Golden Knights evicted from San Jose accommodation as hotel abruptly closes

By Justin emerson

Sat, March 6, 2021 (noon)

The Golden Knights beat the Sharks in overtime last night but had to scramble where to stay after the game.

The hotel where the Golden Knights were staying, the downtown Fairmont Hotel, suddenly closed on Friday.

“This is probably a first for everyone on our team,” said defenseman Nick Holden.

The Golden Knights packed their bags and left for the ice as a normal last day in a city, then returned to another hotel after the game. They play against the Sharks again at 7:30 p.m. today before heading to Minnesota in a road series with the Wild.

“It was a surreal experience,” said coach Pete DeBoer. “I hope it’s the end of the COVID year, but that was almost the topping of the cake for what the past year has been for everyone in the world. Just another thing thrown at you, another thing to deal with.

“It’s not that I’m putting this on the same breath as COVID, but it was just one of those things that we got started, we managed it and found a way to get off to a good start.” , therefore a good resilience by our group.

The hotel, described as “landmark” and “iconic” by the San Jose Mercury News, fell victim to the struggling hotel industry in California, according to the newspaper. In the year 2020, only 14 loan default notices were filed against hotels in the state. In January alone, there were at least 20.

The Mercury News reported that the owners of the hotel were in debt between $ 100 million and $ 500 million, but hope to reopen in a few months.

It will affect more than the Golden Knights. Due to NHL virus protocols, the league designates a hotel in a city to serve as accommodation for each visiting team to ensure the hotel follows league rules.

So when the St. Louis Blues arrive in town on Monday, they won’t be staying at the Fairmont Hotel.

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