Hotel In Foreclosure Shuts Down, Putting Possible Kibosh On Couple's Wedding Plans, $5,500 Deposit; 130 Now On Unemployment Line

In Hood River, Oregon, The Oregonian reports:

• Michelle Oleson got engaged in Venice, Italy, found the Columbia Gorge Hotel on the Internet and fell for the romantic getaway when she visited with her fiance. The 28-year-old accountant, a Beaverton native who works in Beverly Hills, Calif., paid a $5,500 deposit for an Aug. 2 wedding at the Hood River hotel. She got her dress. She got her shoes. The happy couple invited more than 150 guests. Then on Sunday, Oleson's mother called with startling news. The financially troubled hotel had closed.

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• The abrupt demise of the 88-year-old landmark, [...] has snarled nuptials and Valentine's Day plans, infuriated creditors and claimed 130 jobs. The hotel wedding coordinator insists the 18 scheduled ceremonies will he held. But as a judge prepares to name a receiver, legal wrangles loom -- absent a white knight who could buy and reopen the property. Holders of gift certificates and prepaid reservations have a burning question: How can we get our money back?

For more, see Gorge hotel's closure puts lovebirds, creditors in limbo.