JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – What was once a two-story hotel with a swimming pool and 100 rooms has now been reduced to rubble and debris.

For years now, city leaders, residents, and business owners have complained about the issues the Hotel O has caused.

Issues involving things such as the hotel being an eyesore to becoming a homeless encampment.

As a result, the hotel is now being torn down.

On Wednesday, Ali Muthana, the manager, went out to the property to see the demolition work for the very first time.

“We never ever expected to see this scene at all,” said Muthana. “That property before it was shut down, it had 11 employees like I told you, security guards, it was running, [it was] open, it was clean, everything was fine.”

According to Muthana, everything dates back to 2021.

He said that’s when he and his son, who owns the hotel, were made aware of building code violations.

“One of them was to install an exit sign that lights up if the power is off, and another one was an outlet cover,” Muthana recalled. “They were very basic requirements, and we [did] them in the same day.”

Muthana alleges they made all the repairs and got the hotel back up to code, and despite that, the hotel was still shut down anyway.

As a result, he said, over time, people who were homeless started moving in, drug activity started taking place, and the hotel eventually became a nuisance.

“After the property was shut down, yes, everything changed,” said Muthana. “Windows were broken, all furniture was stolen, copper wire was stolen, a lot of rooms were set on fire, and everything went down since then.”

Hotel O Timeline:

• December 2022 – Judge Jeffrey Reynolds finds owner Noah Muthana guilty of multiple violations of city building code; sentences him to 90 days in jail; sentence suspended
• March 14, 2023 – Reynolds orders Muthana to be jailed until all individuals and extension cords are removed from the site and submits a site plan to build a fence around the hotel pool to keep people out; Muthana is granted a $275,000 appearance bond
• April 17, 2023 – Owner files notice of appeal to Hinds County Court; Court dismisses appeal for failure to pay bond or have it reduced; deemed appeal ‘defective’
• September 11, 2023 – Owner files notice to appeal case to Hinds County Circuit Court; case not docketed until following March
• January 9, 2024 – Municipal Court sets status conference in case; defendant failed to appear
• January 2024 – An arrest warrant is issued for Muthana
• April 2024 – A Hinds County grand jury indicts Ibrahim K. Khoder on one felony count of perjury for saying he was the owner of Hotel O
• June 2024 – Reynolds orders city to tear down Hotel O, citing “substantial evidence” the facility was home to vagrants, prostitutes, and others
• August 2024 – Municipal Judge Henry Clay declares hotel a menace; imposes fine against owners
• September 2024 – City Council gives Muthana 30 days to tear down structure; hotel not demolished
• November 2024 – Council hires Cornerstone Enterprises to tear down Hotel O
• February 2025 – Demolition begins; contractor has 30 days to demolish structure

Despite the hotel being deemed a nuisance multiple times by multiple judges, Muthana maintains he and his son did their part in keeping the hotel up and running.

He blames the neglect on the city for not properly securing the property while it was shut down.

“If the city shut down a property with 100 rooms, or more or less, what’s going to happen?” Muthana asked. “They know what’s going to happen. They know that any property that’s going to be shut down, homeless (people) are going to invade that property, drug activity and more, so that’s what happened.”

In November, the Jackson City Council awarded a $240,000 contract to Cornerstone Enterprises to demolish the structures. A portion of the contract cost is being paid for with donations from the public.

When it comes to what happens next once the demolition process is complete, Muthana says they are still on the property and will speak with their attorney to discuss what the next steps will be moving forward.

However, the city will have a lien against the property to cover the demolition and cleaning costs.

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