Transcript Staff

A crisp fall day was the setting for the celebration of the traditional topping off of Norman’s new 10-story Embassy Suites Hotel.

City leaders along with representatives of John Q. Hammons and Flintco Constructive Solutions gathered early Friday afternoon to watch an evergreen tree placed on top of the construction site.

“Pretty impressive progress, I think,” said Mayor Cindy Rosenthal. “It was a nice event.”

Placement of the tree celebrated the completion of the highest structural point of the 283-suite Embassy Suites Norman-Hotel and Convention Center. The idea of a topping-off ceremony dates back several centuries.

The hotel will be owned by Hammons and managed by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts. The adjacent convention center will be owned by the City of Norman and managed by John Q. Hammons Hotel and Resorts.

“This topping-off ceremony isn’t just marking a milestone for the Embassy Suites Norman-Hotel and Convention Center. This ceremony is symbolic of the wonderful things happening in Norman and of our commitment to helping the community and the state of Oklahoma continue to thrive,” Hammons said in a prepared statement. Hammons is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts.

Attendees at the topping-off ceremony also included Hammons representatives, Flintco’s Mark Grimes, City Manager Steve Lewis and Don Wood, executive director of the Norman Economic Development Coalition.

“The new Embassy Suites project has taken shape at a rapid pace, signaling this new corporate citizen’s commitment to our community,” Rosenthal said. “We welcome this new addition to our community and hope for great things.”

The $50 million property is part of the University North Park mixed-use major development project east of Interstate 35 between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road. It will have more than 45,000 net square-feet of total meeting and exhibit space.

When it’s fully developed, the 585-acre University North Park development is projected to be the fourth-largest open-air shopping mall in the United States. Planning for the area includes a major retail complex, lifestyle center, park, office complexes, multi-family housing projects and businesses.

Jim Rickards was announced as the general manager of the hotel. Rickards has been general manager of Hammons’ Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Oklahoma City since 2004.

Sara Furr was introduced as the senior sales manager for the new hotel and conference center and will coordinate group business.

“We look forward to providing our guests with the exceptional service for which John Q. Hammons’ properties are known,” Rickards said.

The topping-off ceremony also celebrated the project’s safety record. Hammons and Flintco representatives reported that there have been no injuries on the project.