Howard Johnson hotel to be sold; forced closure averted

The Howard Johnson Inn, ordered shut down by the city of Perry last week over delinquent taxes, will be able to stay open because it is coming under new ownership, the city manager says.

The City Council voted Aug. 15 to revoke the business license of the hotel, effective Monday. However, City Manager Lee Gilmour said the owner of the hotel came to City Hall on Thursday and presented documentation that a sale of the property was in progress. The sale is supposed to be completed by Sept. 5.

The revocation of the license allows for the property to open under new ownership, so Gilmour said the hotel can remain open while the sale is completed.

Gilmour told the council Aug. 15 that there had been ongoing issues with the hotel failing to pay property taxes, utility bills and the hotel/motel tax on time. Although the owner paid up the day before the council was to have a revocation hearing, Gilmour asked that the license be revoked anyway due to the ongoing issues.

The hotel had been given a warning by council over the same thing a year earlier.

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Howard Johnson hotel to be sold; forced closure averted."