Terming the news of the sale of the iconic Roosevelt Hotel as 'misleading' and 'speculative', Pakistan's Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Tuesday said that the government has no plans to sell the hotel.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)-owned hotel, which is a popular New York landmark, had announced last week that it will shut its doors permanently as of October 31.
The hotel closed its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic and drop in business activities, Geo News reported.
The minister said the hotel was currently operational and had valid contracts till December this year with various other airlines, according to Geo News.
Multiple options were being considered for its future and all decisions were made collectively by the hotel's board and the government of Pakistan, he added.
Named after the American President Theodore Roosevelt, the hotel has featured in several big-ticket Hollywood productions.
On Thursday, in a Facebook post, the hotel said: "We at The Roosevelt Hotel have enjoyed being a part of your stories, and an integral part of the history of Midtown Manhattan since 1924. But after almost 100 years of welcoming guests to New York, The Roosevelt Hotel is regretfully closing its doors permanently as of October 31, 2020."
Located at the corner of Madison Avenue and 45th Street of New York's Manhattan, The Roosevelt Hotel is owned by the Government of Pakistan through PIA Investments Limited.
The hotel originally opened in 1924 and it was taken by the national carrier on lease in 1979 and later purchased in 1999, according to Daily Pakistan.
( With inputs from ANI )
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