Tulsa's Renaissance Hotel preview

If you've been near 71st Street and Highway 169, you've no doubt seen the construction of the new Renaissance Hotel. <br><br>It's impossible to miss, and yet you probably have no idea what's

Wednesday, August 21st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

If you've been near 71st Street and Highway 169, you've no doubt seen the construction of the new Renaissance Hotel.

It's impossible to miss, and yet you probably have no idea what's inside. The hotel is having a preview party Thursday to show itself off. But News on Six business reporter Steve Berg is giving us a sneak peek. Its like nothing Tulsa has even seen before, but in some ways, it's a "lot" like what Tulsa has seen before. "It's state of the art, but its combines the local flair and the feeling of Tulsa and I think it's something that Tulsa's really going to be proud of." Sales manager Charles Secrest says the Renaissance tries to tailor the theme of its hotel to whatever community it's in.

In this case, the rich, extravagant fabrics and furniture are meant to evoke memories of Tulsa's oil and ranching past. "You can see for a typical guest room, that there's a lot of elegance to the room, it's not going to be your standard hotel room." In contrast to its old-fashioned luxury, the hotel will have the latest in high-tech amenities.

Remember, they say, this is the first full-service hotel in Tulsa in nearly two decades. "If you can imagine back in 84, what we had to provide as a hotel community has changed rapidly." Things like high-speed Internet access, which the hotel will have in all its guest rooms as well as its large conference center that can accommodate 3,000 people. The hotel will have the largest ballroom in the state.

They expect they will draw many clients that had outgrown Tulsa. Helping the city's future by drawing on its past. Hotel officials say room rates will only be about 20-percent higher than other full-service hotels.

And they say the rooms will be much more upscale than people would expect for the price.