Hotels

A top choice downtown for both business and leisure travelers is the Renaissance Oklahoma City Hotel, located on the edge of Bricktown at 10 N. Broadway (tel. 888/236-2427 or 405/228-8000; www.marriott.com). With a dramatic, 15-story glass-topped atrium lobby complete with waterfalls, ponds, and plants, it offers a 24-hour fitness room, indoor pool, full-service spa, and 311 rooms ($199-$249 double) that face Bricktown or downtown (many with balcony), including club-level rooms with extra privileges. Those with more limited expense accounts can try the nearby Courtyard by Marriott, 2 W. Reno Ave. (tel. 888/236-2427 or 405/232-2290; www.courtyard.com/okcdt), a smart-looking property decorated in bright contemporary colors and offering a 24-hour exercise room, indoor pool, and chic rooms ($149-$179 double) that rise above the ordinary in decor and comfort.

Couples searching for a romantic getaway might consider the Grandison Inn at Maney Park, just a few minutes' drive from downtown at 1200 N. Shartel (tel. 888/799-4667 or 405/232-8778; www.grandisoninn.com). Built in 1904, this Victorian bed-and-breakfast with a wraparound porch and original woodwork retains all its turn-of-the-20th-century charm and offers nine rooms ($129-$169 double), each one different but decorated with antiques and with private bathroom (most have whirlpool tubs as well). Travelers on a budget can try Best Western Saddleback Inn, 4300 SW 3rd St. (tel. 800/228-3903 or 405/947-7000; www.bestwestern.com/saddlebackinn), one of many motels on or near Meridian Avenue west of downtown with easy access to I-40. Built by the owner's father more than 20 years ago, it's decorated in a Native American/Western theme and has more character than most hotels. It targets business travelers, but families, too, appreciate the rooms ($120 double) or the extralarge suites ($149), both with fridge and microwave, as well as the free buffet breakfast, full-service restaurant, outdoor pool, exercise room, hot tub, sauna, free cocktail hour Monday through Thursday, and free shuttle service to the airport and within a 3-mile radius of the hotel, including nearby White Water Bay. The Orange Line trolley to downtown stops in front of the hotel.