The City of Roswell is shutting down a hotel with a sullied recent track record in a centralized location near Ga. Highway 400 and the city’s new public safety complex, according to officials. 

Roswell’s Fire Chief and Chief Building Official formally issued today an Order to Vacate for the Economy Hotel at 9995 Old Dogwood Road, a three-story lodge about two and ½ miles east of Roswell’s historic downtown. 

The city’s Fire Marshal's Office documented multiple code violations and hazards that pose imminent safety threats to guests, staff, and public safety personnel during recent inspections. Those include fire hazards and structural deficiencies with the building, according to city officials. 

The Economy Hotel has been ordered to cease operations and evacuate all its occupants by 5 p.m. Saturday. 

Entry to the Economy Hotel at 9995 Old Dogwood Road in Roswell, as seen in 2023. Google Maps

The hotel property's centralized Roswell location (in red), in relation to Ga. Highway 400, Historic Downtown Roswell (at left), and other landmarks. Google Maps

Other strikes against the hotel include six men recently arrested there by the Roswell Police Department on charges of sexual assault and human trafficking, along with other criminal investigations of occupants and public safety complaints in recent years, per city officials. 

The site is of particular interest to Roswell leaders, as the city’s new bond-funded Public Safety Headquarters is currently being built from the remodeled Summit Office Buildings next door. The “strategic, central location… offers immediate service coverage to areas of the city that receive the highest volume of public safety calls,” according to a city announcement today.  

The public safety HQ project’s first phase recently wrapped renovations and completed staff relocations in April; the full remodel is scheduled to finish by the end of this year. 

Conditions at the hotel found by Roswell’s Fire Marshal's Office during inspections Sunday, according to city officials. Courtesy of City of Roswell

Specific problems documented at the Economy Hotel included malfunctioning emergency lighting, deficient fire alarm systems, exposed wiring, deteriorating stairs, crumbling ceilings, nonfunctioning toilets, and signs of “fungal growth due to moisture issues throughout the building and rooms,” among other issues, per city officials. 

Roswell officials are reaching out to current hotel residents to inform them of the situation and offer short-term housing options. 

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