"Going Once...Going Twice...HOST up for Auction" Topic

It appears the Host is on the auction block:

link

I bid $1 USD and my bottle cap collection.

3,000 Quatloos!

How much for the leetle parrot on its shoulder?

Remember when it was a glamorous resort, truly worthy of the name?

I bid three gallons of unleaded, and a match.

I'll trade some rum, muskets and maybe blankets.

I'm sure the new owners will put a lot of money into it and fix it up. Or….

… buy it for the land and tear it down to build something else.

HMGS East has enough money in its treasury to make a bid.

If they tear the host down, Where will the mold go?

I'll trade some rum, muskets and maybe blankets.

Only if you wash those blankets in HOT water!

… buy it for the land and tear it down to build something else.

Another Indian Casino?

Sad news… The place wasn't bad if you didn't eat or sleep there. I imagine the new owner will tear it down and put in a strip mall or something.

Bryan

Did I miss the picture with the giant blue tarp covering the roof?

Horrywood should buy it for another Zombie or post-apoc movie.

Wonder what this does to Cold Wars? Are they in any way obligated to booked events?

Here is an article on the same topic:
link

This statement from WarWizard's link says a lot:

"As of Aug. 31, however, the Host Resort's occupancy was only 34.1 percent, according to Auction.com.

For Lancaster County's hotels as a group, August occupancy is typically 75 percent to 78 percent, said Joel Cliff, spokesman for Discover Lancaster, the county's designated tourism marketing agency."

You can bet that the September kitchen closure didn't improve their occupancy rate.

Duncan

Who in the right mind would buy the place? You'd have to sink milions into it just to bring it up to standards of newer hotels. It would likely be cheaper to tear it down and start over.

Funny how poor their attendance is but how little HMGS seemed to be able to bargain with them.

I'd say while they might squeeze in CW, they had better start looking for a new venue for FI. Ike anyone? :-)

Even better:

"Milestone acquired the Host Resort property for $12.5 USD million in 2005 from LNR Partners, formerly Lennar Partners, of Miami Beach, Florida, according to LNP and county records. In its announcement of that acquisition, Milestone said it would spend $11 USD million on renovations."

Now for sale for $2.7 USDm. Wow, usually you have to go to HMGS to find management like that. :-)

Wow. It was great. I feel like my great grandmother just died. Sad but not unexpected.

They'll probably buy the property, tear down the resort, and then sell off the property in parcels for retail or housing. I bet its pieces are worth more than its whole.

I wouldn't assume they lost money. Sure they paid $10 USDM more than they'll sell it for. But in those ten years, they took in a lot of room revenue. In fact, I bet they took a lot of cash out during that time. They sure didn't put it into upkeep. A big outfit like that wouldn't hold onto an unprofitable asset that long.

As much as people bitch about the place, they did book a lot of functions over the years.

The end of August occupancy figure must either be year to date, or at that point in time. Because the place was sold out the entire first week of August for WBC.

This is a shame that it is happening.

You'd have to sink milions into it just to bring it up to standards of newer hotels.

You'd have to spend millions just to bring it up to code – or to cover the bribes so you didn't have to.

You need to remember that the land has more value than the buildings on it. Also, it does not make economic sense to renovate a building of this age and in this condition. One way or another, the Host will be demolished. What replaces it is anyone's guess.

Milestone said it would spend $11 USD USD million on renovations

I believe that was the sum dedicated to the renovation of two properties that they had acquired under the same deal.
Total investment in the Host, PA in 2005-2006 was about $18 USD mil.
The place is [has been] a money pit for the investors/management company [Milestone], and with all the bad press they receive – they've made the only sensible business decision – dump it, and minimize further losses.
The 170 acres are what's being sold here – not the building. No new investor is going to think twice about the buildings – the wrecking crews are already lining up.

Wasn't this the scenario that Extra Crispy and a few others have been asking HMGS about for years now? To wit: What happens if the Host gives up the Ghost before HMGS has gotten around to finding a new home?

Hey let's look on the bright side…
They tear the host down…
They put up an even bigger and better convention
Center…
And who knows with a little luck they move historicon back…

I could see someone renovating the golf course and building expensive homes all around it with a nice clubhouse. That seems to be a trend for housing developments in some cases. I have no idea what kind of future there would be for a convention center in that area.

