I posted this before the site crashed, but I guess the post was lost. Anyhow, the Hilton high rise at NW Expressway and May Ave. is now becoming a Crowne Plaza Hotel. This was kind of a shock to me because Hilton has held that structure for many many years. I don't know much about the Crowne Plaza chain, but I guess we'll soon learn more about it. Isn't the Adam's Mark in Tulsa becoming a Crowne Plaza? Maybe swake or nuclear can answer this question.

Crowne Plaza is part of the Holiday Inn family.

Do you know if they're going to do any renovations or is it a simple name change?

The Tulsa Adam’s Mark downtown at the Williams Center here just became a Crowne Plaza, it is in the Holiday Inn chain, it’s their most upscale brand above Holiday Inn Select. Beyond that I don’t know anything, I’ve never stayed in one. Holiday Inn is an iffy brand, some are great, some are awful. Tulsa does have a Holiday Inn Select, it’s not a great hotel, but it’s ok.

The owners of the Adam’s Mark/Crowne Plaza here are putting a ton of money into the hotel and that’s just a few years after it’s convention space was greatly expanded. Adam’s Mark did not do a good job with the hotel. I do know that, it was poorly run before the change, hopefully that has changed. I don’t think the ownership changed with the rebranding, but I could be wrong. Both Double Tree hotels in Tulsa are being extensively renovated too.

Doubletree, that's a brand OKC doesn't have. Wonder if they'd be interested in coming downtown. Maybe someone can shoot 'em an email.

I was reading a hotel industry site and the Tulsa Adam's Mark was sold, seems like the Adam's Mark name may be going away entirely. The Tulsa Downtown Double Tree was also sold to a group part owned by the Hilton Chain, so I bet they will see a rebranding. The Warren Place Double Tree was also sold, but the group that bought that Hotel pledged that it would remain a Double Tree.

Thanks for the information swake!

Luke, I'm not sure if the Hilton NW changed ownership......not sure if any renovatinos are planned either. It is important to note that under the Hilton name, renovations were just completed a few years back. It's a pretty nice hotel inside. I'd probably say it's one of the top 10 in the city. Of course it would come after Renaissance, Waterford Marriott, Marriott NW, Courtyard Marriott Downtown, Sheraton Downtown, etc. but I'd still put it up there somewhere.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the company that bought the Double Tree at Warren Place also bought the Waterford Marriott in OKC, they plan renovations in OKC but not as extensive as the renovations in the Tulsa Hotel.

I'm guessing that's probably because they want to keep the 4 star rating for the Waterford Marriott.

As a guest of both Double Tree's in Tulsa, I must say something though...I think improvement need to be made to both of them. They both remind me of the Westin/Sheraton in downtown. Fortunately, upgrades are being made to the Westin/Sheratorn....one would only hope that renovations will be made to the Double Tree Hotels in Tulsa. The rooms could use updating. Overall though, in my opinion, hotel management could really work on overall cleanliness. At both Double Tree Hotels in Tulsa, I never found a clean pool.

That reminds me...I wish changes would be made to the pool at the Westin/Sheraton OKC. Their 2nd floor outdoor pool is not very attractive, and it's extremely small. They ought to go ahead and concrete it in and build a nicer pool and aquatic center in Century Center.

A Crowne Plaza? Wow! I thought someone said in another thread we weren't upscale enough for a hyat...

Renovation of hotel planned

InterContinental Hotels Group, which bought the Hilton Northwest last fall and renamed it Crowne Plaza Hotel, revealed plans this week to spend $2.5 million renovating the property at 2945 Northwest Expressway.
The nine-story, 102,850-square-foot hotel, built in 1972, is owned and managed by Driftwood Hospitality Management LLC, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Hilton sold the hotel for $4.8 million.

Its assessed market value is $9.7 million, according to the Oklahoma County assessor's office.

The purchase makes two Crowne Plaza Hotels in Oklahoma, with one at 100 E Second St. in Tulsa, and more than 200 in 49 countries.

A Crowne Plaza? Wow! I thought someone said in another thread we weren't upscale enough for a hyat...

Hyatt doesn't seem to think so. Having stayed at Hyatts Regencies on several occasions, those things seem to be convention magnets. They always have VERY nice facilities. It'd be very nice to have one in this city somewhere.

I don't think you can really compare a Crowne Plaza to a Hyatt. Crowne Plaza is more similar to Marriott.

Crowne Plaza, or in the cities I have stayed at (Houston, New York, New Orleans) are actually nicer than the Hyatt in those cities. I think a Crowne Plaza is also nicer than a Hilton, but that seems a little wierd that the Hilton sold the the hote lfor a depreciated price. What kind of hurt will that do the city? When do we get ouy Hyatt? Where would we put our Hyatt? All questions I am curious about.

