Renovated Ramada Plaza in Macon should open by end of year

By the end of the year, the long-vacant Ramada Plaza in downtown Macon should be ready for guests with a whole new look and a new name.

Toronto businessman Rupinder “Ruby” Sangha, who bought the 297-room hotel earlier this year, has been making major changes ever since, said his attorney Blake Lisenby, a partner with Sell & Melton in Macon.

The hotel, which was built 45 years ago, will become a Park Inn by Radisson. As soon as all the landscaping and painting is done, the new sign will go on the building, he said.

“He has painted the exterior and been working on the interior,” Lisenby said. “The interior design plans look wonderful. It’s going to be really sleek and modern and really good looking. ... The pool area will have a lounge area,” which will be a new addition. Also, it will have a modern full-service restaurant and bar.

Although Sangha earlier predicted he would open a portion of the rooms by Oct. 1, Lisenby said that was a bit optimistic.

“My client just has a lot of projects going on in a lot of different places,” he said.

The nearly 200,000-square-foot hotel was built in 1969 and sits on 2.2 acres. When it was named Ramada Plaza in November 2006, it was the fifth name for the hotel. Prior to becoming a Ramada Plaza, the hotel held the name Crowne Plaza for 10 years. Originally, it was a Hilton from 1970 until 1991, and it was the Macon Downtown Hotel until 1993. From 1993 until 1996, it was a Radisson.

To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223.

This story was originally published September 17, 2014 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Renovated Ramada Plaza in Macon should open by end of year ."