Exploring the Abandoned Days Inn & Suites in Clermont, Florida
Get ready to take a virtual step into Florida’s forgotten past. The abandoned Days Inn & Suites in Clermont, Florida, offers a haunting yet captivating experience for urban explorers and history enthusiasts alike. This once-bustling roadside motel now stands in eerie silence, its faded signage and crumbling structure telling stories of long-forgotten road trips and summertime stays. What remains is a time capsule of decay that draws those intrigued by derelict Americana.
With 21 high-quality panoramic images, this 360-degree virtual tour gives you an up-close look at the desolation and raw beauty of the site. From graffiti-tagged walls to debris-littered hallways, every frame invites you to visually explore what time and abandonment have left behind. Scroll below and start your digital exploration of the Days Inn & Suites—a prime destination for those passionate about urban decay and hidden Florida history.
Click here to view it in fullscreen.
Hidden just off a busy stretch of US-27 in Central Florida lies the abandoned Days Inn and Suites. Once a bustling hotel serving travelers on the Florida Turnpike, this large property now sits eerily quiet, an abandoned in Florida gem that has captured the imagination of urban explorers. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the story behind this forsaken hotel – from its construction in the 1970s to the reasons it was ultimately abandoned. We’ll explore any unique historical tidbits (even a possible connection to a famous meditation guru!), note its architectural features, and share useful urban exploring in Florida tips for those tempted to visit. Friendly in tone but packed with info, let’s uncover the past and present of Clermont’s deserted Days Inn & Suites.
A Brief History of the Days Inn & Suites, Clermont
Construction and Early Years in the 1970s
The story begins in the early 1970s. The hotel was originally constructed in 1973 on a prime spot at the confluence of U.S. Highway 27, State Road 19, and the Florida Turnpike. At the time of its grand opening, it wasn’t even a Days Inn – it opened under a different banner as part of a national hotel chain (reportedly a Holiday Inn in its first incarnation). With 120 guest rooms and a range of amenities, it was a full-service hotel – quite upscale for the area. The property boasted a spacious lobby, an on-site restaurant and lounge, a large swimming pool, and even significant meeting and event space (including a ballroom/banquet hall). This made it a popular stopover for travelers and a local hotspot for events.
In the 1970s, Clermont was still a small town, and having a multi-story hotel by the turnpike was a big deal. The hotel’s strategic location near the newly built turnpike exit meant it could catch road-trippers, tourists heading to Orlando’s attractions, and business travelers. For a while, it prospered, riding the wave of Florida’s growing tourism industry. Guests could climb the nearby Citrus Tower attraction by day and relax at the hotel’s tiki-style pool by evening. The architecture reflected the era: a two-story motor-inn style building with exterior corridors in some sections and interior corridors in others, a mix of convenience and comfort. Period brochures boasted modern comforts like air conditioning and color TV in every room (a luxury at the time).
Name Changes and Ownership Changes Over the Years
Over the next couple of decades, the hotel went through multiple name changes and owners as the hospitality market evolved. While it is best remembered now as a Days Inn & Suites, it wasn’t always part of the Wyndham (Days Inn) family. Travel records indicate the hotel changed franchise flags several times. In fact, one business listing even references a Howard Johnson at the same address, suggesting that at one point the property operated under the Howard Johnson brand, known for its orange-roofed lodges. Each rebranding came with renovations – and indeed the hotel underwent numerous renovations to update its style and facilities over time. Longtime locals might recall different marquee names on the sign out front during the ‘80s and ‘90s, though the core building remained the same.
One particularly weird chapter in the hotel’s history allegedly came in the early 1990s. According to local lore, the property was bought by investors with ties to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the famous guru who founded Transcendental Meditation (yes, the one who taught The Beatles). The Maharishi’s followers were known in that era for purchasing hotels around the world with the grand idea of creating “Heaven on Earth” resorts or Vedic Peace Palaces. (For instance, in Cleveland and Avon Lake, OH, Maharishi’s organization bought old resorts and promised to revive them as holistic retreat. It’s said that a similar plan was floated for this Clermont hotel – perhaps turning it into a meditation center or wellness spa. However, if those plans existed, they never fully materialized. The story goes that the hotel struggled under that ownership and eventually closed by the late 1990s, sitting vacant for years. (This wouldn’t be surprising, as Maharishi’s hotel ventures elsewhere also stalled out, leaving properties languishing) During that late-90s period, the once-proud inn became a ghost hotel – literally locked up and left to the elements.