I doubt we'll get a Hyatt in this market anytime soon. When Hammons developed the Renaissance Hotel downtown, he stated then that he had to cut back many of the amenities he typically offers in his Renaissance Hotels, simply because the Oklahoma market was different....indicating we're not upscale enough to support those amenities.

Anyways, I'd imagine that Hilton sold their hotel for less than the market price because of the shape it was in. It's a pretty old structure (compared to other hotels) and hasn't been updated too many times. It could use a complete face lift, IMO. Obviously the new owner is going to give the hotel a seriuos face lift, if they're investing over half of what they spent into the structure.

Renovation work starts at troubled Wyndham Hotel (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=670-Renovation-work-starts-at-troubled-Wyndham-Hotel/edit)

The Wyndham Hotel at Northwest Expressway and May, long-plagued by financial issues, is set to get a major renovation and a new flag.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wyndham5.jpg


Over the last several years the hotel hit hard times with a Texas-based owner falling behind on mortgage and tax payments. Many online reviews were negative citing deferred maintenance, dated decor and lack of cleanliness.

This summer, the lender iBorrow in Los Angeles foreclosed on the property and created a new entity to hold and operate the hotel.

Plans have been filed for a $1.5 million renovation with the intention to rebrand to a Radisson. OKCTalk has learned executives were in town last month and a franchise agreement was executed.

Work has already begun on the exterior and the original pool cabanas have been demolished.

The property was originally the Hilton Inn Northwest and along with United Founders Tower, Founders Bank, the Continental Theater and several other adjacent buildings, it was part of a coordinated development in what was then a fast-developing area of Oklahoma City's burgeoning northwest side.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wyndham3.jpg


Over the years it was operated as a Crowne Plaza and is currently under the Wyndham flag but many of the mid-century architectural details have been demolished or covered up. Recently the Founders Bank building to the north was demolished and the Continental met the same fate some time ago.

The new investment comes as many new hotels have been added along the Northwest Expressway corridor and as the former Marriott to the west is undergoing a complete overhaul into an Embassy Suites.

The $1.5 million building permit application for the 9-story structure does not include furniture, fixtures and equipment, which will represent an additional major investment.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wyndham6.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wyndham2.jpg

Great news for Founders District.

So looks like step 1 was removing the villas around the pool. Seemed like, to me, that it was a very dated thing that needed to go but im curious if anyone knows if they were still usable and were they used?

So looks like step 1 was removing the villas around the pool. Seemed like, to me, that it was a very dated thing that needed to go but im curious if anyone knows if they were still usable and were they used?

I had heard that they had some serious maintenance issues and were a constant problem. They were on the fence about keeping them, if I remember correctly.

Pete, why is this thread not moved over to the Buildings & Development area where it might be more easily found? Thanks.

Press Release:

************

$6 Million Renovation Begins on Storied Oklahoma City Hotel

The former Wyndham Hotel Oklahoma City will become the new Radisson Oklahoma City Northwest

With new ownership in place and a vision that looks to the future, a complete top to bottom renovation has begun on the former Wyndham Hotel Oklahoma City. Interior demolition of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, registration area and event venues began in early September and will continue through December. Total investment in the newly renovated hotel is over $6 Million. The new property will reopen in January 2020 as the Radisson Oklahoma City Northwest.

“The renovation of the Radisson OKC Northwest will bring much more than a new look to this storied property. From the redesigned front lobby to Matthew’s, our reimagined signature restaurant, every aspect of the hotel is being completely renovated and renewed from the bottom up,” said Edwin Leslie, President and CEO of LK Asset Advisors, the development and property management company for the hotel. “Simply put, the new hotel is going to be wonderful! From the food in our restaurant to the caliber of our meeting space, every inch of the new Radisson OKC Northwest will set a new standard for hospitality excellence in Northwest Oklahoma City. More importantly, the hotel will be staffed with some of the finest hospitality professionals in the region.”

The property, formerly a Wyndham Hotel, was originally built in 1969 as the Hilton Inn Northwest. The hotel was part of an ambitious modernist vision at Northwest Expressway and May Avenue when the area was on the edge of the city's suburban expansion. The original developers had visions of a luxurious hotel. Fifty years, a number of brand changes, and several boom and bust economies took their toll on the property.

“iBorrow (the primary lender overseeing the renovation and re-launch of the property) has been involved in this hotel for a few years now,” said iBorrow CEO, Brian Good. “We see great promise for the new Radisson Oklahoma City Northwest. OKC is a great market and the immediate area surrounding the hotel has enjoyed an economic revival in the past few years. NW Oklahoma City is hot real estate right now, testament to the number of new hotels being built in the immediate area. Our hotel’s proximity to major employers, the city’s hospitals, along with great shopping and restaurants gives the new Radisson a great head start to becoming one of NW Oklahoma City’s premier hotels.”

