Arkansas' largest hotel has challenged a letter threatening to shut it down from Hot Springs officials.
In a Wednesday news release, the new owner of The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa said it filed an appeal with the city because the letter does not state specific sections of the Property Maintenance Code the hotel violated and does not identify the repairs needed.
Sky Capital Group's application says the city does not have the authority to close the property, adding that Garland County district court has jurisdiction.
The owner says the negative publicity from the letter has "has had a negative impact on hotel operations."
An Aug. 10 letter from Chief Building Official Mike Scott to Arlington General Manager Bob Martorana set a Nov. 8 deadline and warned that the city will close the hotel if it's not in compliance by then, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record previously reported. Among the violations listed during an Aug. 8 inspection were the use of extension cords, and faulty ground-fault-circuit interrupters that are intended to protect against electrical shock.
The city closed 47 rooms, which later passed inspection Aug. 19. The hotel, located at 239 Central Ave. in downtown Hot Springs, has 478 rooms.
The Wednesday application asks that the city's Board of Zoning Adjustments reverse or set aside the letter threatening to close the hotel or that the appeal be placed on the agenda of the board's next meeting.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.