TULSA, Okla. — Festive decorations are up but the lobby is much quieter than anticipated at the historic Campbell Hotel in midtown Tulsa.
Front desk manager John-Michael Benardello says guests with Christmas reservations months in advance were forced to cancel at the last minute because of flight issues.
“We’ve been dealing with the aftermath of trying to recoup from going to a sold-out night to a four-room night, it’s been crazy,” said Benardello.
With 26 rooms, any number of cancellations would impact the Campbell Hotel. In the last week, they’ve had more than two dozen. The hotel is refunding guests who can’t show despite the financial setback to the hotel.
Closer to the airport, the Hilton Garden Inn hosted several stranded passengers as guests. The hotel shuttles took them to stores and restaurants as well as several trips back to the terminal.
“They wanted to constantly check with the airline so we would take them back and forth and you could see the frustration getting stronger and stronger every time they were told they couldn’t board,” said Pete Patel of Promise Hotels, which runs the Hilton Garden Inn and other hotels in the Tulsa metro.
There are still passengers struggling with trying to get home. Gordon Crowell works in Colorado and opted to burn a few vacation days when his flight got canceled. Crowell says his biggest frustration is the lack of communication from Southwest Airlines. He’s hoping to fly out on Saturday.
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