The renovated hotel will offer the marketplace over 11,000 feet of premium meeting and event space. The hotel’s facilities will comfortably accommodate business meetings, sales conferences and team-building events to grand celebrations and reunions.

The hotel will debut its signature restaurant, Matthew’s Bar & Grill. Matthew’s will offer a crisp, comfortable and casual dining experience second to none. Signature dishes include Bacon-wrapped Pioneer’s Meatloaf; a Coffee-rubbed Ribeye Steak; and a Rosemary Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken and roasted garlic.

The hotel temporarily closed its doors for the renovation at the end of October. The renovation of the hotel will continue throughout the fourth quarter of 2019 and will reopen in January as a Radisson. The hotel will have a grand re-opening celebration in early 2020.

All of us in the immediate area are very excited about this. With the Embassy Suites NW (former Marriott) opening December 18 and this in January, our two full service hotels in this area will be back in full force! Volunteer efforts in the neighborhood have paid off!

All of us in the immediate area are very excited about this. With the Embassy Suites NW (former Marriott) opening December 18 and this in January, our two full service hotels in this area will be back in full force! Volunteer efforts in the neighborhood have paid off!That’s a hot spot in OKC, no doubt.Imagine the NW Expressway from Portland to Classen once the big development at 50th and Penn is built. So many options, easy highway access, and then just the shopping and entertainment options. It will be great to get these two full-service hotels up and running!

That’s a hot spot in OKC, no doubt.Imagine the NW Expressway from Portland to Classen once the big development at 50th and Penn is built. So many options, easy highway access, and then just the shopping and entertainment options. It will be great to get these two full-service hotels up and running!

Pretty sure I've said this in other threads as well, but I really do think that this part of OKC has more potential than any other area outside of the I-40/I-44/I-235 loop. I work in the general vicinity and the amount of activity every day is very impressive. I would imagine there are not many other similarly-sized metro areas that have such a notable concentration of mid-rise buildings outside of Downtown (and personally I think this is a large part of the reason that so many of the Downtown buildings have vacancy issues).

they're actually high-rise since most are over 10 floors.And yes, I agree that most cities of similar size dont have a suburban highrise district the size of OKC's in its city limits. (even here in Seattle we don't but are sort of getting one with highrise development in the u district).

Is there a current bus line that links the Downtown area to this area directly? As in, the bus has a limited number of stops between DT transfer and NWEx/May?

ThatÂ’s a hot spot in OKC, no doubt.

I agree. I've always had a fondness for that stretch of N May Ave between about 36th and Hefner for no really good reason, even living across the other side of the city. Interesting to see how/if it evolves.

Rt 7 goes up May partially, but nothing up NWX until BRT.

Is there a current bus line that links the Downtown area to this area directly? As in, the bus has a limited number of stops between DT transfer and NWEx/May?

Bus access to this area is not great, but the forthcoming BRT line will greatly improve that. Would really like to see some improvements made to pedestrian access along Expressway as well, because it is just brutal right now, particularly around the I-44 interchange which is downright dangerous. I doubt anything will be done very soon, but it would be nice to see a plan to improve things between Classen and Lake Hefner Parkway by the time the Belle Isle portion of I-44 gets redone in 5-10 years.

Took a hard hat tour of this place on Wed. night. They are tearing down the interior to the studs in both common areas and guest rooms. I attended a large event here last May and the place was in terrible shape. The asset manager who has been hired by the new owners to renovate the hotel said he was shocked to see how neglected the property had become before the renovation.

They are planning on a resort-style pool area with lush landscaping and areas for pool-side events with food and beverage. They showed us one of the guest rooms which was finished specifically for the tour. The rooms have wood-look flooring and neutral, cool colors. The new flag, Radisson, wants their hotels to be refuges of calm for business travelers. They talked about two and three room executive suites on one of the floors. They are reducing overall number of rooms. They provided food samples from the menu of the in-house restaurant which is being developed by Jonathan Stranger. Impressed. They talked a big game about how great the new hotel will be and plan to be open by Feb. 1. Pretty ambitious, but will be great for Founders District and the NW side.

https://i.imgur.com/kIntM2c.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/6aAn9ya.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/4t53ZYi.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/radisson040820a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/radisson040820b.jpg

Now they say they are not accepting reservations until Dec. 24, 2020! In February it was mid-July.

This project has completely stalled:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/radisson081820a.jpg

As per the Oklahoman on Sunday, the lending group, iBorrow, that owns it is pausing for the time being but is committed at this point to finishing the project.

