Inn At Price Tower Closes Without Notice To Some Guests Who Had Previous Reservations

 After months of financial trouble, the Price Tower in Bartlesville announced on August 9, 2024, that it was temporarily closing the Inn at Price Tower immediately. For some, the closing came as a shock. 

Stephanie Vaughan and her son Emmett spent the weekend in Bartlesville as a mother-and-son bonding trip.

"We had raised money the last few weeks just to do something special so that's why, and to stay here was really at the top of our list," Stephanie said. 

They chose to go to Bartlesville for the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Tower. 

Stephanie is an art teacher in Tulsa, and her son is a big fan of Wright's work.

"I was looking forward to exploring the building, seeing what's inside it, looking at all the cool artifacts and just having fun," Emmett said. 

They were getting ready to check in Friday night when they learned there'd be a change of plans.

"My first thought was you mean we could have stayed here last night but today, the only day we chose to be here it closed," Stephanie said. 

On August 9, the owner of the Price Tower said they didn't have enough business to support staff which meant not having enough employees to run the Inn, forcing them to temporarily close the hotel. 

"I really wanted to experience sleeping and staying in a hotel that was a piece of art," said Stephanie. 

She and her son did get the chance to go inside and look at a few pieces during their trip, but they hope their time exploring the Price Tower hasn't come to an end.

"I'm disappointed because I really wanted to stay in the hotel," Emmett said. "But I'm really excited to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright and I want to make one of his art pieces."

The full statement from the owner of Price Tower, Cynthia Blanchard, about the closing reads in full: 

“We have had to make a difficult decision based on negative unfounded, and untruthful series of articles that have come from the local press. It has tremendously hurt our business to the point that we could not support current staff, and decided to temporarily close the hotel because we could not have the staff to support our guests. I do not know what tomorrow brings. We have tried so hard to make this all work and our team is incredible. Everyone has sacrificed and I wish I could stay with conviction what tomorrow is going to bring but we just don’t know yet. But I do know is that our team has gone above and beyond and sacrificed greatly to try to make this work and I’m very, very proud of them.”