TOLEDO, Ohio — The Days Inn on Miami Street in East Toledo is going up for auction next month. The sale comes after years of reports of drug overdoses, drownings, and even murders there.
Neighbors who have said the hotel had become a blight on the neighborhood are welcoming the news. Some long-time residents say they can recall a time when the Days Inn was just an ordinary hotel, but those days are long gone.
In recent years, nearby residents say the hotel became a haven for what they call an "unsavory" clientele. The Days Inn was the source of nonstop loud music through the night and was to blame for drug deals they saw in their own front yards and fights the witnessed in the street.
And the crime and nuisance surrounding the hotel was in stark contrast to the quiet, peaceful residential neighborhood nearby, residents said.
Neighbors now are divided about whether the now-shuttered Days Inn should be demolished or redeveloped into something new. But residents agree that whatever comes next on the sight of the troubled former hotel is sure to be an improvement.
"I've seen multiple drug deals around here, we hear gunshots, we had two kids chasing after each other in the yard chasing the other one with a knife a couple years ago, trying to stab somebody. So we've had some issues around here the last few years, the hotel is definitely the issue," said Nick Duricek, whose home is just a block away from the Days Inn.
In September, a Toledo Municipal Court judge ordered the hotel to close for at least a year due to criminal activity and building codes. The ruling came after the city filed a lawsuit against the hotel's owner, Toledo Nights, Inc.
In its lawsuit, the city said police were called to the hotel 182 times between January 2018 and November 2020 for reports of assault, domestic violence, fighting, disorderly conduct, theft, robbery, burglaries, and nine drug overdoses.
Despite its checkered past, some see brighter days ahead for the property.
Thomas Beehner, a real estate agent, said the property's prime location could be attractive to a new owner. Not only does the parcel have an appealing location just off I-75, it's also near the Hollywood Casino.
He said keeping the location as a hotel but just upgrading the quality would be a great way to attract some of the gambling crowd. But he also believes that a smart investor could put bring in stores that could take advantage of a growing Toledo.
"It could be a gas station, a strip mall," he said. "Thirdly, I think a grocery store. There are more residents living in downtown Toledo than ever before, and a grocery store being this close could be potentially even a better use."
The hotel will go up for auction in February. In a statement released today, officials said that regardless of who owns the building, the city's priority is for the property to be a viable business that is safe for customers and surrounding residents.