Rock Falls hotel cleared to reopen, fire chief says

ROCK FALLS – A little more than a month after a Rock Falls hotel was closed because of safety concerns, the city’s fire chief has given the all-clear for it to reopen its doors.

A letter written by Rock Falls fire Chief Ken Wolf and provided to Shaw Local News Network indicates that Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, 2106 First Ave., now is in compliance with the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code and the state-adopted National Fire Protection Association’s 2015 Life Safety Code.

The re-inspection took place Wednesday.

“It is my recommendation that Country Inn & Suites be allowed to resume business immediately,” Wolf wrote in the letter.

The hotel was shut down in early March after the Rock Falls Fire Department conducted an inspection March 5 at the request of the city and found life safety violations, according to the April letter.

Its March closure was made apparent by a letter, signed by Wolf, that was posted on the door of the hotel and stated that the hotel’s certificate of occupancy had been revoked because an inspection had found no “functioning fire alarm and sprinkler system.”

According to Whiteside County property tax records, the hotel is owned by Anitej Hospitality LLC, in the care of Vipul Patel. Attempts to reach Patel on Wednesday were unsuccessful.