Once a jewel in the city of Dearborn, the former Hyatt Regency, renamed in 2016 the Edward Hotel & Convention Center, was shuttered Friday because of several fire code violations and maintenance issues.
City officials told the hotel's operators Wednesday that the property is "unfit for human occupancy."
The closure followed a Dec. 4 annual inspection by the fire department and inspections by building officials, city spokeswoman Mary Laundroche said. Inspectors found plumbing leaks, broken elevators, damaged ceiling tiles and other problems.
"Although the city had been working with the operators of the hotel since May 2016 as they progressed toward a certificate of occupancy and compliance with property maintenance codes, the most recent violations are so serious that the city needed to close the building to protect guests, employees and the public," Laundroche said in an email.
Hotel owner Xiao Hua (Edward) Gong, of 600 Town Center Realty, LLC, could not be reached for comment Friday. An attorney who worked for him in 2016, James Cambridge of Kerr Russell in Detroit, also could not be reached.
The Free Press reported in 2016 that Gong bought the crescent-shaped, 773-room hotel for $20 million in January of that year.
The previous owner, Israel-based Royal Realities, acquired the hotel out of receivership in 2011 after another previous owner, Dallas-based Ashford Hospitality Trust, chose to default on the property's mortgage during the recession. The past owners were unwilling or unable to make tens of millions of dollars in renovations to the aging hotel, so Chicago-based Hyatt pulled its brand name off the property in 2012.
After Gong took ownership, the hotel transitioned to an in-house management team. It also underwent some renovations and exterior improvements.
It was unclear Friday whether staff would face layoffs.
"I really haven't heard too much," said a switchboard operator, adding that she and other employees were informed Friday morning that the hotel would close at noon.
WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) reported that most employees will be laid off, citing another unnamed switchboard operator.
Visitors and groups who have booked stays at the hotel should reach out to the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, which will try to help relocate them, media relations manager Deanna Majchrzak said.
While the hotel did not have a valid certificate of occupancy, it was allowed to operate because it was working toward one, Laundroche said.
"It’s pretty standard that if a business is making progress toward addressing all building codes, we allow them to operate without a full (certificate of occupancy)," as long as inspectors don't find serious violations that could threaten people's lives, she said.
In the recent inspections, the city found 18 violations that need to be corrected.
"We would love if they would work with us and bring us a plan about how they're going to address the life safety issues, and overall how they are going to bring their building up to code," Laundroche said.
Located at 600 Town Center Drive, the hotel is adjacent to Ford headquarters. According to its website, it was built in 1976 and has 64,000 square feet of public space.
Recent TripAdvisor reviews of the property have been mixed. One user called the hotel "empty and close to deserted," and "a shell of its former glory." Another wrote it was "unclean and beat up." Still, it received an overall rating of 3.5 stars.
Contact Ann Zaniewski: 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski. Staff writer JC Reindl contributed to this report.
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