Following the recommendation of Hawaii County inspectors, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has made the decision to close Pagoda Hilo Bay Hotel immediately and vacate the hotel.
Following the recommendation of Hawaii County inspectors, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has made the decision to close Pagoda Hilo Bay Hotel immediately and vacate the hotel.
The decision was announced Saturday morning by the DLNR. The department is working with the hotel’s manager to find alternate accommodations for occupants over the weekend as the hotel is closed. Earlier this week, Peter Savio, president of Savio ABH Development Co. LLC, said that occupants would be moved to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
Savio took over the hotel’s land lease from Hilo Bay Hotel Inc. in February of last year.
He said in a previous interview that the hotel, formerly Uncle Billy’s, was in bad shape when he took on the lease.
A Tuesday inspection of the hotel found electrical and fire code violations as well as termite damage, beds in a stairwell and open ceilings. A plumbing inspection had been scheduled for Monday.
The state Land Board voted to close the hotel on June 9 but until this weekend had not made a decision on an exact date.