Plans For New Downtown Tulsa Hotel Good News For Nearby Businesses

The Tulsa skyline will be growing in the coming months, as construction begins on a new hotel near the BOK Center.

The new hotel will be at 2nd Street and Cheyenne. Business owners say having the hotel in their backyard shows the risk they took four years ago is paying off.

A couple blocks from the BOK Center, two blocks from the convention center, and two blocks from the Brady Theater--developers say they couldn't have asked for a better location for their $17.5 million investment.

Developers unveiled their plans for the new Hilton Gardens Hotel. It's a 134-room, 126,000 square foot building in the perfect location for people visiting the BOK Center and great news the restaurants nearby.

"It's just crazy, you can get upwards of 19,000 people down here all in one space," said Jason Head, general manager of Ti Amo Italian restaurant.

Head has watched as the area around his restaurant has been transformed, with the addition of offices, restaurants, apartments and parking.

11/14/2013 Related Story: $16M Hotel, Restaurant, Retail Development Coming To Downtown Tulsa

"That's what I have envisioned in my mind is this becoming a district, you know? We have the Blue Dome District, the Brady District, Brookside," Head said.

Seven stories of hotel rooms will be added to the Tulsa skyline that will literally wrap around what used to be the old Geo Data Corporation. That building will be renovated to have retail stores, a restaurant and a rooftop patio that overlooks downtown.

"I think, in five years, people really won't recognize downtown," said Tulsa Metro Chamber President Mike Neal.

Neal said Tulsa hotel room sales are up 30 percent over the past two years, and this latest hotel will only continue to pump out of state money into the local economy and drive future development.

"It seems like every couple weeks...we're having a pretty nice announcement, and I would really expect this trend to continue," Neal said.

The new hotel promises to be a unique twist on new an old construction, and while the details about the restaurant and retail part of the development are still unknown, neighbors support anything that gets this area one step closer to becoming a destination district.

"People want to get out of their cars, walk around and make a decision on where they want to eat for the night," Head said.

Developers say construction should begin sometime next year and should be finished by 2016.

Promise Hotels and The Ross Group, both based in Tulsa, say there will also be an event space inside where people can gather.