Has the Grinch Stolen Christmas? Holly Hotel Renovations Stall

It could be a case of the Grinch that stole Christmas according to some. The historic Holly Hotel, which has been the site of countless celebrations, timeless holiday celebrations, and moments of pure joy, is currently undergoing a reconstruction journey that could be likened to a phoenix rising from the ashes. Well underway, things have now come to a screeching halt.

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The owners hinted at big plans to reopen the iconic hotel this fall or early winter. The hotel, as you may know, was heavily damaged in the tragic fire that swept through the legendary inn and nearby businesses in June of 2022. This week the owners announced on social media that all reconstruction has now stopped, and the reason has some residents upset.

In a statement on the Holly Hotel's Facebook page, owners George and Chrissy Kutlenios explained that the ongoing reconstruction that had been making great strides had stopped over a dispute with a neighboring property owner. The couple explained that in moving along with rebuilding the hotel it was discovered that the Holly Hotel was slightly over its property line in a portion of the building and it had been that way since its construction back in 1891.

Being on good terms with the adjacent property owner of the now flattened Aracde property, accessing and rebuilding the area of the hotel would be no problem, but they were wrong. The owner of the Arcade property at the time of the fire had sold the now vacant lot to a Mr. Roberts, who according to the post, is not willing to cooperate.

"Mr. Roberts claimed in February that we were somehow infringing on his property, and he wanted the west roof eaves and portions of the west wall removed and relocated. Of course, we declined, since we were rebuilding the Hotel in the same footprint prior to the fire", the post reads. "When hearing our denial and with the west wall nearing completion, Mr. Roberts spitefully ordered our construction company to remove any and all cranes and scaffolding from his empty lot, completely denying access to his property. We spent the entirety of the time between February 26 to July 25 attempting to resolve this issue. On July 25, Mr. Roberts agreed to relinquish the claim he previously asserted as to the lot line, only to change his mind on August 10".

As a result, the Holly Hotel owners have no choice but to halt restorations at this time and move forward with fighting their battle in court.

"With no other options, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Mr. Roberts on August 25. We now wait for adjudication before we can even consider asking our construction companies to reschedule and return".

Residents and fans of the Holly Hotel were quick to show their support on social media and are hoping for a quick resolution to the issue so the Holly Hotel can be back up and running and ready to help guests create even more amazing memories.

We will keep you up to date as this story evolves. You can read the full post including the court documents here.

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