John Panno, a tax credit specialist with Sherwin-Williams of Cleveland, visited Oklahoma City in December, and on the advice of a client, he hoped to book a room at downtown's Colcord Hotel. But the rate he was quoted — more than $300 a night — was too much for his travel budget, and he ended up leasing an apartment at another historic downtown property, The Montgomery.
Panno's experience may not be unusual. While other downtown hotels are celebrating high occupancy rates, the Colcord Hotel during its first year has battled an image of being overpriced for the market and having a restaurant that's only for very special occasions.
"We didn't do a good job communicating on pricing or our flexibility on rates,” developer Paul Coury said. "People perceived us as being too expensive or not in line with where the market was going to be. We set out to be 15 to 20 percent above the market. But as it turned out, we were perceived as being 50 to 60 percent above market. And perception is reality.”
Coury admits he made other miscalculations, as well. Looking back, he said, the lobby was too stark and the facade wasn't flashy enough to grab travelers' attention. And the staff, promoted from Coury's Ambassador Hotel in Tulsa, never established relationships in Oklahoma City.
John Williams, a transplant from Milwaukee who moved to Oklahoma City to manage the competing Skirvin Hilton Hotel, visited with dozens of civic leaders and spoke at groups including the Downtown Rotary and the Bricktown Association. Coury's original Colcord management did not match that effort.
"Honestly, looking back on it, we never got into a position to build any loyalty with any clients,” Coury said. "I think that really hurt us in trying to establish the corporate loyalty we were looking for.”
Changes at the Colcord Hotel began over the summer; international flags and a large sign were added to the exterior. A concierge counter, rugs and curtains were added to the marble laden lobby of the 96-year-old building.
Coury is also working with brothers and chefs Michel and Alain Buthion to better promote Soleil, their restaurant on the hotel's first floor.
"We're trying to re-brand some things,” Coury said. "The restaurant menu may have been perceived as not the right menu. And some would say, ‘What is Soleil?' They've added a tagline — ‘Steak and seafood with an attitude.' They're trying to let people know what's on the menu.”
That means more emphasis on items from the Buthions' butcher shop, and re-creation of the early evening oyster bar that was a popular after-work hangout at the Colcord when it was an office building.
"Their club, XO in the basement, is something that is popular late at night,” Coury said. "And from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., that is the place to be. But some business executives don't want to wait for that.”
The answer was to remove formal dining tables from the bar area and make it more of a place to enjoy drinks and engage in conversation. An outdoor covered dining area was added, with a weekly live Thursday night musical performance that debuted last week.
Veterans in the Oklahoma City hospitality industry were hired to chart a new direction for the hotel.
They include Jeff Erwin, whose 20-year career included managing the Waterford Hotel from 1994 to 2000 — years when the hotel was unchallenged as the city's finest lodging for corporate travelers. The new sales director, Cathy Winrow, most recently oversaw sales at the Skirvin, and before that she worked at downtown's Renaissance Hotel.
Erwin, who most recently oversaw lodges and golf courses at the Oklahoma Tourism Department, said the Colcord reminds him of his early years at the Waterford, when it was an independent hotel and not a
Source: The Oklahoman