11 hotels earn Four Diamond Awards
AAA has named 11 Oklahoma hotels, including five in Oklahoma City, as Four Diamond Award winners.
Of 27,000 hotels inspected by AAA in 2017, only 6.1 percent earn the distinction.
“Attaining a Diamond Rating is an exceptional accomplishment that signifies meticulous attention to detail, creativity in enhancing comfort, outstanding service and memorable guest experiences,” said AAA Oklahoma spokesperson Leslie Gamble.
In Oklahoma City, the rating was awarded to 21c Museum Hotel; Ambassador Hotel, Autograph Collection; Colcord Hotel; Renaissance Waterford Hotel; and the Skirvin Hilton.
The Renaissance
Waterford Hotel continued to be the state’s longest honored AAA Four Diamond hotel, receiving the award for its 22nd consecutive year.
Other Oklahoma award winners included Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa; Choctaw Casino/ Resort in Durant; Ambassador Hotel Tulsa, Autograph Collection; Hyatt Regency Tulsa; Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center; and River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa.
“It’s a testament to Oklahoma’s hospitality industry that we have so many Four Diamond hotel establishments that provide a wonderful sense of comfort for travelers,” said Gamble. “And as more mid-scale and even budget properties are adding amenities for comfort and convenience, hotels that aim for a Diamond Rating must stay far ahead of the curve to differentiate themselves through
advanced design concepts, high-quality furnishings and scrupulous attention to guests’ expectations.”
Lead architect chosen for Dylan Center
TULSA — The George Kaiser Family Foundation has selected Seattle-based Olson Kundig as the lead architect and exhibit designer for The Bob Dylan Center, the home of The Bob Dylan Archive to be located in the Tulsa Arts District.
Olson Kundig won the international design competition after an evaluation process by a committee that included representatives of the George Kaiser Family Foundation and Bob Dylan’s management team. Tulsabased Lilly Architects is partnering with Olson Kundig as the architect of record for the project.
“After reviewing proposals from top firms around the world, we agreed that Olson Kundig’s experience, talent
and design aesthetic stood out as the best fit for this project,” said Ken Levit, executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
The future Bob Dylan Center will be on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Tulsa, in a space just southeast of the Woody Guthrie Center, which the foundation established in 2013 after acquiring the archives of the influential folk songwriter. In 2016, Dylan cited the Guthrie center as one of the reasons he chose Tulsa for his own archives.
“I’m glad that my archives, which have been collected all these years, have finally found a home and are to be included with the works of Woody Guthrie and especially alongside all the valuable artifacts from the Native American Nations. To me, it makes a lot of sense and it’s a great honor,” Dylan said.
The center is expected to open in 2021.