The former Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell is being renovated for a return to business as the Canandaigua Inn, with its new owner promising additional security and an end to long-term stays at the motel where Sam Nordquist was held captive and tortured before his death.
Owner Mash Sopariwala told News10NBC the property could reopen within a couple of weeks. He said crews have gutted all 24 rooms, removing carpeting and furniture, and installed security cameras and additional lighting.
The reopening plans have drawn a painful response from Nordquist’s family, who say renovations cannot erase what happened at the property.
Nordquist’s sister, Kayla, and mother, Linda, told WROC they learned only recently that the motel was preparing to welcome guests again.
“I don’t think it will ever be a safe place,” Kayla Nordquist told the station.
Sopariwala told News10NBC that the business will offer daily and weekly rates, rather than long-term accommodations. He also said staff will monitor and patrol the property around the clock.
Room 22, where Nordquist was tortured, will remain available to guests, he told the station.
The changes would mark a different operating model for a property that previously housed people for extended periods. Some residents had been living there for months when guests received notices this spring directing them to leave as the motel prepared to close.
Those notices prompted questions about residents’ rights and left occupants scrambling to find other housing.
WROC reported that county property records identify the new owner as O-M Lakshmi Ariya, an LLC with a state-listed contact address at the neighboring Econo Lodge. The station observed new cameras, fresh paint and discarded furnishings during a visit Wednesday.
Kayla Nordquist told News10NBC she welcomed efforts to improve security but would prefer to see the property replaced with a memorial. She said changing its appearance and name would not remove its connection to her brother’s suffering.
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