This could be the end of n era for HNGS conventions. will be interesting to see if CW 2016 makes it through this.

The full article is

Lancaster County's largest hotel is slated to be sold by auction later this
month, according to an Internet posting.

Online bidding for the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center at 2300
Lincoln Highway East is to commence Dec. 14 and close Dec. 16, according to
the site Auction.com <http://auction.com/>. The site says property showings
are available by appointment Monday and Tuesday next week; showings were
also available earlier this week.

The starting bid for the complex is $2.7 USD million.

The 160-acre Host Resort opened in 1966. It is owned by Hospitality
Associates of Lancaster, a limited partnership affiliate of the Milestone
Cos., headquartered in Baltimore.

Officials with Milestone did not respond to requests for comment. A
receptionist at the hotel said no comment would be forthcoming there.

According to the auction listing, the Host Resort has 319 rooms and about
74,000 square feet of meeting space. Amenities include a golf course,
swimming pool, tennis courts and a walking trail.

By room count, it is the largest hotel in the county, according to the
Lancaster County Treasurer Craig Ebersole. His office is in charge of
collecting the county hotel taxes.

As of Aug. 31, however, the Host Resort's occupancy was only 34.1 percent,
according to Auction.com <http://auction.com/>.

For Lancaster County's hotels as a group, August occupancy is typically 75
percent to 78 percent, said Joel Cliff, spokesman for Discover Lancaster,
the county's designated tourism marketing agency.

The Host Resort's membership in Discover Lancaster lapsed this summer,
though it has usually been a member in past years, Cliff said.

Milestone acquired the Host Resort property for $12.5 USD million in 2005 from
LNR Partners, formerly Lennar Partners, of Miami Beach, Florida, according
to LNP and county records.

In its announcement of that acquisition, Milestone said it would spend $11 USD
million on renovations. Renovations were in progress when President George
W. Bush stayed at the hotel in 2006. Bush was visiting Lancaster for a
fundraiser for then-gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann.

Nine years later, however, the hotel's condition appears to be a problem.
Reviews on the websites Tripadvisor
<http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g52970-d96567-Reviews-Lancaster_Host_Resort_and_Conference_Center-Lancaster_Lancaster_County_Pennsylvania.html>
and Yelp <http://www.yelp.com/biz/lancaster-host-resort-lancaster-2>
include many complaints about shabbiness and lack of upkeep.

This past Sept. 1, the Host's kitchen was closed after an inspector found
numerous violations
<http://lancasteronline.com/business/restaurant_inspections/restaurant-inspections-sept/article_67d8a5cc-589a-11e5-a9c3-1368729bb581.html>.
It reopened later in the month
<http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/host-resort-kitchen-reopens-after-state-inspection-charity-finds-new/article_4f5df712-6098-11e5-8f00-ff65848e9309.html>
.

East Lampeter Township has been working through "some building code issues"
with the hotel, but "everything's in operating order at this point,"
township Manager Ralph Hutchison said.

And the hotel has drawn positive comments online, including praise for the
staff and the convenience of the location. One reviewer who posted last
month said she was "pleasantly surprised" and that "the really negative
reviews were undeserved."

A new owner would presumably have a range of options: Renovating, building
from scratch, or perhaps shifting to a retail or other use.

"I guess we'll have to see what the end result is," Cliff said

The result for them is in the air.

FOR US

the result will be simple.

1. Moving Cold Wars and Fall-In to Fredericksburg.

Moving the 2 smaller cons to F-Burg will further diminish the attendance.

The better two immediate alternatives are the Ike and VFCC. There are other facilities, but if I were HMGS I'd be reserving space for 2016 FI at one of those two now.

Otto, that is really a bad idea. Moving all of them to the FCC would not only reduce attendance but would also cost a lot more money for HMGS East.

"FOR US

the result will be simple.

1. Moving Cold Wars and Fall-In to Fredericksburg."

I'm sorry, but this statement is based on -0- facts.

TRU

interesting that they've chose an auction to a straight sale. Or has a sale been ongoing and unsuccessful?

If they are auctioning it, it is either

1 They just want to dump it
2 They have a series of potential bidders and are going for high bid.

This puts the last year or two at the Host into place. It has been evident that the place was in neglectful decline. I will miss the Host that was if not the Host that is.

