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(Tribune Media Services) -- From the outside, the Puerto Rican inn that Pablo Solomon checked into looked like it belonged on the cover of a slick vacation brochure. The landscaping seemed immaculate, the lawn was freshly trimmed, and the pool an inviting shade of blue.
He paid no attention to the "for sale" sign out front. But he should have.
"It was a disaster," remembers Solomon, an artist who lives in Lampasas, Texas. "The staff knew their days were numbered and just did not care. Nothing worked and everything was dirty. There were bugs. We found out later that the exterior looked nice only because an outside company did the maintenance."
A record number of hotels are thought to be in foreclosure, meaning that Solomon is in good company. (No one appears to keep reliable records on a nationwide basis.) One industry-watcher estimated that as many as 10,000 properties are at risk -- that's roughly 1 in every 5 hotels.
Most resorts don't advertise their impending shutdown. "Hotels in foreclosure are very secretive about it," says Aliya Jiwa, a Dubai-based hotel investment analyst. "There are absolutely immaculate hotels that are in foreclosure, and no one would know."
Which brings us to the first -- and perhaps the most obvious -- tip-off that a hotel is in trouble. "If you see a for sale sign on your hotel," says Solomon, "run."
Beyond that, how do you make the most of a visit to an almost-bankrupt hotel? Here's how to spot a property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one:
He paid no attention to the "for sale" sign out front. But he should have.
"It was a disaster," remembers Solomon, an artist who lives in Lampasas, Texas. "The staff knew their days were numbered and just did not care. Nothing worked and everything was dirty. There were bugs. We found out later that the exterior looked nice only because an outside company did the maintenance."
A record number of hotels are thought to be in foreclosure, meaning that Solomon is in good company. (No one appears to keep reliable records on a nationwide basis.) One industry-watcher estimated that as many as 10,000 properties are at risk -- that's roughly 1 in every 5 hotels.
Most resorts don't advertise their impending shutdown. "Hotels in foreclosure are very secretive about it," says Aliya Jiwa, a Dubai-based hotel investment analyst. "There are absolutely immaculate hotels that are in foreclosure, and no one would know."
Which brings us to the first -- and perhaps the most obvious -- tip-off that a hotel is in trouble. "If you see a for sale sign on your hotel," says Solomon, "run."
Beyond that, how do you make the most of a visit to an almost-bankrupt hotel? Here's how to spot a property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one: