Best Western Airport hotel management files for Ch. 11
Several years ago, the Best Western opened the first casino at the LMM airport. (Credit: © Mauricio Pascual)
Just three years after taking over the control of the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport’s 125-room Best Western hotel, management company Hotel Airport Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In the filing submitted last Friday at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Juan, Hotel Airport Inc.’s owners, the Tirri family, listed dozens of creditors to whom they owe more than $5.5 million.
The bulk of the debt, or $5 million, is listed for its main creditor, FirstBank.
The filing comes a little over three years after the Tirri family took over the management of the hotel in May 2008 from Jack and Nancy Katz, the Best Western’s former operators. The Tirri family also owns thousands of square feet of hangar space it leases out at the airport, as well as the 66 Outlet World mall in Canóvanas.
Last year, the Port Authority, which owns the airport hotel, sued Hotel Airport Inc. in an attempt to evict them from the property. However, that issue is still pending.
