Check Out This Sad Looking Abandoned Missouri Holiday Inn [Pictures]

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

There was a time when staying in hotels was a magical part of the family vacation. They had bars and restaurants and hosted banquets, conventions, and proms. If you were a child of the 1980s there is probably a good chance you stayed at a hotel like the abandoned one I'm going to share here.

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This happens to be the abandoned Holiday Inn in Joplin, Missouri. Over the past few years, it's given The City of Joplin fits. It sits abandoned, and while there has been some interest in redeveloping the building into a functional hotel nothing has come to fruition. An article from KOAM TV explains part of the problem.

Planning and Zoning Director Troy Bolander told KOAM TV that any project that would go into redeveloping the site is an expensive complicated project, and there just hasn't been one that's come to fruition.

Back when it was open, at least at the end of its life most of the Yelp reviews of the hotel were mediocre to downright lousy. Most of the reviews of the hotel complained that the hotel needed to be updated. Out-of-date furniture, uncomfortable beds, and the like. If it were still open, the reviews certainly wouldn't make me want to stay there.

A couple of people on YouTube have fond memories of the hotel. Heath Bradley, commenting a month ago,  talked about playing some New Year's Eve shows there with his band. He said it used to be a fun place. Mat Clark said the hotel used to be the showplace of Joplin.

These days though, the old hotel as I mentioned is an eyesore and a pain for the Joplin community. In May of 2020, two Joplin Firefighters fell into the hotel's indoor pool filled with rancid water while battling a fire started by transients burning wires to expose the copper. This is according to Firehouse.com.

The KOAM TV story talks about how the City of Joplin and the property owners are trying to keep trespassers off the property, and what could eventually happen to the abandoned hotel if redevelopment just doesn't come through.

Don't worry though, there are plenty of places to stay in Joplin including a Holiday Inn. You can't seem to drive down South Rangeline Road without bumping into a hotel or a restaurant. South Rangeline Road looks like any area of a City that has a highway running through it. Lots of places for tourists and locals alike to eat, sleep, and gas up their vehicles.

Maybe the old sad looking abandoned Holiday Inn will once again thrive as a hotel, restaurant, bar, banquet, and convention facility. It'd be nice. Yet, I wouldn't hold my breath. Outside of major cities, these hotels seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. Replaced by box hotels that all look the same with no personality, no lounge, and free breakfast.

Exploring the Abandoned posted a video on YouTube about the old hotel which you can watch here:

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.