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US: A former bed-and-breakfast inn that was seized by the County of Sonoma two years ago has been transformed into a boutique hotel.
The former Glenelly Inn, now called the Olea Hotel, opened last month following a $1 million renovation over spring and summer.
Sia Patel, who owns the hotel with her husband Ashish, said: “We literally gutted the entire two buildings to the studs. For us it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the area’s lack of accommodations.” The couple paid $1.365 million for the property in June 2011.
The inn has been used for lodging since the early 1900s under various names, Patel said. While the buildings were in “terrible shape” at the time of purchase, the couple saw the property’s potential, in part because the rural Sonoma Valley has relatively few lodging units.
In November 2010, county seized the Glenelly Inn to recoup nearly $400,000 in unpaid bed taxes and $60,000 in property taxes. County officials sold the property to recoup the taxes and other outstanding debts related to the business.
www.oleahotel.com
