Senate Luxury Suites in Topeka condemned, doors closed

Senate Luxury Suites at 900 SW Tyler St.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Senate Luxury Suites hotel in downtown Topeka is closed after the city foreclosed on the property on July 24.

City of Topeka spokeswoman Rosie Nichols said the building was vacant, but the city had received multiple complaints about activity at the location. Inspectors from the city’s Property Maintenance Unit (PMU) received a complaint on July 22 and, with permission from the property owner, locked down the building, making sure the doors and windows were locked and secured.

Nichols said there have been two investigations into the hotel’s maintenance this year. One for weeds. The other for sanitation, which resulted in condemnation.

Nichols said the cost of closing on the property will be billed to the property owner.

The 28-suite property, built in 1928, is owned by H2O Hospitality LLC, according to Shawnee County appraisal records. The property’s appraised value has risen steadily since 2021.

In 2021, the assessed value of the property was $852,180. The assessed value of the property increased to $1,066,500 in 2023. This year, the property saw an $8,550 decrease in assessed value.

According to a letter from the city of Topeka that was stapled to the door of the property, the property was deemed unsafe for human use due to its failure to comply with plumbing and sanitary requirements. The letter also outlined violations for entering the property that would be considered criminal trespassing and could result in fines of $1,000 or imprisonment for up to six months.

Nichols said the Topeka Police Department has received 24 calls to the address this year. The call types were:

The hotel’s website has been inaccessible since July 26. 27 News attempted to call the hotel’s public phone numbers, but the lines were disconnected.

“PMU inspectors will continue to monitor the property and report criminal activity to law enforcement,” Nichols said. “The same actions will be taken if an owner does not respond, but more attempts will be made to make contact.”

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