SAPULPA, Okla. — Guests staying in second-floor rooms at the Regency Inn in Sapulpa were ordered to vacate the property after city inspectors identified multiple safety hazards, leaving dozens scrambling to find new housing.
For several guests, the hotel near I-44 has been home for years — even though that in and of itself is a code violation, according to the city.
The City of Sapulpa's Building Official Mark Stephens said they've faced inspection issues with the Regency Inn for the last two years. A recent complaint from another agency prompted a Sept. 23 inspection.
That's when inspectors found a laundry list of safety code violations, including multiple gas leaks that have since been repaired, and inoperable smoke detectors in three of the buildings.
"We gave them notice on the 24th that they were to evacuate the second floor," Stephens said. "When we met with the owner on Tuesday, they indicated that they had not provided notice to anyone on the second floor, so the City of Sapulpa wrote a notice and we personally posted it on every door."
The issue guests are having is that the property owner and team at the Regency Inn had nearly a week to let them know, and didn't. One guest, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were given 24 hour notice to vacate the room they've been staying in for nearly two years.
"They’ve known, at least the letter states that they’ve known since the 23rd, but yet they neglected to inform us of anything, but took my payment no problem, knowing this day was coming because they already failed, so that’s really frustrating too," he said.
The resident said they are now out about $300 after paying for a full week's stay.
"Ideally I wish they would just give me a little bit of money back so I could get a U-Haul," the guest said. "I would be happy to get up out of here."
Stephens said city officials would have preferred to give residents more notice but determined the safety concerns required immediate action. They are ordering all upper-level rooms remain empty until the property can install fire suppression systems in the buildings.
While second-floor rooms have been evacuated, first-floor rooms remain open because they provide direct access to the parking lot in the event of an emergency, he said.
“They have hired or engaged a fire suppression company," said Stephens. "They are working on a plan, that plan should be submitted within the next two weeks. We are issuing a temporary CO to allow occupancy on the first floor. As long as they have plan in place with a permit approved within 60 days, we’ll extend the permit another 60 days to allow the installation of fire suppression."
As the necessary safety adjustments are made, the city will allow a phased in move in for the second-floor rooms.
2 News was unable to contact the property owner. The office at the inn was locked with no one inside when we visited the property.
According to city officials, the Regency Inn owner has 60 days to install fire suppression systems in the affected buildings. Stephens said the city will conduct spot inspections during that time, and hotel staff will be required to keep weekly logs documenting room inspections.
"As long as we can maintain that, we're operating in a good place," Stephens said.
Those with questions can reach out to the Sapulpa Building Inspections Department at 918-248-5910.
Facebook 
TikTok 
YouTube
Instagram
Threads
X