Print

Goodwin Hotel News

By Jeffrey B. Cohen

July 24, 2009

A possible buyer for the shuttered Goodwin Hotel?

That's what Mayor Eddie A. Perez's schedule said for earlier this week.

Turns out, the walkthrough with Steve Roberts -- a lawyer for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials -- never happened because Roberts didn't make it to Hartford for the organization's conference. And it also turns out that Roberts, who apparently is in the hotel and real estate business, may be in the very early stages of interest.

"I introduced him to the idea," said council Majority Leader rJo Winch, who brokered the visit. "I said, 'Mr. Roberts, while you're going to be in Hartford you might want to take a look at this.' So he trusted my judgment."

The Goodwin closed last fall. Mary Coursey, a spokeswoman for Northland Investment Corp. which owns the hotel, said that the majority of people who walk through the closed hotel are potential operators - not potential buyers. And despite the mayor's schedule, Coursey's understanding is that Roberts may want to operate, not own, the hotel. NOTE: Coursey called Cityline Friday morning to reiterate that the hotel itself is not for sale.

She says that others have shown some interest in operating the hotel. Nothing, though, has materialized.