Hotel

Naples Beach Hotel owners let City of Naples Fire-Rescue crews train in the closed hotel

By Sharita J. Wilson 2 weeks ago


NAPLES

The City of Naples Fire-Rescue took advantage of a unique opportunity to use the former Naples Beach Hotel for emergency response training.

It may be upsetting for people who have fond memories of the old Naples Beach Hotel, but the building’s coming down either way.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a building of this nature,” said Steven Kofsky, battalion chief for training.

City of Naples Fire-Rescue Interim Fire Chief Phillip Pennington said, “when you get an opportunity to come in and actually do the physical hands-on where you can come in and break doors,

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Most Read of 2021: Hotel Laguna happenings, oil spill fallout, and toll road fire

By Sharita J. Wilson 3 weeks ago

A year into the pandemic, Laguna Beach celebrated reopenings and confronted some setbacks in 2021. Community members eagerly read about Hotel Laguna reopening the doors to its first floor and art festivals restarting after a year off because of COVID-19. The Independent also delivered timely, essential updates on the Orange County oil spill and firefighters efforts’ to contain a June brush fire that could have spread quickly. Here’s a round-up of several of our most-read stories from the past year.

Hotel Laguna Partially Reopens

Mayor Bob Whalen used a pair of giant scissors to cut a ribbon at Hotel Laguna’s
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Couple sues, claiming they were bit by bed bugs while visiting Myrtle Beach hotel

By Sharita J. Wilson 4 weeks ago

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File – In this March 30, 2011, file photo, a bed bug is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington. Bed bugs are causing a stir in New Haven, Conn., where the blood-sucking parasites have been making unwelcome appearances in places including Yale University. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)


Carolyn Kaster

AP

A couple visiting Myrtle Beach from Florida is suing, claiming they were bit by bed bugs while staying at a hotel on Ocean Boulevard.

Jacob and Nicole Makins were staying at the South Bay Inn & Suites Myrtle Beach Oceanfront when they were bit

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Historic Union Bluff Hotel in York Beach, Maine sells for $23 million

By Sharita J. Wilson 4 weeks ago

YORK BEACH, Maine — Ownership of the historic Union Bluff Hotel on Short Sands Beach will change hands after more than three decades of being owned and operated by the same family.

York residents Brett and Mary Jane Merritt sold the hotel at 8 Beach Street to Giri Hotel Management for $23 million on Dec. 15, according Ryan Carey of Maine Realty Advisors, a representative for the sellers.

Carey said that the sellers were looking for a transition and decided to retire from the hospitality industry. With a low inventory of properties and a demand uptick for southern Maine, it

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