As of March 1st, Perry’s historic Hotel Pattee will officially be under new ownership.

Jay and Denise Hartz have owned the over 100-year-old hotel for nearly five years, turning it into a highly successful business. However, due to health concerns, the couple decided a year ago to step away. Recently, the Hartzes announced they had found buyers in Tom and Vicki Maxwell. Jay says the Maxwells are passionate people with good business acumen, and feels they stood out from the crowd of potential buyers. “We’ve had a lot of interest in the hotel by several different parties. The Maxwells actually has been the best fit, and I think they’re going to be fantastic for the hotel. It’s a special place, and as we’ve always said, it’s kind of the heartbeat of Perry. And Denise and I have had one goal going into this, and that was to find a successor that’s going to take care of the hotel and make it even better. And I believe the Maxwells will do that.”

The Hartzes will remain with the hotel on a month-to-month basis for up to three months after March 1st, in order to ensure a smooth transition. Jay says he’s proud that they’re leaving the hotel in a better state than they found it, though he gives a lot of credit to the community. “Denise and I are very, very thankful for the support that this community has given us and our family over the last almost five years. It’s been a great journey, and we couldn’t have done what we’ve tried to accomplish here, with getting the hotel up to a successful level, without the support of our local community. So I just want to say thank you.”

The original price tag of the hotel was $2.5 million, though Jay declined to comment on how much it ended up selling for. To hear more from Hartz, listen to last Friday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.