MOORE, Oklahoma—Hotel damage in Moore, Oklahoma—site of a devastating tornado that touched down Monday afternoon and left 24 dead—appears to be minimal as cleanup crews continue to remove rubble and assess damage.
Most of the major U.S. hotel brands have reported little or no damage to properties in Moore. Power outages and low water pressure are widely reported, but as of press time Wednesday no hotels were reported closed and many were serving as temporary housing for residents who lost homes and emergency workers.
Vijay Patel, manager of the Super 8 Moore, said his hotel was without power until late Tuesday night but because the hotel was one of the few places with water pressure, guests remained on property.
“We’re fine. The tornado was a little bit south of us,” Patel said. “Pretty much everyone is trying to resolve their own situation.”
Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group, Wyndham Hotel Group, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and La Quinta Inns and Suites each provided statements to HotelNewsNow.com suggesting there was no significant impact to their properties in the region.
“Thankfully none of our employees or guests were injured and our and hotels haven’t sustained any damage,” said Astrid Egerton-Vernon, director of global corporate communications for Hilton Worldwide.
“We are happy to report that our guests and staff are all safe and no injuries have been reported,” said Sherry Telford, corporate communications manager for IHG, which has 17 hotels in and around the Oklahoma City area.
Telford said the Holiday Inn Norman had reported power outages and the Candlewood Suites Oklahoma City-Moore is operating at diminished capacity due to power outages and limited ability to travel into and out of the area.
Jeff Flaherty, member of Marriott’s global corporate relations team, said: “At this time none of our hotels have reported any significant impact and all remain open.”
There was no damage to any La Quinta Inns & Suites properties in the area and none were closed due to the storm, according to La Quinta spokeswoman Teresa Ferguson.
Both Hyatt Place hotels in Oklahoma City were fully functional, said Hyatt spokeswoman Amy Patti; and no Starwood hotels were damaged or impacted by the storm, said Starwood spokeswoman Nadeen Ayala.
Wyndham Hotel Group has 15 hotels within a 10 mile radius of the impacted area, said Christine Da Silva, Wyndham’s VP of marketing communications.
“Some of the properties that we have spoken with are having operational challenges such as low water pressure due to interruptions in utility service,” Da Silva said. “Thankfully, the hotels are open and operating on some floors where there are functional showers, etc.
“We had three employees in the impacted area and thankfully all are OK,” she added.
There are six hotels totaling 371 rooms in Moore, Oklahoma, according to STR, parent company of HotelNewsNow.com. Hotels in Oklahoma City, about 11 miles from Moore, began filling with displaced residents Monday night, according to Michael Carrier, president of Oklahoma City’s Convention & Visitor Bureau.
Several hotel companies have organized charitable donation campaigns for those affected. Wyndham is trying to help identify available rooms in the area for Red Cross, Da Silva said, and Wyndham Worldwide will match donations up to $25,000 to help those impacted by the tornado.
The IHG Shelter in a Storm Program has been activated and will allocate $25,000 in community relief aid through the American Red Cross, Telford said. The program “provides vital assistance to communities and our employees around the world after a natural disaster,” she said. Members of IHG's guest loyalty program can also donate loyalty points.
A Hyatt Regency in Greenville, South Carolina, held a candlelight vigil Tuesday to support those affected by the tornado, and owner JHM Hotels agreed to match donations from the event.
The Comfort Inn & Suites in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, pledged to donate $1 to the American Red Cross for every “like” the hotel’s Facebook page received, up to $1,000.
Weather officials estimated the strength of the storm to be an F4 or F5 on the Fujita Scale—the highest rating a tornado can achieve. The National Weather Service said the tornado's preliminary classification was an F4, with winds up to 200 miles per hour.