So an item that has been a point of contention in the City of Marietta, Georgia is this old Holiday Inn hotel that sits along Delk Road off I-75 in Marietta. Built in 1975, this hotel sported 193 rooms on six floors and was in service up until an electrical fire in 2006 forced it’s closing. This is an especially tragic story as 1 hotel guest was killed in the fire and 20 others were injured. Over the years the property has been owned by a few different owners and many times the city has been promised that the hotel would be re-built and opened back up, but those promises never materialized. Today, the hotel sits as an eyesore for the city as it sits right at the gateway to Marietta and has become as much of a directional landmark as the famous “Big Chicken” KFC that sits along Cobb Parkway – U.S. 41.
It has become such an issue that the County and City of Marietta are considering forcing the current owner to either repair and reopen or tear it down. Many residents and local business owners in the area say that the hotel sitting there at the entrance to the city might as well be a sign saying “Welcome to Beruit.” Local business owners have been impatient but after more than a decade there patience is wearing thin and they want something done about it. According to MDJ (Marietta Daily Journal) the local newspaper the city is planning to spend up to $64 Million dollars buying up old properties, tearing down the building and then selling the land at a loss just to try and re-invigorate the area and draw more new businesses in. This is an especially import project for the city now that the Atlanta Braves have built their new stadium in Marietta and more and more visitors are coming to the city to watch baseball games and spend time shopping and dining in the area.
Although I personally disagree with tearing down a building which is essentially intact, I can understand where the city is coming from, but I am hoping the current owner, Krishan Patel, who owns other hotels in the area would finally re0build and reopen the hotel, which would certainly benefit the many new visitors coming into the city for sports and other area interests.