This is truly a banner day in Oklahoma City history! The Omni convention center hotel is officially open and will begin hosting guests tomorrow.

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The Omni represents completion of another major puzzle piece in the remarkable tourism complex we are building on the southern edge of downtown.

The central elements are the convention center, Scissortail Park, and the Omni, with ancillary elements that include the new parking garage, Mick Cornett Drive, the new traffic circle, and OKC Boulevard.

Down the line, we’ll see the addition of the lower Scissortail Park, the renovation of Union Station, upgrades to Chesapeake Arena, Thunder Alley, and Boulevard Place. And all of this will connect to the rest of downtown via the Streetcar.

It is absolutely no exaggeration to say that we are on the cusp of creating one of the finest meeting destinations in the country.

The new Omni - now our city’s largest hotel - is a key element. I walked through its doors today for the time since its completion. It is spectacular and an attraction in and of itself.

All of these efforts are ultimately about jobs & economic development. We have seen tourism take on a larger role in our economy of late, but it’s going to explode in the decade ahead, thanks in large part to what is taking shape in the area once known as “Core to Shore.”

This visionary Omni project would not have been possible without the leadership and commitment of my predecessor, Councilmembers for a decade, the team at City of OKC, the Alliance for Economic Development and the Greater OKC Chamber of Commerce. And of course, the team at Omni.

Thank you to everyone and congrats to the people of OKC!