Woodcliff Lake Hilton in NJ prepares to close its doors after 40 years
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A long-time hotel in New Jersey is closing its doors after nearly 40 years of business.
Like many other hotels, the Woodcliff Lake Hilton could not bounce back from the pandemic.
Feb. 26 will mark the longstanding hotel's final day as the Hilton.
"It just became impossible from a financial perspective to be an ongoing concern," said Senator Holly Schepisi of District 39. "No one expected this abrupt closure."
This is the second major hotel being closed in the Senator's District.
The Sheraton Crossroads in Mahwah, where a major auto club holds its annual car shows, shuttered in December.
"And for some people who had events planned there, they moved them to the Hilton and now they're scrambling once again to find something else," said Sen. Schepisi.
Mahwah's Junior Formal event had originally been scheduled for the site in March, but the school district now says it has secured a new site.
The organizers of the car show, however, are still looking for a new location.
"We're scrambling," said Jeff Bornstein of the 'Dean Man's Curve' car club. "People are asking if they'll get their money back."
Sen. Schepisi says the hotel had been struggling for some time after losing major corporate customers when several companies in the area relocated their headquarters to others states.
A bank took over the hotel and brought in a management company to try to keep it afloat.
"I think it was a perfect storm, still seeing the impact of what a prolonged shutdown had on our businesses in the region," she said.
Business is business, and unfortunately some circumstances change. However, memories last.
"I grew up here, spent my teen years going to events," said Schepisi. "I had my Sweet 16 there."
The senator says the property has been sold to a developer, who plans to convert the 21-acre property into housing.
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