MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County has received the green light to purchase the old Ramada Hotel in downtown for $4.5 million, according to court records filed in federal court Monday.
Mayor Lester Miller approved the deal to 13WMAZ Monday afternoon.
However, the sale must still be approved by the Macon-Bibb County Commission to become official.
The building has been known as the Macon Hilton, Crown Plaza, Macon Downtown Hotel and Ramada Plaza. The hotel once boasted 298 rooms over its 16 stories.
But after the hotel shuttered in 2011, the hotel had struggled to find a new future post-closure. It has sat empty in the heart of downtown for over a decade now.
But when the hotel was in business, the front of the hotel used to have limos and fancy cars driving in and out, dropping off folks going to prom or weddings. It also had once hosted the king of rock-and-roll, Elvis, when he performed in Macon.
Its last owner, Sangha Hospitality, filed for bankruptcy because he ran out of money during renovations. He estimated that it would cost $42,000 a room to finish the job. But when the company filed for bankruptcy, a judge denied the request back in 2023.
When the judge denied the bankruptcy filings, it was then given to a receiver — a court-appointed manager — to facilitate a deal to sell the property.
The receiver, Master Innkeepers, marketed the property to potential buyers and the facility went up for auction in November 2023.
One company, North Carolina-based Indo U.S. Ventures, submitted the winning bid at $4.1 million. But, after the auction, the county stepped in and offered the $4.5 million bid "plus other consideration."
Indo's owner, Anil Rathore, previously told 13WMAZ that they were hoping to reopen the facility, and they had multi-million dollar backing in hopes of making the facility one of their flagship properties.
While the decision is up to the receiver, Rathore said he wishes that his company could be the one to bring the hotel back to life.
“We’ll risk our capital to bring the vision that the council and the mayor wants – in conjunction that we want," Rathore said. "Don’t risk the taxpayer capital. Let us risk our capital, and the taxpayers benefit because you get a new tax base. We’ll probably create about 200 jobs that the county doesn’t have to be responsible for.”
However, the court records — filed Monday in the U.S. Middle District of Georgia — show that no opposition has been filed against the county's sale agreement.
What the future holds for the property, however, is still not necessarily clear.
Miller once said that the county would only purchase the hotel if it "included front-row seats at the implosion."
After the county made its bid, Miller noted that "things change from day-to-day," and when the sale price decreased by $7.5 million, it helped change their mind.
However, he did not rule out blowing the building up, too.
The decision on Monday clears all legal hurdles and paves the way for the deal to become a reality. However, the Bibb County Commission will have to vote to finalize the deal, which Miller says may happen on Jan. 16.
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