ROANOKE, Va. – The Days Inn off of Orange Avenue is closing this month, an announcement that was made shortly after a nearby Sheetz announced their relocation.
About six months ago, owner Mehulsinh Vashi and his wife decided to sell the building due to some challenges, including revenue loss due to COVID and a fire in 2020 that caused about $100,000 worth of damage, forcing them to close the hotel for six months.
The third setback the owner said they faced is its proximity to downtown – that the hotel sometimes attracts unwanted loiterers.
“This is an exterior corridor property, so anyone can just simply walk down here and they weren’t a guest and they were still lingering around and disturbing our guests,” said Vashi.
The hotel has been a cause for concern for some businesses and residents nearby.
From assaults to overdoses, about 250 calls were made from the hotel’s address to Roanoke’s E-911 Center this year.
“We have an economic rate, but sometimes things turned out bad for us when you try to help. There are issues with the rooms. They have torn off the paint in the rooms and destroyed the rooms and we weren’t able to make up for that loss,” Vashi explained.
As for what’s next for the location, Vashi said he is finalizing a deal with a buyer who plans on putting in apartments.
“This is a great location, a very prime location, next to downtown. So we were thinking that we can not sell as a hotel, whoever the developer is will repurpose the hotel,” Vashi said.