My solution would be
Historicon at VFCC
Fall In at the Ike
Cold Wars at FCC

Auction = dumping the property before the end of the year.

Once again, people have not been listening. VFCC is no longer a viable option due to the casino, which has gobbled up much of the space. Ditto the Ike.

Now, there may well be other suitable venues available for FI and CW that are not available in the summer.

I could see someone renovating the golf course and building expensive homes all around it with a nice clubhouse. That seems to be a trend for housing developments in some cases.

I could see that as a very viable option. I've walked part of the course, and it looks to be reasonably well designed.

VFCC threw us out in favor of gambling and nothing has changed.

The Ike makes the Host look like a 5 star resort with the added bonus of food options that make you yearn for the Host.

I would hope another option exists beyond the FCC but I'm not aware of one.

My guess would be they need cash NOW so an auction is preferable to listing for sale and waiting…

I bid 50,000 Kronkites!

I will just sit back and wait to hear what the board tells us. Then the fireworks will really start.

I believe the "Ike" is a non-starter now, as the building that once housed the Vendor Hall there, has been torn down, the Soccer Fields were closed, and that portion of the property has been on the selling block for some time. A few offers have been made, but they haven't been able to rezone the property for a commercial use due to the "powers that be" don't want anymore competition to "The Battlefield" interest the town holds very dearly!!

As the auction for the Host lists all the buildings, land, etc. it's clear that Cold Wars is NOT likely to take place there! Rumor is a big name developer has had his eye on the Host property, and had no interest in meeting the asking price of the current owners! Once the sale is final you can bet the wrecking balls will be working on December 17th, and bulldozers on hand to level off the golf course!

Sorry to disagree with some of the opinions stated above, but the VFCC remains an option, both short term and long term, for HMGS.

If you have been there since the renovation was completed, you know that certain areas remain the same as the last time an HMGS convention was there.

Plus, if you knew how HMGS used the space the last time, you would know that plenty of "new space" is available to replace the space lost to the casino. For example, all those "Duke games" are not coming back, which frees up that part of the VFCC lower level for other uses by HMGS at any future convention at Valley Forge.

In all likelihood, HMGS was never going to be at the Host beyond 2017 anyway, which is when the current contracts expire. A sale of the Host, if it goes through, might move up that timetable, but not by much.

We'll see.

P.S.--I enjoyed the "3,000 Quatloos!" reference, dBerczerk. For those not old enough to get it, go watch some original "Star Trek" episodes from the 1960's.

No doubt the price of the VFCC will be substantially increased over what was formerly paid though! Also, as I recall most of the Vendors were not happy with that location for many reasons!

With an opening bid of just over 2 million the Host property will be bought by someone, and most likely leveled for another use! So HMGS better start looking for a spot for Cold Wars now, or be smart enough to cancel it for 2016! It's not likely the Host will be available in any case!

vagamer63 funny the vendors I know loved VFCC and now that the location has been renovated yes it is an option and for them (Casino) it's all about filling rooms which we would have no problem doing. It would be a great location for our future events, plenty of alternative lodging in the area as well as food options. Negotiate a contract with them and I guarantee we would walk away with a lot more than the Host is offering. With the code name VA gamer I think I know where you would like the cons to be held at……….

Dear Disco Joe

Not my idea. But you cannot praise Fredericksburg to the heavens as the Bod and the giant ants have done and not "nail yourself to the mast" of taking it's twin, Cold Wars, down there too. What's the difference? What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Besides it's an easy solution for people who don't want to do work or take chances.

I have to agree with 47Ronin. I think the VFCC is still an option also. The Casino is there, but there is still plenty of space available. Also it is in a great location, near I476 and I76. And a lot more hotels going up in the surrounding area.

Looking at what they paid for the Host and what the bidding is starting at, they are obviously hoping to entice a bidding war. I think it is safe to say the Host is Toast.

I just got off the phone with the Ike. The All Star Sports Complex has not been torn down and is still in operation. Not saying we should go to the Ike, but I am saying it is still an option, as is the VFCC – though I have no idea what their prices are like now. I suspect both would be adequate to handle CW and FI, given the current attendance.