Kansas-based Hospitality Management to run Oklahoma's new Best Western

The four-story Best Western Plus Norman opened at 3100 Medical Park Place, in Norman, Okla. Located adjacent to the Norman Regional HealthPlex (at I-35 and Tecumseh Rd.), the 116-room hotel includes seven extended-stay suites with kitchenettes. Its amenities include a 700-square-foot conference center, a fitness center, a heated outdoor pool, a grilling area, and an electric car charging station. Designated as a Rider-Friendly Hotel in Best Western’s national partnership with Harley-Davidson, the hotel also has a bike wash station.

Developed and operated by Wichita, Kan.-based Hospitality Management, a Martens Company, the $13-million project employs 25 people. Linsey Kennedy is general manager, and Jodi Helms-Jones is director of sales.

“Norman is fortunate to have a great company operating the new Best Western Plus in our community,” said John Woods, President and CEO of the Norman Chamber of Commerce. “This new hotel only increases the visibility and likelihood of visitors in the metro area of choosing Norman for overnight accommodations. In particular, having an inventory of extended-stay rooms at the Best Western Plus is great for our business travel and assistance to patients and their families utilizing Norman Regional Health System. It’s a beautiful property to add to Norman’s hotel line.”

“Having a new property close to the interstate and the hospital is a tremendous addition to Norman,” said Dan Schemm, executive director of VisitNorman. “We have been anxiously awaiting the opening of this property since the first announcement that The Martens Companies was going to be locating here. The amenities this gorgeous property offers certainly enhances our hospitality community. With a mix of traditional and extended-stay rooms, this will be a great addition. We are thrilled to welcome Best Western Plus to Norman.”

“We’re extremely excited to open the Best Western Plus Norman,” said Steve Martens, President of The Martens Companies and Hospitality Management. “We are fortunate to be located on the campus of the Norman Regional HealthPlex. We appreciate the fact that families of patients are often under tremendous stress. We hope to make their situations a little less stressful by being a comforting home-away-from-home.

This is Hospitality Management’s third Best Western property and its fourth hotel overall. The company operates the Best Western and EconoLodge hotels in Blackwell, Okla., as well as the Best Western Plus in Arkansas City, Kan. Wichita-based Krehbiel Architecture and Conco Construction handled the design and build of the project, using more than 20 Norman-area subcontractors.

Krehbiel Architecture is a privately owned design group of architects, interior architects and landscape architects known for efficient building designs melding form and function. Their lodging portfolio includes designs for Avia Hotels in Long Beach, Napa and Savannah, as well as the Hotel Sierra in Redmond.

Conco Construction is a privately owned company of more than 180 full-time construction professionals and inhouse craftsmen. The Best Western Plus Norman is Conco’s third project for Hospitality Management, having served as general contractor for the new-construction Best Western Plus in Arkansas City and the expansion of the Best Western in Blackwell.