Let’s hope there’s a future for Ridpath
Old hotels on the decline are like a once great matron who is reduced to pulling on nylons with holes in them and slipping into a gown that is frayed at the rub points.
The downtown Ridpath’s decline over the years was signaled by the closing of the “Roof.” And even sadder because Ankeny’s was an upscale dining room and lounge that had an aerial view like no other in Spokane.
When things start to skid, a hotel loses respect. Somebody stole the Ridpath’s grand piano right out of the lobby while the place was open during its last days. The former Holiday Inn on the Sunset Hill (now Econolodge) also had its grand piano stolen recently while selling its lounge and restaurant building to Dorian’s Photography Studio. At least the thieves were thoughtful enough to wait until the restaurant and lounge had been closed down. And Dorian’s photographers probably wouldn’t need piano music anyway.
Maybe carting a grand piano out of a hotel is how Spokane gang members make their bones nowadays; probably better than opening fire on a street rival.
During the last years, employees at the Ridpath noticed that things were not being repaired or replaced promptly. Like air conditioning. Elevator breakdowns didn’t get immediate attention. Sheets and bedding were kept in service longer than before. Signs of financial strain.
There are several of these dying “Ladies” throughout the city; some were grand and some were just simple tidy Motel 6 types. These days, the older hotels/motels that have holes in their nylons face a downhill slide.
Travelers these days are used to Internet hook-ups, exercise gyms, business offices and thick new carpets.
A few years ago, I sold my long neglected bartending skills to a formerly grand Spokane hotel that went into a slide some decades back. The carpets were so worn and tarnished by ground-in dirt that you couldn’t tell that they were first quality 30 years ago.
After the lounge and restaurant closed in that hotel, I moved over to the front desk. There I got an insight into the overwhelming difficulty of providing good service in a declining hotel.
Boilers quit during the night, “Get some hot water, now!”
Pillows were old and thin, “You call that a pillow?”
The pool didn’t work, “It’s 90 degrees and I’ve got five kids who wanna swim!”
And, of course, the rooms didn’t match up to the images shown on the Internet sale site, “Gimmee a refund! That’s not the room showing on Travelocity!”
Well, yes it is, it’s just that those room photos were taken to advertise for Expo ’74. Some wear and tear has occurred in the interval.
Maybe the Ridpath will recover as promised in four months. The bigger the hotel, the more dedicated the owner’s financing must be. The Davenport gives hope for hotel resurrection. Unfortunately, every hotel does not have saviors like Walt and Karen Worthy.
And speaking of the Worthys, lots of these old dames are not worthy of renovation. Would you bet your fortune on it? Turning 1950s architecture into an appealing look may be more difficult than turning early 1900s Davenport style into an appealing look.
We can all hope for two things in the future:
The Ridpath will come back with renewed vigor and Spokane residents can slice up their prime rib while looking out over the lights of downtown Spokane.
I resolve to quit using the “aging woman” metaphor to describe declining hotels.