Earlier this week, I was planning an interview with the band Gov’t Mule, which was scheduled to appear at the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, and was first in line to be the July issue’s cover story. It was a month like any other month. I had all my questions planned out, and was anticipating an interesting discussion about the band, its history, and its music. Sadly, at the time of this writing, it looks as if, not only will that show not take place, but the Executive Inn Rivermont, the hub of entertainment in Owensboro, and a major concert venue for the tri-state area, may be closed permanently, pending another buyer willing to reopen it.

            Google the word “executive” and on page one of the more than 403 million results is the Executive Inn Rivermont’s website. That’s a perfect illustration of the kind of landmark this facility has been for the city of Owensboro, but by Monday, June 9, the doors of this grand hotel were closed and everyone – guests, tenants, and employees included – were kicked curbside, many holding their luggage wondering what to do next. News4U’s own offices, which were located on the first floor of the hotel, were also cleared out, and the magazine’s Owensboro base of operations has been temporarily relocated to the homes of Owensboro employees.

Photography | Executive Inn Rivermont

            People who had made reservations or purchased advance tickets for upcoming events have so far been unsuccessful in recouping their losses. Guests staying at the hotel for the annual Mystery Writers Festival were forced to find accommodations elsewhere, while the city called upon residents to open their doors to those attending the festival to soften the blow.

            While not discounting the possibility of another owner stepping in and reopening the facility, Bill Parrish, Owensboro City Manager, speculated that any prolonged closing of the Rivermont could be a boon for other area entertainment venues, who will no longer have to compete with Executive Inn for its share of local entertainment dollars, adding that in-town demand for entertainment would not likely decrease. “Whenever a vacuum develops,” Parrish said, “someone will fill that vacuum. From an economics standpoint, there will be an opportunity there for other businesses and entrepreneurs to step in and fill that niche.”

When asked about the possibility for redevelopment of the Owensboro Executive Inn site, Parrish would only speculate that any redevelopment of the site would likely include a reassessment by the developer of the size of the facility and number of rooms, adding that the style of the current facility is not considered modern by today’s standards and has rarely been filled to capacity over its 31-year history. He did not know of any such plans for redevelopment, however, and considers a reopening of the current facility under a new owner a more likely scenario.

I contacted Steve Baer of Rally Capital Services, a sales and acquisition advisory service managing the receivership for the former Owensboro Executive Inn owners to see if any negotiations were bearing fruit, but he would not comment.

All of this comes at a bad time in general for hotels across the tri-state bearing the “Executive Inn” name, which, despite having different owners, are each facing their own set of challenges revitalizing aging facilities in a competitive market. The American Quilters Society, who hold their annual quilt show in the convention center beside the Executive Inn in Paducah, have threatened to move their spring convention out of Paducah due, they claim, to the condition of that hotel. Bonnie Brown, Executive Show Director for the Society confirmed that the move is under consideration due to the state of the 25-year-old convention and hotel facility and could not comment further, pending ongoing negotiations. Wilma Doom, Assistant to the Owner at the Paducah hotel denied the facilities are in disrepair and expressed regrets about the AQS announcement and hopes that an agreement could be reached. The annual convention is a boon to the local economy and the art of quilting, which is growing in popularity, is a major tourist draw for the riverside city of Paducah. A loss of the convention could mean a loss of millions in revenues to area businesses, not to mention the less quantifiable, but no less substantial, blow to area art and culture.

The Executive Inn in Evansville has been faced with challenges of its own since a city-hired consultant named it as a possible site for a proposed new stadium in the downtown area, an assertion General Manager Abid Khan says is “out of the question.” The Evansville Executive Inn owners, he assured me, are under no such negotiations with the city and, in fact, millions are currently being spent on renovations of the hotel. “Why,” he insists, “would we spend millions of dollars on renovations if we were going to sell out to the city?” Khan added that he regretted what was happening to the Owensboro facility and said he has offered to help re-house some of its former patrons in his Evansville hotel.

With the Rivermont's doors closed and all these upcoming events in Owensboro throughout the summer and fall months, travelers will have to find other accomodations, whether in Owensboro or elsewhere, a fact not overlooked by Khan.

Time will tell what will become of the grand area hotels that bear the “Executive” name, but there is no question that without them, their respective cities would not be the same. For over a quarter of a century these hotels have provided the tri-state with substantial tourism, great food, international events, and world-class entertainment, but ultimately it is the free market that will decide whether these facilities can meet the challenges of another quarter century in the hotel business, or will be replaced by other, more “useful” endeavors. This is just the way capitalism works. It isn’t perfect, but, in this author’s opinion, it’s the best the world’s come up with yet. On behalf of everyone at News4U, to those 250 individuals in Owensboro who just lost your jobs, we wish you all the best.