Heartbreak Hotel

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And speaking of local businesses gone bad…we have the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel. This thing’s been a boondoggle from the start and the good times keep on rolling.

But here’s the thing: it’s probably the best hotel downtown. At least that’s been my past experience (and yes, things have changed for all I know). It has a great location and has always been much preferable, in my opinion, to the crappy Hilton right across the street. I’ve actually stayed in both places and the PALH (then the Renaissance) was far superior to the Hilton.

The walls in the odd pie slice shaped rooms in the Hilton are paper thin. Once we spent the night at the Hilton following a company Christmas party, and were treated to the couple next door getting freaky, to quote AC/DC, all night long. I swear, during breaks in the “action” I could here them whispering.

Anyway, my point is I’d hate to see the PALH close and leave the Hilton to become the downtown hotel of choice. Maybe the State (and the Illinois GOP!) should just pay off the debts and then take bids from private concerns to take it over free and clear. I know, that registers at about the Talk Radio Caller level on the thought-out position scale but I really don’t want the hotel to go away.

It seems to me there could be a viable business run there but it’s bogged down with a lot of bad loans and investments and other outside influences. I mean, how is the Hilton, an inferior product, making it?

Oh well, even if the PALH eventually closes under the weight of all the financial nonsense, I’m sure their gift certificates will still be good in Bloomington and Peoria.