Wyndham hotel by airport to close

The Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel, the third-largest hotel in southeastern Wisconsin, will close on or near Dec. 22, according to a mass layoff notice sent to the state of Wisconsin.

The 508-room hotel, a stone's throw from General Mitchell International Airport, was bought by its lender, Wachovia Bank Commercial Mortgage Trust, in July at a sheriff's auction.

The 54-year-old hotel had gone through several ownership and identity changes, and the most recent owners were accused of letting the property fall into disrepair. But it has 3,000 square feet of banquet space and 35,000 square feet of exhibition space, according to The Business Journal Book of Lists, an important factor in drawing business near the airport.

All 133 employees at the hotel will be laid off, according to the letter sent to the state by management company Crescent Hotels & Resorts of Fairfax, Va.

Hotel management could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Reported by:  The Greater Milwaukee Business Journal