Dozens living at Redmond extended-stay hotel forced to leave

REDMOND, Wash. — Nearly 30 people staying at the WoodSpring Suites, an extended-stay hotel, were told they had to leave by May 7.

Some long-term residents told KIRO 7 they have been staying there for months or even years.

Noelle Borland, who has been there since February, had planned to stay until June, but recently found a new job that offers housing, so she and her daughter will have a place to go.

However, she told KIRO 7 that others are not so lucky.

“My daughter and I would have had nowhere to go. All the shelters are full. I talked to a social worker last week and there’s no resources available that we can find,” Borland said. “I’m worried about all the families here. The suicides are going to go up, that happened in this hotel.”

Borland said she and other residents have seen their rent go up, with hers nearly doubling over the past few months.

“My heart goes out to all the families that will be homeless,” she said.

KIRO 7 obtained the eviction notice, which was dated April 29. It gave residents a week to find a new place to live.

Hotel representatives told KIRO 7 that in anticipation of a strong summer season and major maintenance that was needed after four years, the decision was made to paint every hotel room and perform light renovation so that the best hotel experience could be provided in the future.

Hotel officials also said guests were informed over the past few weeks about the upcoming changes and were offered “an affordable room” at its Tukwila and Lakewood locations to accommodate those who wanted to move to another WoodSpring Suites.

“We helped over 20 people do just that,” said John Fish, the West Coast regional manager with J & P Asset Management Inc.

“Many guests did not want to leave the Redmond area, and our hotel staff were flexible on the exact dates for them leaving with them being able to get multiple days or a week more than the original notice given,” Fish said.

Hotel officials also said that they are “acutely aware of the lack of affordable housing and homelessness, in many of the cities we operate in around the U.S. Redmond is no exception. We understand the role we play operating extended stay hotels, allowing access to housing for all income levels, and it is some of the most fulfilling parts of our jobs to do that. Across many of the properties we manage, we work with and provide affordable rates for a host of local programs including homeless, domestic violence, and other social service needs that communities might need.”

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