Hi! I was just down there yesterday and might be able to help. I had originally been told the hotel was set to re-open in April 2006 by a Holiday Inn representative. My recent trip, however, appeared otherwise. The hotel is still closed and construction trailers and security officers prohibiting anyone from getting near the site are still on the property. Despite the guards and the trailers, the site is dead. There appeared to be no work being done on the hotel. From the outside, it would appear the hotel has been repainted and re-roofed. Exterior doors and windows to the rooms have been replaced. The pool area is still a mess and the former restaurant areas remain gutted. Prior to my recent trip over the weekend, I was down there in August 2005 and from what I saw over the weekend, very little (if any) progress has been made since August 2005.
The latest from the Downtown Disney gossip grapevine is that the hotel's owner is looking to sell the property. Insurance money came in after the '04 hurricanes to help fund the renovations and fix-ups, but it wasn't enough to finish the whole project. So, they did what they could with the money they had and it appears there is no money left to finish the property. Thus, the owners are looking to cut their losses, sell and get back any money they can. There is no official word on the status of this hotel and getting a response from the hotel itself seems to be quite difficult, although I think someone on here mentioned they did get a written note from a hotel employee some time ago. Holiday Inn corporate has little to do with this hotel. It is independently owned and operated and pays royalties to use the Holiday Inn brand name. I have a few pictures of the property from over the weekend. If you would like me to e-mail them to you, please do not hesitate to let me know.
