The Marina Village Inn on Everett’s waterfront, once a popular spot for business travelers, will close its doors for good on Tuesday.
The owners say they are victims of the dramatic reduction in business travel brought on by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a poor economy.
“We were doing fairly well until 9-11,” co-owner Su Champion of Everett said Thursday. “We never recovered from 9-11.”
The inn, which opened in March 1985, was among the first businesses to open in Marina Village.
“Anthony’s (Restaurant) was the first,” she said. “Then we came in and did the hotel. It kind of changed the flavor down there.”
Bob and Su Champion opened the then 15-suite hotel with partners Earl and Sue Person.
The Champions bought out their partners in 1989 and added 12 more suites and a luxury conference facility.
The inn relied strongly on the business community, with 82 percent of its guests booking rooms while traveling on business, Champion said. Business at the once-popular banquet facility also flagged as companies reduced their spending.
“The banquet facilities were used quite a bit,” Su Champion said. “But now there’s a lot of competition with the new arena” and its conference center.
Su Champion said she and her husband will be giving up their lease on the building, and that she believes it will become medical offices.
We “regret the need to close the doors of this special place on the bay” and want to thank their customers for allowing “19 years of success,” she said.
“This is our last weekend. I’m pretty sad. We had some pretty good times down there.”
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