Noticed today while driving by that there has been some vandalizing of the property. A few of the windows facing May (south east?) have had things thrown through them.

I have been noticing that a lot lately. I really hope they can at least secure the property better as it is a major anchor here in our neighborhood. I have heard nothing more since late summer about ownership's plans for the property. The deterioration is a concern for sure.

They removed all the storage containers and this project remains dormant:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/radisson050921a.jpg

There's actually been more activity there as of late with ServPro showing up sometime in the last 5-6 weeks and their presence has been consistent. And they finally cleaned up ice storm tree damage at the entrance on NW Expwy just a couple of weeks ago, so I saw that as a good sign.

^

Good to hear!

Hopefully the get going again soon.

With the age of the place, iIm still not sure why they are bothering with a remodel instead of a rebuild. There's nothing special about the building. It could easily be right out of the Drury Inn catalog. They removed the villas, which was the only unique thing about the place.

I would argue the views would be unique-ish, but that's about it

I went on a hardhat tour in December of '19 and they had done a ton of tearing down to studs and concrete walls. It is a solidly built structure--don't make 'em like they used to kind of building--and I think the new owners like that about it. They were on their way to an absolute gut job. You should have seen the lobby! They were stripping it down and going to reconfigure it somewhat. They had/have ambitious plans to make it a very nice business-class full service hotel. I truly hope they can achieve their original vision for it sometime.

Holiday Inn Oklahoma City Northwest Business District - here we go.

Holiday Inn Oklahoma City Northwest Business District - here we go.

Right, well that's my point. It isn't large enough to be anything other than a cookie cutter motel. So the effort going in to the structure just doesn't make economic sense. What's the benefit to making a swanky Holiday Inn? Yeah, make it on part with the other like hotels, but we're not talking 5 stars here. No they dont make hotels this size like this anymore. It's because it was incredibly expensive for what you get out of it. Yes the structure itself stays, but it's more expensive to alter concrete than doze and rebuild if you're the same person that bulit it. In this case, I just dont get it...but that's ok. Not my dollars.

Right, well that's my point. It isn't large enough to be anything other than a cookie cutter motel. So the effort going in to the structure just doesn't make economic sense. What's the benefit to making a swanky Holiday Inn? Yeah, make it on part with the other like hotels, but we're not talking 5 stars here. No they dont make hotels this size like this anymore. It's because it was incredibly expensive for what you get out of it. Yes the structure itself stays, but it's more expensive to alter concrete than doze and rebuild if you're the same person that bulit it. In this case, I just dont get it...but that's ok. Not my dollars.
There are lots of boutique hotels of this size and smaller. Quality isn’t determined by size.

From today:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/radisson052521a.jpg

This sign is now out front along NW Expressway.
17245

http://highlandtowerliving.com/ doesn't seem to exist, at least not yet.

LOL

registered on godaddy 9/30

takes seconds to put up a splash page

Seeing that aerial picture Pete without the Founders Building makes me sick. Can we get a developer to rebuild that landmark? I'll do it when I make it big time.

With your LA/OKC living we just presumed you already made it big.

With your LA/OKC living we just presumed you already made it big.
I wish. Not quite there yet.

Seeing that aerial picture Pete without the Founders Building makes me sick. Can we get a developer to rebuild that landmark? I'll do it when I make it big time.

The neighborhood association tried...trust me. Now it will be, you guessed, an On-Cue come late 2022.

This sign is now out front along NW Expressway.
17245

Did I miss something? Are they turning the hotel into housing or are they proposing a new building somewhere?

Hotel in NW OKC to become apartments (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=767-Hotel-in-NW-OKC-to-become-apartments)

What was originally the Hilton Inn Northwest and most recently a Wyndham hotel is set to be converted to multi-family.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/highland1.jpg


The property fell into foreclosure in 2019 and the lender iBorrow of Los Angeles had announced a comprehensive renovation with plans to reopen as a Raddison hotel.

But work stalled during the pandemic and now iBorrow has announced plans to convert the former 219-room hotel into living units with a 24-hour fitness center, resort-style pool, and other amenities.

Located at Northwest Expressway and May Avenue, the new name will be Highland Tower with an opening planned for the summer of 2022.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wyndham3.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/highland4.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/highland3.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/highland5.jpg

It's like Pete had that all lined up and ready to go :D

Would be nice if they could demo the back part to re-expose the mid century roof line

The neighborhood association tried...trust me. Now it will be, you guessed, an On-Cue come late 2022.
Of course another OnCue.

Of course another OnCue.

We reported this two years ago; they also bought some property from this hotel/apartment project:

https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=685-OnCue-buys-Founders-Bank-property

As one who used to work at Founders Bank, It's too bad. The old Founders Bank with the arches would have made a cool OnCue store.