Popular hotel in downtown Fresno abruptly shuts down due to fire code violations

UPDATE: Shuttered Radisson can’t offer ‘a safe environment,’ mayor says

A prominent hotel in downtown Fresno shut down on Wednesday due to continued fire code violations, according to a City Councilmember.

Councilmember Miguel Arias said additional fines could be levied against owners of the Radisson Hotel located at 1055 Van Ness Ave. once health and safety inspections are conducted, including for a filthy, green swimming pool that’s allegedly attracted mosquitoes for years.

Arias said the owners of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fresno have failed to make necessary improvements to bring the building up to fire code. Specifically, Arias said, the hotel has needed to install a sprinkler system.

The owners of the building could not immediately be reached for comment after business hours Wednesday.

The hotel also apparently lost its affiliation from the Radisson earlier this month.

A reservation agent with the Radisson Hotels corporation said the downtown Fresno Radisson “has been offline” since Dec. 6 and was no longer affiliated with Radisson.

A search for the hotel in downtown Fresno on the Radisson website also yields an error message: “We can’t find the page you’re looking for.”

Nonetheless, the hotel remained lit up Wednesday night as if it was still open as usual.

But the front door was locked. And an employee inside the building told those who approached the entrance that the hotel was closed and that the general manager informed him that they were not taking any general reservations.

It was unclear if any guests were staying at the hotel late Wednesday.

Arias said the owners have tried to sell the hotel a couple of times in the past four years. But the sale fell out of escrow because of the improvements needed to bring the building up to safety code.

In addition, there’s been talk of converting the hotel into permanent housing.

But such a conversion also would require significant renovations, including kitchen installations, Arias said.

Mayor Jerry Dyer said he would comment on the closure of the Radisson Hotel on Thursday.

Arias said the downtown Fresno Radisson was first told it needed to install a new sprinkler system four years ago.

The hotel responded by saying it would need time to do so with a new sprinkler system requiring an upgrade to the building’s entire electrical system.

Arias said a provision was granted to allow the hotel to remain open despite not having a proper sprinkler system in place. The hotel instead continued to operate by having a fire safety inspector on site at all times.

But that arrangement was supposed to be temporary under the premise that the owners would make the needed upgrades to install a proper fire suppression system in a timely manner, according to Arias.

Uncertainty surrounding the Radisson and questions about its future in Fresno’s struggling downtown come just two years after Club One Casino, the poker card club that once shared a parking garage with Radisson guests, left downtown Fresno.

Club One ended up relocating to Granite Park off Highway 168 in central Fresno.

It is unclear what exactly is next for the hotel once considered the Radisson in downtown Fresno.

The current owners of the hotel, who are believed to be investors from China, bought the building in 2017, Arias said.

The hotel was built in 1969 and consists of nine stories on a half-acre lot “in the heart of Fresno’s revitalized downtown area,” according to a real estate listing.

It has operated under different names over the years, including previously as a Holiday Inn until a name change in 2014 and as a Hilton before then until 2008.

The 197-room hotel has been a popular place to stay for those who wanted to remain in downtown Fresno, particularly because of its walking distance to the Fresno courthouse as well as to the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center.

And with a fancy skyroom located on the top floor providing picturesque views, the hotel also was used for special events over the years, including once for a Fresno Grizzlies Hot Stove Gala.

This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 11:11 PM.