contiguous 48 states. If there is a Holiday Inn Express within a few miles of a speaking engagement, that's where he'll be, even if nicer digs are offered at the speaking site or closer to it. His perspective after quite literally hundreds upon hundreds of nights is he is going to be comfortable, he'll save his hosts some change, the HIE points apparently add up quickly as often as he stays, and the food is better than merely passable. On the rare occasion it seems otherwise, he simply goes elsewhere for the morning grub.

When my lovely and I traveled more, we often looked for mom and pop places off the beaten path. Met a lot of nice folks along the way, though some of them did turn out to own some real dives.

HIE is legit.

HIE is legit.

I agree. They're nice places too. But the three I stay at (Courtyard, Hilton Garden Inn, Four Points by Sheraton) are a bit nicer, have larger rooms, and thicker walls for the same price. At least, that's been my experience.

5806 I still see the Waterford coming up on my search on the Marriott web site, It's a good thing because it's one of my favorite hotels in OKC.

Off topic a bit but the Memphis Marriott Downtown was in a very similar condition as the NW OKC Marriott and they recently changed to a Sheraton.

5806 I still see the Waterford coming up on my search on the Marriott web site, It's a good thing because it's one of my favorite hotels in OKC.

Off topic a bit but the Memphis Marriott Downtown was in a very similar condition as the NW OKC Marriott and they recently changed to a Sheraton.

That's good news, but even better news are the rates shown in that photo. How in the world did you get those rates to come up?

oh my mistake, it's always by habit that I put in my employee corporate code, didn't even realize.

I stay at a lot of Marriotts due to the great rates they provide employee's immediate family great rates and the beds at the higher end Marriott brands are great but they aren't the same beds and pillows at Springhill Suites. I have never had bad service at either. I was at the Marriott Park Lane in London in November and got food poisoning on plane (actually I think it was the Varsity in Atlanta) which with weakened immune system turned into nasty chest cold so ended up sick in hotel for the entire five days and was very comfortable and well taken care of by the staff who offered to actually go to the pharmacy for me hen I inquired as to the closet location.

Some good points on here about the change in what folks look for in hotels. You look at OKC, and what's going on with the growth, it just happens to be during a paradigm shift in what we look for in a hotel, so I think lack of new "full service" hotels has less to do with OKC being able to support a number on an Excel sheet, but as said, more to do with what people want. The places you think of that have more full service hotels, those entities have probably been around a long time.

Some good points on here about the change in what folks look for in hotels. You look at OKC, and what's going on with the growth, it just happens to be during a paradigm shift in what we look for in a hotel, so I think lack of new "full service" hotels has less to do with OKC being able to support a number on an Excel sheet, but as said, more to do with what people want. The places you think of that have more full service hotels, those entities have probably been around a long time.

It has more to do with the fact OKC has never been a major tourism or convention city as well. OKC will get more full service hotels if the convention center gets built and does the business that it is projected to do.

Any updates on this? Anybody know who the new flag is going to be?

I think it will likely stay Tower Hotel for sometime. The new marquee at the entry drive on Northwest Expressway has a permanent sign up with The Tower Hotel on it. It's likely still in receivership until someone else buys it. I don't see that happening anytime soon because you can probably build a new hotel for the price it will cost to buy it and upgrade it. I think we will more likely see it renovated into Apartments before another hotel chain buys it.

I think it will likely stay Tower Hotel for sometime. The new marquee at the entry drive on Northwest Expressway has a permanent sign up with The Tower Hotel on it. It's likely still in receivership until someone else buys it. I don't see that happening anytime soon because you can probably build a new hotel for the price it will cost to buy it and upgrade it. I think we will more likely see it renovated into Apartments before another hotel chain buys it.

That is definitely unfortunate.

Bit more insight on this - my mom has some friends that come in to OKC to visit each year around Christmas, and they opted to stay at that Marriott (while it was still a Marriott), and even they had noticed the place had really gone down the tubes...obvious items in disrepair, not maintained, things in the room broken, not even basic cleaning had been done. They were really stunned. My mom hosted my wedding rehearsal dinner there almost 20 years ago, and it was a fabulous place then, but even she agreed after having met her friends there that the place was really a mess. Not just a few odds and ends, but an obvious, fundamental failing of the overall facility.

What a horrendous waste. I can't imagine any corporate hotel entity with any regard for its name wanting to put its flag on a facility where the owners don't care and seem willing to run the place into the ground.

Sounds like a bad Hotel Impossible episode waiting to happen.

The former owners lost the hotel to the bank. Marriott likely pulled there flag. I have coworker who used to work for the Waterford. The staff that ran the OKC Marriott into the ground is now at the Waterford and yes the Waterford is going downhill fast so you can expect the Waterford to lose it's flag at some point.

MWC - Can you clarify a couple of things for me? Is the owner and/or operator of both hotels (The Tower and the Waterford Marriott) the same entity? If the same entity for both properties, how did they lose The Tower but not the Waterford Marriott to the lender?

Waterford Marriott is owned by the Procaccianti Group out of Rhode Island, they bought the Waterford from Host Hotel Group many years ago. TPG Hospitality - A Procaccianti Group Company (http://www.tpghospitality.com/portfolio.asp?pageid=3&state=OK)
source: Waterford Marriott sold in package | News OK (http://newsok.com/waterford-marriott-sold-in-package/article/1938180)