Downtown Hotels

[DTowner]

I went to OKC this weekend, stayed at the Colcord hotel. http://www.colcordhotel.com/

The downtown Tulsa Hotels have nothing on OKC in terms of quality staff, (I have also stayed and ate at the Mayo) restaurants and energy. Tulsa has a long way to go, while people that do not travel out of Tulsa might think that the Mayo is "a 5 star stay) let me tell you after a simple stay in OKC at a number of hotels that match the size of the Mayo they would change their minds. Hopefully aloft will be another story. The FLINT resturant that is also in the hotel of the colcord would wipe their shoes on Trula any day..

PS: I paid around 130 for a room vs. the Mayo's now rate of: $275-$319 which is absurd for Tulsa.

I think the rates for the Mayo are in line with those at the Skirvin - which are probably more comparable hotels.

Trula has not lived up to its potential.

[zstyles]

I've stayed at the Skirvin also, and can say that yes it does compare the the Mayo .... mostly in name

[heironymouspasparagus]

Skirvin starts cheaper but goes up to the $250 range pretty quickly.  Motels in general think much higher of themselves than is deserved or earned.  You can get a room for over $300 a night at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, and they seem to be a notch above the Mayo or Skirvin, but when it comes right down to it, it's still a hotel.   None of them are really all that special...

Courtyard in downtown OKC will get you just as nice a stay under $200 (the people have always been very friendly to me) plus, if you want to go on the train to Fort Worth, they are right across the street from the train station and will let you park in their covered secure garage for about $4 a day while on the train ride!  (IF they charge you at all....)

Or get a room away from downtown, rent a car, and save some money - plus have the flexibility to go do some sightseeing.  Courtyards, Hyatt Place, and other of the mid scale places for the name brand hotels usually under $100 out of city center.

If you are lucky enough to have a company with a discount arrangement with them, those $98 rooms can be $65 - 70.  Or the $189 will be $129.

And always join the 'traveler clubs'.  Mostly they don't expire nearly as quick as the airline programs.

Or best of all possible worlds - get a travel trailer and take it with you - park for $35 a night and get to sleep in YOUR own bed!!  OKC has a couple of nice campgrounds within about 3 miles of downtown with VERY easy access.

[Conan71]

The sad reality is Heir, even in a $1000 a night room, there's still a lot of strange people's, um, DNA all over the place.  GHACK!

[heironymouspasparagus]

The sad reality is Heir, even in a $1000 a night room, there's still a lot of strange people's, um, DNA all over the place.  GHACK!

That's exactly why I hate hotels/motels!  I probably average 50 to 60 nights a year (at times more, but has slowed lately) and it creeps me out all the time.  Even the very best you can find are still marginal - no matter how 'clean' they look, they are still not.  And no matter what, I NEVER go barefoot in the room - I always have either shoes or flip-flops on, especially in the shower!  Get a lot of free room nights - something I would just as soon not use.

One thing they do that really is almost amusing - some hotels will ask you to "conserve" water by reusing the bed linens and/or towels.  If you don't want to, leave the card on the bed and the towels on the floor of the bath.  Well, one chain I seem to use more than most makes a pretty big deal of it, but I always want them to change sheets every day.  And they say they will.  It is as if I can't put a small mark on the sheets with a pen, Hyatt, and see that even though you "say" they are changed, they really aren't....EVERY time.  Just makes me wonder if they really were changed from the last occupant.  Just saying....

In fairness, they all do that same thing - have never stayed 3 nights or more in any place where they didn't leave the sheets at least half the time - or more.

Yeah...the Ritz Carlton, Chicago is nice, but in the end, it's just another hotel.  Been a long time since I was there.  May have to go back sometime...not.

Long live camping!!  But it's tough to put a 28 foot trailer in checked baggage - the oversize fees are huge!

[dbacks fan]

Yes heir, just like the last rental car, the last airline seat you sat in, and the pocket in the seat in front of you. Or the pillow or blanket on the flight, the last restaurant that you ate in and sat in, and the table you had, the plate that you ate off of, and the glass you had your drink out of, and the silverware you used. The cup that you got at QT, the counter where you paid for it, the gas pump you got fuel from, the door at the mall or store and any other public place that you have been to. Want to talk about theaters? How about amusement parks you took your kids to?

[Conan71]

Yes heir, just like the last rental car, the last airline seat you sat in, and the pocket in the seat in front of you. Or the pillow or blanket on the flight, the last restaurant that you ate in and sat in, and the table you had, the plate that you ate off of, and the glass you had your drink out of, and the silverware you used. The cup that you got at QT, the counter where you paid for it, the gas pump you got fuel from, the door at the mall or store and any other public place that you have been to. Want to talk about theaters? How about amusement parks you took your kids to?

