It seems like 9 times out of 10, at least here in Detroit, any time a hotel goes from being part of a chain to an independent...its future is doomed. I could probably name close to 10 local hotels that were once luxury properties and now they are either abandoned or independent hotels with poor reputations.

Lets hope that they replace the Ritz name with a reputable chain like Hilton, JW Marriott, a Starwood brand, etc.