A major hotel in downtown Tulsa is open again, more than two months after closing because of a fire.
A fire broke out in the Hyatt Regency Tulsa on Nov. 16, the start of a busy weekend with Tulsa hosting the Route 66 Marathon and the Arabian horse show.
The Tulsa Fire Department determined an escalator motor started the accidental fire. The more than 400-room hotel had finished an $8 million dollar in 2017.
Around 400 people were evacuated, and the Hyatt reopened for the first time since the fire on Friday.
"The thing we need to realize is that hotel went offline and we lost basically a third of the hotel rooms downtown. It really speaks to why we need more full-service hotels in downtown," said VisitTulsa President Ray Hoyt.
"It did have an effect on our [lodging tax] collection for the month that they were closed because they lead occupancy and rate in the market," Hoyt said.
Hoyt said there were effects besides lost lodging tax revenue.
"It could really cost us all those jobs that weren’t being paid for. All those people that did cancel and didn’t show up to town is lost revenue for our community, and the opportunity for future bookings is challenged because people are now waiting to contract," Hoyt said.
The recently released Arena District Master Plan calls for a full-service hotel as part of a Cox Business Center expansion.
