Hope Hotel, site of the 1995 Bosnian peace talks, has continued normal operations since entering bankruptcy reorganization in June after occupancy rates fell off in 2009.
Meyers contends that the Air Force hasn’t lived up to a lease under which Air Force personnel coming to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are automatically referred to the Hope Hotel after Wright-Patterson’s on-base accommodations are full. The 1988 lease, which runs through 2028, allows the privately owned Hope Hotel to operate on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base property.
Air Force personnel coming from elsewhere to Wright-Patterson can make reservations through the Defense Travel System rather than through Wright-Patterson’s reservation system, which doesn’t give the base lodging office an opportunity to refer visitors to the Hope Hotel.
Meyers, a commercial developer, said he has been trying to meet with Air Force administrators at the Pentagon to resolve the issue.
The Air Force had planned to send a team to review procedures called for under the lease, but decided to hold off until the bankruptcy court provides guidance about the future of the hotel’s operation, Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said in an e-mail response Thursday.
The Air Force cited the court case in declining to comment about its preferences for ensuring continued operation of the Hope Hotel.
The 264-room hotel, with a restaurant and conference center, is a frequent site of Air Force and defense contractor meetings and conventions. It is the nation’s only privately owned and operated hotel located on an Air Force base.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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