Downtown Binghamton Hotel May Not Reopen

The Grand Royale Hotel in downtown Binghamton is still closed and apparently isn't going to reopen.

The hotel - with entrances on State and Collier streets - shut down operations last December 21.

Nirmal Aujla, the Watertown dentist who owns the hotel, told WNBF News last February that he expected renovations to start soon. He said the project might include parking improvements.

Aujla had said he anticipated the hotel would reopen by summer but he didn't provide a target date for resuming operations.

Since then, there has been no indication that any renovation work was being done inside or outside the building.

This week, Newschannel 34 reported that a city official had said the owner was trying to sell the hotel.

The building was constructed in 1897. It served as Binghamton City Hall for several decades.