Omni Hotel

[Laramie]

It will take time for OKC to develop into what many of you on this board envision what you would like OKC to become. Definitely, a lot better than the direction we were headed upon entering the 90s.

MAPS has paved the way. Which has stimulated private development; however, the conference hotel development will be conservative--it should provide a foundation (600 rooms) to kick start our convention industry as we enter the 2020s.

Six hundred (600) rooms should be enough to allow us to set aside blocks of 200-400 rooms for some tier 2 type gatherings. Selection of a new site will be essential for the success of the convention center.

My prediction; we'll look back and wish we had planned a 900 room conference hotel development.

[Just the facts]

My prediction; we'll look back and wish we had planned a 900 room conference hotel development.

My prediction: The hotel will continuingly under-perform and require annual operating subsidies. Second prediction: Supporters will claim the wrong location is the reason (instead of flawed projections).

[Urban Pioneer]

Voter apathy in this city and state is horrific. The local media shares some of the blame: people are tuning out. There are good reporters doing good things, but people are not very engaged. I don't profess to have an easy solution to change things.

Move city elections to higher profile "up-ticket" election dates. IE, Presidential and Mid-term elections. That is the only way to boost turnout and reflect the intent of the greatest number of people. Regarding the media, the television coverage of elections has been deplorable. Bill Crum with the Oklahoman and Ben Felder with the Gazette have done a great job covering candidates and dates in print, online, and on Twitter. TV Stations only seem to want cover a race if their is mud slinging involved.

Back on topic, the word on the street is that talks have meaningfully resumed on the Ford Dealership site. It shure would be cool if someone could get OG+E on record for what an actual relocation cost on the substation would be for a contrasting option.

[Pete]

I've become convinced the convention center and hotel will end up on the original site.

There will continue to be meetings and discussions and more money will be paid to the consultants, and we'll end up right where we started.

[Dustin]

I've become convinced the convention center and hotel will end up on the original site.

There will continue to be meetings and discussions and more money will be paid to the consultants, and we'll end up right where we started.

Double facepalm if this happens...

[Tier2City]

Back on topic, the word on the street is that talks have meaningfully resumed on the Ford Dealership site.

Do you think Couch plulled the plug just to get them back to the table? Genius.

[hfry]

^^that and the kind of public shaming. The rhetoric has always been they were unwilling to make a deal with the city when the city has helped them in the past.

[Stickman]

Double facepalm if this happens...

Make it a triple

[betts]

I've become convinced the convention center and hotel will end up on the original site.

There will continue to be meetings and discussions and more money will be paid to the consultants, and we'll end up right where we started.

That's what the committee members always wanted. It was patently obvious if you attended any of the meetings. And they don't like to hear the word "no" either. Hopefully they're not eyeing other projects' budgets.

[Pete]

I still want to know how they plan to bridge the gap between what is budgeted for land acquisition and what they will have to pay for that site.

I'm sure it won't be $100 million but it's not going to fit into the $13 million budget either.

No reason to bother the public or even City Council with such trivial details, though.

[Urbanized]

I still want to know how they plan to bridge the gap between what is budgeted for land acquisition and what they will have to pay for that site.

I'm sure it won't be $100 million but it's not going to fit into the $13 million budget either.

No reason to bother the public or even City Council with such trivial details, though.

This is the location that I was primarily referring to a few weeks ago when I said there were potential locations that were not even being considered in this thread at the time. Suffice to say that there are also other configuration options and financial instruments that can be brought to bear here than - again - what are currently being discussed in the thread. I'm sure all of those options are being discussed, considered and otherwise vetted by staff and consultants. Regarding Council members, it is routine for them to have individual meetings with staff to be updated on issues like these as they progress. All they have to do is ask, and you can be sure that some of them are doing so.

When everything is said and done I'm even guessing that the solution won't be nearly as painful or controversial as most here are expecting.

Regarding pulling the plug on the court case, I doubt that doing so was an overt negotiation tactic. It sounds like the court case was just becoming too acrimonious and heading in the wrong direction for everyone. I won't argue though that effectively resetting the process probably let everyone take a deep breath and re-assess their positions.