Stop it!!!

I'm an OCD germ phobe.  Wait, was that DCO, or COD....

[DTowner]

Yes heir, just like the last rental car, the last airline seat you sat in, and the pocket in the seat in front of you. Or the pillow or blanket on the flight, the last restaurant that you ate in and sat in, and the table you had, the plate that you ate off of, and the glass you had your drink out of, and the silverware you used. The cup that you got at QT, the counter where you paid for it, the gas pump you got fuel from, the door at the mall or store and any other public place that you have been to. Want to talk about theaters? How about amusement parks you took your kids to?

Don't forget ATMs and gas pump handles....

[heironymouspasparagus]

Yes heir, just like the last rental car, the last airline seat you sat in, and the pocket in the seat in front of you. Or the pillow or blanket on the flight, the last restaurant that you ate in and sat in, and the table you had, the plate that you ate off of, and the glass you had your drink out of, and the silverware you used. The cup that you got at QT, the counter where you paid for it, the gas pump you got fuel from, the door at the mall or store and any other public place that you have been to. Want to talk about theaters? How about amusement parks you took your kids to?

Absolutely.  The difference is the exposure time.  In a hotel/motel you have a much longer "soak" time.  Intensity and duration is what makes a disease event.  More germs for shorter time is similar to fewer germs for longer time.  (Just like in your house!)

And you can wash your hands with most of those events and move away from it....in the motel, even the walls are out to get you - you are bathing in a sauna of germs.  It is one large 'stew' of various bugs with a fan on the wall (air cond/heater) to stir the pot so you have even distribution and constant inundation with the ongoing, "building every day", next layer of germs.

Anyone totally freaked out yet?? 

Not me...I worked for several years in a job where there were visits to food processing plants as well as sewage treatment plants.  Developed immunities that have lasted a lifetime!  And the food processing plants were far and away the worst smelling of the batch!!

[custosnox]

Absolutely.  The difference is the exposure time.  In a hotel/motel you have a much longer "soak" time.  Intensity and duration is what makes a disease event.  More germs for shorter time is similar to fewer germs for longer time.  (Just like in your house!)

And you can wash your hands with most of those events and move away from it....in the motel, even the walls are out to get you - you are bathing in a sauna of germs.  It is one large 'stew' of various bugs with a fan on the wall (air cond/heater) to stir the pot so you have even distribution and constant inundation with the ongoing, "building every day", next layer of germs.

Anyone totally freaked out yet?? 

Not me...I worked for several years in a job where there were visits to food processing plants as well as sewage treatment plants.  Developed immunities that have lasted a lifetime!  And the food processing plants were far and away the worst smelling of the batch!!

Is that supposed to be like the five second rule?  Sorry, but time in contact does not matter, it just takes contact period.  Once you make contact, it's there. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

Is that supposed to be like the five second rule?  Sorry, but time in contact does not matter, it just takes contact period.  Once you make contact, it's there. 

It's an "area under the curve" over time thing...if you are exposed to 1 germ in 10 hours, it is different than 10 germs in 1 hour.

[custosnox]

It's an "area under the curve" over time thing...if you are exposed to 1 germ in 10 hours, it is different than 10 germs in 1 hour.

But there is no real difference between 10 germs in 1 hour and 10 germs in 10 hours.  Once you are exposed to the germ, you are exposed, regardless of how long the exposure is.  We aren't film, after all.

[heironymouspasparagus]

But there is no real difference between 10 germs in 1 hour and 10 germs in 10 hours.  Once you are exposed to the germ, you are exposed, regardless of how long the exposure is.  We aren't film, after all.

The odds of becoming ill from the exposure is what changes.

[Gaspar]

The odds of becoming ill from the exposure is what changes.

Depends on the "germ" and your immune system.  "Germ" is a rather useless term for a very broad and diverse category of organisms.

A robust immune system is far more important than a clean environment.  In fact, a fastidiously clean environment can lead to much poorer health, especially in children.

We aren't meant to be divorced from nature.  It's not healthy.

[Conan71]

Depends on the "germ" and your immune system.  "Germ" is a rather useless term for a very broad and diverse category of organisms.

A robust immune system is far more important than a clean environment.  In fact, a fastidiously clean environment can lead to much poorer health, especially in children.

We aren't meant to be divorced from nature.  It's not healthy.

Yes, but I'm pretty certain it's not necessary to sit down on a bedspread with 150 or so different "DNA samples".  Ghack!  That's why it's the first thing to hit the floor when I check into a room.