TEMPLE, Texas — The Hilton Garden Inn in Temple has decided to temporarily close its doors after suffering damage from the winter storms, the hotel announced Saturday evening. It plans to reopen on March 10.
Citing the level of damage caused by the storm on Feb. 16 and an inoperable fire safety system, the Inn said it was forced to evacuate all 133 guest rooms. That meant sending people back into the conditions that had prompted them to stay at a hotel in the first place, forcing them to choose between returning to their homes without electricity or driving further away to find lodging, the hotel said.
"Leaving guests in this predicament broke our team's hearts, while we wanted to keep everyone and at least give them a warm place to stay, we had to make the decision to prioritize our guests' safety," the Inn said. "We had two had to face the unfortunate fact, that our hotel was not a safe option for our guests."
The fire at the Hilton Garden Inn in Killeen validated their decision, according to the Inn's statement.
The property will remain closed while they make repairs.