City: Grand Rios May Be Shut Down In 2 Weeks
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (WCCO) -- WCCO-TV has learned that a Twin Cities hotel and water park featured in a recent I-TEAM investigation could be shut down in two weeks.
The I-TEAM recently went undercover at the Grand Rios hotel in Brooklyn Park and found buckets in the hallway, a roofing crew in the lobby and door after door tagged by the health department.
At that time of the investigation, 120 rooms were off limits. Now, 135 rooms are.
New pictures from inside the hotel show the rough shape some rooms are in. They reveal snow and ice chunks crashing through the ceiling, and the employee who took the pictures told the I-TEAM it's been this way for months.
Complaints have piled up on hotel review websites. There are 60 comments alone on tripadvisor.com.
Bob Schreier, director of Brooklyn Park's Community Development, said the city is giving Grand Rios two more weeks to make changes or it will lose its lodging license.
"We've been working with them, they've been putting band aids on issues and finally we've decided it's been long enough," Schreier said.
No one from Grand Rios would talk to WCCO-TV. However, a manager told the I-TEAM that after our investigation the hotel lost $46,000 from people canceling rooms and events. That manager still says they are doing the best they can to run a good business.
Last month, the I-Team uncovered dozens of thefts from guests rooms. Grand Rios told said they'd install more cameras, but they haven't. Two more room thefts have been reported to police since.
"We've been working with them long enough … and we should see vast improvements," Schreier said.
The city says that it will soon move forward.
The I-TEAM tried to ask the Ramada Corporate Office for its response, but the calls were not returned.
