By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

In one of the most publicized construction projects in Hays over the last year, the Hays Ambassador Hotel, 3603 Vine, was to be demolished, opening the site to new construction projects and four projected commercial lots. But after the closing date of Dec. 1 came and went, ownership of the property remains the same.

“They didn’t close,” said Gregg Wahlers, district manager for the hotel. “They didn’t go through with the sale.”

The property was to be bought by local developers, Andy Werth and Emery Jennings with demolition planned shortly after the sale was to have been completed.

“The buyers didn’t come through. I don’t know the reason. They didn’t give us a reason,” Wahlers said.

Now the current owner is exploring options for the property, including a remodel.

“We’re looking at what options can be done with the property, making it a smaller, better property,” Wahlers said.

Even with the retention in ownership, the hotel was forced to close with many of the employees having already found other work and maintenance needing to be completed on the property to bring the facility up to code.

“We felt in our best interest to close the property to start doing renovations and make it a smaller and better property,” Wahlers said.

There is no time frame for renovations at the property at this time, but the property is once again on the market, as well.

“We’re still evaluating and see, but for now we’re going to close down and make renovations,” Wahlers said.

Even with the evaluations going on, land may still be available if the property is not bought outright.

“The land around it is still for sale,” Wahlers said. “If there is somebody interested in the street-front land, we can always negotiate to do a land transfer sale.”

While the property’s fate is in limbo and the hotel is closed, staff had already been notified their jobs at the hotel were ending.

“The sickest part about all of that was the employees all went and found other jobs and some that didn’t and were still working for us … their job ended basically,” Wahlers said.

In the months leading up to the sale, hotel management had been quiet on the sale, and Wahlers said the potential of the sale not being finalized was the reason for it.

“You can’t say it’s bought until it’s bought,” he said.

Jennings declined to comment at this time.