Sitting majestically on the banks of the Columbia River, amid lush greenery and beside a cascading waterfall, the Columbia Gorge Hotel has held its place in history since 1921.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel -- the "Waldorf of the West" built in 1921 by timber tycoon Simon Benson -- generated controversy when previous owners closed it abruptly Jan. 30.

Damon realizes the bank and management companies are not the same as the previous owner, Columbia Gorge Hotel Co. (which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after it couldn’t obtain financing).

Here's what callers looking to book a romantic getaway at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel heard this morning: "Thank you for calling the Columbia Gorge Hotel. We are closed this weekend but ...

The minibar included two cans each of Pepsi and diet Pepsi, each for $1.50, and a $28 bottle of sparkling wine with a Columbia Gorge Hotel label. (The hotel had the wine made in California.) ...

Since 1921 the Columbia Gorge Hotel has drawn visitors to Hood River, but now barriers block the entrance to an empty parking lot. What should be a bustling hotel lobby was quiet.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel has drawn visitors to Hood River since it opened in 1921. It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979, according to the National Park Service.

Columbia Gorge Hotel has drawn visitors to Hood River since it opened in 1921. It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979, according to the National Park Service.

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — The Columbia Gorge Hotel was built in 1921 as the “Waldorf of the West” and housed the likes of Rudolph Valentino, Shirley Temple, Calvin Coolidge and Franklin Roosevelt.