DOUGLAS − For the second time in less than two years the historic Gadsden Hotel in downtown Douglas is once again under new ownership.
Balwant Aulck, Rashpal Thind and Sukhchain Sandu of Bright Brain Hospitality in Seattle took over ownership in late November after the previous owner, Erick Harrell of Harrell Destinations, bought it from Anel and Florencio Lopez in 2021 and then put it back up for sale.
According to Aulck, he and his partners each own a third of the hotel, which was sold to them for $1.6 million. They also own the Motel 6 in Willcox and are involved with a humanitarian effort in Seattle called SOCH (Service of Core Humanity) Center which helps feed and clothe the homeless.
“We help build communities,” Aulck said.
Aulck said what intrigued him most about the hotel is its history and its atmosphere.
Anel Lopez will serve as a consultant and will help with the transition as Aulck and his partners learn more about the hotel and what renovations and repairs are needed to make it fully operational and profitable.
Currently just the first floor, which has 21 rooms, is available at the moment. Rooms on the next three floors remained closed. Aulck said he and his partners have been building homes and apartments for about 30 years. He said they are intrigued by the challenge of remodeling and fixing the rooms on the upper floors of the Gadsden, hoping to soon turn them into rental apartments or an extended stay.
“When the time comes and we begin that process we plan on using local contractors,” Aulck said. “We’ve found Douglas to be very much like one large family and this hotel is a key point. We want to make sure that we don’t lose something that will upset people. We all feel we can help preserve this hotel the way it should be and bring it back to what it was before.”
The restaurant inside the Hotel, Cafe 333, as well as the Saddle & Spur Tavern bar are open. The downstairs bar will be available in the coming months for special events and parties. History tours will soon be provided on a limited basis.
The new owners state they also plan on keeping the Douglas Veterans Museum in its present location.
The staff will remain the same and with Lopez’s recommendation, some of the old staff, including hotel manager Tanya Duarte, was brought back. Thirty people will be employed by the hotel once it’s fully staffed.
“(Tanya) was the first phone call I made when I had the authority to choose who to bring back,” Anel said. “She is so connected to the community. She’s bright, strategic, she’s ethical. I trust her with everything. That’s why she was the first phone call I made when I was given that option. When we owned the place, I knew I could step away and she would run the place just as I would. She’s a brilliant woman.”
For Sandhu, this is another exciting adventure he is happy to be a part of.
“We’re witnessing the history every single day,” he said.
Thind owns 13 gas stations in Washington and was supposed to be retired. He was not really looking for a new investment but when Aulck and Sandhu reached out to him about joining them as an equal partner it was hard to turn down.
“This is an exciting time for all of us,” he said.
The Gadsden opened for business in November 1907 and the hotel soon became a meeting place for cattlemen, ranchers, miners and businessmen. In February 1928 a fire ripped through the hotel, leaving nothing but the elevator car cabin, the marble staircase and marble columns. The hotel was rebuilt in 1929 using the same architect but on a grander scale. It’s been said that Pancho Villa rode his horse up the stairs of the hotel and chipped the seventh stair from the bottom. That chip is still there.
“My heart will always be with the Gadsden,” Lopez said. “I want it to be successful. I want to see it grow and fulfill my dream of being developed in the upper floors, something that we could never accomplish. I am super excited about this.
“Working with them has been an amazing transition. I feel they truly understand what the needs and priorities of the hotel are. The Gadsden lobby is the living room of Douglas. They caught on to that the first day they stepped foot in here.”
Lopez said she has reached out to John Vaughn and Douglas ARC and has invited them to host the Mothers Day Cake Auction again this year.
The new hotel owners plan on having an open house in the near future, at which time community members can come in, talk with them, ask questions and learn more about their plans for the historic Gadsden Hotel.
