‘Tulsa King’: The Mayo Hotel Is a Real Place in Oklahoma
In the new Taylor Sheridan series Tulsa King, Dwight Manfredi makes himself at home at the Mayo Hotel. As a mafia capo, Dwight wants the best of the best, even in Oklahoma. Though the hotel is luxurious, it’s not enough to impress his overnight guest once she learns his age. Fans can see what all the rage is about for themselves because the Mayo Hotel is a real place.
[Warning: Tulsa King premiere spoilers ahead.]
The Mayo Hotel from ‘Tulsa King’ is a real place
Tulsa King premiered on Nov. 13 and introduced viewers to Dwight Manfredi. After serving 25 years in prison, the mafia capo is sent to Tulsa, OK, to establish the mob’s influence. Of course, Tulsa is quite different than New York, where Dwight was expecting to return.
When Dwight arrives in Tulsa, he asks Tyson (Jay Will) to get him a room where no one would “bust his balls.” After learning that the first hotel is a dump, he asks Tyson for the best hotel in Tulsa, which Tyson tells him is The Mayo.
The Mayo is a real boutique hotel situated in the middle of the city’s downtown Deco district. According to its website, “The Mayo Hotel story began nearly a century ago with two brothers – Cass A. Mayo and John D. Mayo.”
“Following the great success of their first venture, a five-story furniture store on Fifth and Main, the brothers decided to try their hand at creating a first-class lodging experience in the oil capital of the world.” Today the Mayo features luxury hotel rooms, gorgeous event spaces, and a rooftop bar.
The cast of ‘Tulsa King’ felt out of place in Oklahoma
Not only does Tulsa King mention some real historic locations, the cast and crew actually traveled to Oklahoma to film the series. Just like Dwight, the actors found themselves a bit out of place while creating the show.
“The cast is not from here, so we all relate to Dwight,” Andrea Savage, who plays Stacy Beale in the series, said in the featurette. “We’ve all been thrown into Oklahoma, and we’re all fish out of water.”
Sylvester Stallone himself shared his experience filming Tulsa King on Instagram. “This was a very long, difficult, exciting, mind-blowing production has just ended in Oklahoma. Though it was a long time to be away, it was worth it to work with fantastic talent in front and behind the camera,” the actor shared.
Several well-known movies and TV shows have been filmed in Tulsa
Tulsa might seem like an odd place to film a series. However, the city might be an exciting place to keep an eye on. MovieMaker lists it as one of the best small cities and towns to live as a movie maker in 2022.
The outlet noted that between 2017 and 2019, Tulsa tripled its number of productions. Martin Scorsese chose Tulsa to shoot the drama Killers of the Flower Moon, and Taika Waititi’s FX comedy series Reservation Dogs was filmed in various locations across Oklahoma.
“Despite the pandemic, the Tulsa region saw a record-setting number of productions, with 41 projects filming during 2020-21,” executive director of the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts, and Culture Abby Kurin told MovieMaker.
“Tulsa is a creative canvas that inspires period pieces and modern-day stories. Art deco architecture throughout downtown paired with Route 66 and wide-open spaces, Tulsa’s charm, and creative appeal will inspire your next project.”
New episodes of Tulsa King drop Sundays on Paramount+.