[Stickman]

I still want to know how they plan to bridge the gap between what is budgeted for land acquisition and what they will have to pay for that site.

I'm sure it won't be $100 million but it's not going to fit into the $13 million budget either.

No reason to bother the public or even City Council with such trivial details, though.

Maybe a lease on the Convention site (not the Hotel site) I dunno?
I think the City leased to the Hall group on the Lake,
can't verify it though.

[Urbanized]

I think a silver lining here could be that it forces everyone to get more creative. Sometimes the best changes are wrought by adversity.

[Stickman]

I still think the City will have to go back to the well. Either a MAPS 3.5 or even a IV. to finish out. The developer will just have too much risk in a 600-800 room Hotel.

[Urbanized]

I doubt that public involvement in the hotel will require significant (or possibly even any) MAPS dollars, and certainly not an additional MAPS tax.

[OKCRT]

What is wrong with this picture? The city hires consultants that say a min of 750 room CC hotel is recommended. But what we see is the applicants all have the number at 600 or there abouts. Why would the city even consider building anything less than the 750 rooms? It seems to me if anything they would want more rooms instead of less. Do they not think the city is going to grow and get better conventions?

[Pete]

The City's RFP for the hotel specified 500 to 750 rooms.

I'm sure they didn't want to limit the responses.

[OKCRT]

Ok,I thought 750 was the recommended number. Still,they should build to 750 IMO. But I am sure they will build a lower number and then will be wishing they had built more.

[Teo9969]

Ok,I thought 750 was the recommended number. Still,they should build to 750 IMO. But I am sure they will build a lower number and then will be wishing they had built more.

We're not exactly hurting for space in OKC. I know some want the room count higher because it will mean a taller building, but we do need to realize there's plenty of space near the CC that can build hotel stock as both infill and usefulness to the CC.

[Laramie]

Ok,I thought 750 was the recommended number. Still,they should build to 750 IMO. But I am sure they will build a lower number and then will be wishing they had built more.

Agree!

We'll find out upon completion (one year over) as we enter 2020. IMO there will be an immediate call to build another on site hotel structure with an additional 300 or more rooms.

Have we forgotten about the Myriad Convention Center's opening in 1973. There weren't enough quality hotel rooms downtown to go after the type of conventions that would have made it successful.

[Urbanized]

We're not exactly hurting for space in OKC. I know some want the room count higher because it will mean a taller building, but we do need to realize there's plenty of space near the CC that can build hotel stock as both infill and usefulness to the CC.

Exactly. A number of people posting here continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that everyone attending a convention stays in the convention hotel and everyone in the convention hotel is a convention attendee. In a properly-functioning convention environment both assumptions are far, FAR from the truth. Especially if the CC is built walkable to existing hotel stock.

[soonerguru]

Putting this here:

Phoenix aiming to sell money-losing Sheraton hotel | News OK

[Spartan]

We're not exactly hurting for space in OKC. I know some want the room count higher because it will mean a taller building, but we do need to realize there's plenty of space near the CC that can build hotel stock as both infill and usefulness to the CC.

Height could also come from building the parking for the entire convention complex into the hotel structure as a pedestal. I don't know what they plan to do, but A) I seriously hope they aren't planning on further encircling our parks with parking garages (highest and best use, right?), and B) Underground parking is twice as expensive as structured parking (40K vs. 20K per space).

[baralheia]

So Ed Shadid is tweeting about a town hall meeting to address a plan to "divert $100+ million from OKC schools to subsidize a convention hotel, etc"... Anyone know what he's on about? Is this about creating a TIF district to fund the hotel and CC or something?

[Pete]

So Ed Shadid is tweeting about a town hall meeting to address a plan to "divert $100+ million from OKC schools to subsidize a convention hotel, etc"... Anyone know what he's on about? Is this about creating a TIF district to fund the hotel and CC or something?

TIF Districts - OKCTalk