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No Surprise Here: The Block Hotel Put on The Chopping Block

Not surprisingly, the snowboarder hotel, The Block at Big Bear Lake, Calif. is now up for sale. Atlas Hospitality Group is selling the hotel for just over $2 million. Actually, it's a court-ordered sale which likely means that The Block forfeited on its loans.

Aimed at snowboarders and other young folk and once a subject of a G4 reality TV show, the hotel brand (there was another location in Tahoe) could never deliver on hospitality. The NY Times once reviewed it saying it was like "camping out at Urban Outfitters." And how could we forget the staff profiles

However, it seems like there's also something a little more sinister beneath the surface as Boardistan.com reports that The Block hotelier Liko Smith was arrested for a few few things including failure to pay transient occupancy taxes. Ugh.

[Photo: Atlas Hospitality]

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The Block at Big Bear Gets a Visit from the Cranky Grey Lady

Where: 39471 Big Bear Boulevard [map], Big Bear Lake, CA, United States, 92315

We checked out The Block Hotel a few weeks back, namely because they had the funniest staff profiles we've ever seen ("don't like ho's that talk too much"). Now the NY Times paid the place an official visit. However, this time they hit up the hotel's sister property The Block at Big Bearin Big Bear Lake, Calif. about two hours outside L.A.

Unfortunately the Times' Marc Weingarten doesn't seem too stoked about the place:

Like the first Block, in Lake Tahoe, the year-old Big Bear hotel is designed with Gen-Yers in mind, sacrificing room service and other creature comforts for adrenaline kicks like Sony PlayStations and free Red Bull. The result is somewhat cold and unsettling, like camping out at an Urban Outfitters.

Weingarten goes onto call the rooms like dorm rooms after a televised makeover complete with beanbag chairs, action photos of riders, iPod docking stations, HDTVs and Playstation consoles. But not all dorm rooms have glove and boots driers, which Weingarten did like. The hotel also scored points for free Red Bull and Pabst Blue Ribbons, WiFi, an outdoor barbeque area, a poker room, and unlimited domestic phone calls from an old school lobby phone-booth.

The hotel loses points for crappy bathrooms, no restaurant (only Domino's delivery), no concierge, mini-bar or ski valet. Also not cool? The Boost Mobile signature suite where Weingarten stayed which had Boost Mobile ads plastered on the walls. OK, now we can understand why he's cranky.

Kids who stay here may still have to borrow from Mom and Dad to cover the $89 room rate or the $189 signature suite rate. And in case you were curious, yes, this hotel has staff profiles too. Clint Beebe is the front desk manager who has this to say about himself:

I'm also addicted to my ink and growing out my gnarly beard. I love old whips and rolling on deuces with the bump bumps in the trunk. My dislikes are hitting my fingers or toes and ice patches.

And then there's Maria, the housekeeper who doesn't have anything to say at all. Or at least that's what it appears to say since Firefox doesn't seem to like this page and Safari doesn't even register Maria's profile.

Related Stories:
· Check In, Check Out: The Block at Big Bear [NYT]
· The Block's Hotel Staff in Tahoe Don't Like Ho's Who Talk Too Much [HotelChatter]

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The Block's Hotel Staff in Tahoe Don't Like Ho's Who Talk Too Much

Where: 4143 Cedar Ave. [map], Lake Tahoe, CA, United States, 96150

The Block Hotel in Lake Tahoe bills itself as the first snowboarder hotel which was created by professional snowboarder Marc Frank Montoya and Las Vegas Hotelier Liko S. Smith.

The place is totally geared for the younger generation as witnessed by the amenities like game consoles, board pegs, bike hooks, microwavable popcorn, and free wireless access.

But you also get a feel for the 21 and under vibe with the hottie staff profiles that read like MySpace pages. Take for instance, the Steve-O look-alike/wannabe Gilbert Perez who is the hotel's front desk agent. In listing his likes, he writes:

Money, Beeatches, 40's, hus'lin

Listed as his dislikes are:

When people give me quarters nickels and dimes. SNITCHES! Skantless Ho's, Stuck up bitches, people who don't ride on motherfucker's. Ho's who talk too much.

These staffers ain't fronting but we'd hate to see what they would do if you had any special room requests.

As for staying here, half of the rooms are called Signature rooms, each with different themes. But forget lame ski, snowboard or moutain themes. Try out the  Vivid room which features (as they describe)

"Stripperpole, Padded wall, Big ass TV, PS2 / DVD player, and enough porn to feed a small country! No sniffin' the panties..."

Lovely. You can also book the Napster, Zoo York, Roxy, DVS or Jones Soda room among others. Each one is different from the rest so make sure you really want the Vivid room and not the Napster one.

Rates start at about $229 a night on the weekends.

Related Stories:
· The Block reviews [TripAdvisor]