MACON, Ga. — The old Ramada Hotel is officially up for sale.
13WMAZ first reported on this in January when a federal judge approved a bankruptcy plan for the owners of the former Ramada Hotel on First Street.
Sangha Hospitality said they'll try for 90 days to sell the hotel to pay off their debt.
If they don't get a good offer in that time, they say they'll put it up for auction.
The building has been known as the Macon Hilton, Crown Plaza, Macon Downtown Hotel and Ramada Plaza.
Throughout the name changes, the front of the hotel used to have limos and fancy cars driving in and out, dropping off folks going to prom or weddings.
Even the King of Rock 'n' Roll stayed in the hotel.
The last time the hotel was up and running was February 2011, almost over a decade ago. Since then, it's sat vacant.
Now the owner, per orders from a federal judge, is working with a brokerage company to get the building out of his hands and off the market.
"It'd be nice if they did something," James Freeman said.
"I'm hoping that somebody to come in and see the true value of it and bring it back to life," Rod English said.
English and Freeman work across the street from 108 First Street. They've witnessed the loud sounds of construction and the silence of the old hotel sitting idle.
"You'd be surprised every now and then when all of a sudden somebody's out cutting back some of the bushes one day and then you don't see anything for several months. Then, you see contractors and you think something's happening. Then, you don't see something for several years," Freeman said.
But, with this news of the hotel filing bankruptcy and having dragged out money troubles, English says he wonders what is going to happen to the hotel next.
The listing shows what the 16-story building looks like now. There is stacked plywood in the ballroom, unfinished rooms and debris from construction scattered in the front lobby.
Simply put, there's a lot of work to be done.
The pictures don't show much of difference from what 13WMAZ cameras saw in August 2021 when owner Ruby Sangha gave a tour of the hotel.
"Every inch of this property has been touched," Sangha said.
Then, Sangha claimed he had poured $12.5 million into renovations.
According to the listing, the estimated renovation cost for a new owner is another $12.5 million, nearly $42,000 per room. It's a hefty bill and burden for whoever decides to buy off the once largest hotel in Macon.
"I don't think I'd pay $1 for it because from what I heard, it take a fortune just to bring it back up to up to spec," Freeman said.
One of the lenders and the brokerage company told 13WMAZ all sides just want this property sold.
Hunter Havericak Hotel Group, the brokerage company, say they're in the early phases of the process.
So far, the group says they've spoken with 40 to 50 possible buyers-- most of which are in the hospitality industry.
So by the sound of it, if a sale goes through, the old Ramada building will one day again be a hotel.
The news over Sangha's bankruptcy isn't the first flag of money troubles. 13WMAZ obtained two lawsuits on Monday.
In 2018, Park Inn sued Sangha for $304,000 after he failed to renovate and open the First Street hotel by the deadline in their contract, Oct. 1, 2014.
In 2021, Access Point Financial filed a lawsuit saying Sangha defaulted on a $3.5 million loan.
He's set to be in court this Wednesday, one of the lenders has filed a motion to dismiss the bankruptcy.
We reached out to Ruby Sangha. He did not respond.