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Someone Steps In Front of Marriott to Save the Greenbrier

Where: 300 West Main St. [map], White Sulphur Spring, WV, United States, 24986

Oy, the drama. The troubled, historic and gorgeous Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia — which (fun fact!) sits atop a 112,000-square-foot bunker built during the Cold War — has been having some troubles lately. After business slowed majorly, the resort slashed about half of its staff and then had to file for bankruptcy — but word on the street was that Marriott was looking to step in to buy it and save the place.

But now it's become a big ordeal because, according to the WSJ, a "family-owned West Virginia mining-and-farming company" acquired the resort for $20 million yesterday, and plans to ask a bankruptcy court to drop the hotel's Chapter 11 proceedings:

The transaction this week [...] is a sale of the bankrupt company itself. By buying the Greenbrier outright -- not just the hotel and assets -- the Justice family hopes to reverse the bankruptcy and assume full control of the resort.

Huh. But, um, also: Marriott said Thursday that they were "surprised by the sale" and that they plan to keep pursuing its purchase of the Greenbrier assets themselves.

Interesting. Sounds like it's game on, then.

[Photo: Bloomberg News via WSJ]