Fortunately, that’s not where the story ended. By the early 2000s, new owners (unrelated to the meditation group) stepped in to rescue the property. After refurbishing the aging buildings – installing fresh decor, updating the rooms, and fixing code issues – the hotel reopened, eventually becoming a Days Inn & Suites under the Wyndham chain. The “Days Inn and Suites – Clermont” was reborn, catering to budget-conscious travelers and sports teams visiting the nearby National Training Center. Reviews from the 2000s and 2010s portray it as a no-frills two-star inn – not luxury lodging, but offering the basics like free breakfast and an outdoor pool. It served as an affordable stop outside the expensive Orlando area, and over the years it hosted everyone from roadtrippers to locals needing a weekend staycation.
Final Years and Decline
By the late 2010s, however, the hotel’s fortunes were fading again. Age was catching up with the buildings. Guests complained of dated rooms and maintenance issues – think leaky AC units, tired carpets, maybe a cockroach sighting or two. Even so, it continued operating through the 2010s. As of early 2020, it was still open for business – but then fate intervened in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel plummeted, and many hotels shut their doors temporarily. For this already-struggling property, the pandemic was the final blow. The Days Inn & Suites closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and never reopened afterward. The closure seemed “temporary” at first, but as months went by with no activity, it became clear the hotel had given up the ghost for good.
Local explorers note that the hotel was essentially frozen in time at that moment. When it closed, much of the furniture and equipment was left in place – beds made, TVs, and lobby furniture all just sitting there gathering dust. One visitor in 2022 remarked that “the place is beautifully preserved… really feels like someone could just set it up to open tomorrow with minimal effort.” In other words, the owners walked away without even liquidating the assets, which is both eerie and tantalizing for those of us who love abandoned places.
After a period of pure abandonment, news came in early 2022 that the property had been sold. A commercial real estate firm announced the sale of the 120-room full-service hotel to a new developer, with plans to renovate it completely. The broker noted this was “the city’s largest lodging property” and expressed hopes that a modernized hotel would do the growing area proud. As of this writing in 2025, however, the redevelopment has not been completed – meaning the site remains, for now, an explorer’s time capsule of a bygone hotel.
Why Was the Hotel Abandoned?
Several factors contributed to why this once-busy Days Inn & Suites ended up abandoned:
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Impact of the Pandemic: As mentioned, the immediate cause was the COVID-19 pandemic’s blow to the travel industry. The hotel likely closed “temporarily” in spring 2020 when tourism halted. But unlike higher-end hotels that reopened later, this one couldn’t recover from months of zero income. The ownership may have decided it wasn’t financially viable to reopen at all, especially if they were already in debt or short on funds for needed renovations.
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Aging Infrastructure: The hotel was nearly 50 years old by 2020. Even with renovations over time, the buildings had old plumbing, wiring, and structure. Maintenance costs for such an aging property can be sky-high. Guests were noticing issues (like poor AC and pests), which hurt its reputation. To truly stay competitive, it would have required a major overhaul (new roof, modern fixtures, etc.). The owners perhaps opted to cut losses instead of investing more.
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Location and Competition: While the hotel sits by the highway, the surrounding area developed significantly. Newer hotels in Clermont and nearby cities offered fresher rooms and more amenities. What was a prime location in the 70s (along the main north-south route) saw traffic patterns change over decades, especially after nearby Interstate-4 and other expressways improved. The hotel also isn’t very close to Orlando’s main attractions (it’s about 30 minutes to Disney), so it wasn’t as attractive to tourists as hotels in Kissimmee or on International Drive. Over time, it may have struggled to fill its 120 rooms consistently, leading to low revenue.
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Past Turbulence: The property’s history of changing hands and that rumored bizarre episode with the meditation group likely didn’t help. If indeed it sat vacant in the late ’90s for a stretch, that interim neglect could have caused hidden damage (mold, termites, etc.) that plagued it later. There may have also been legal or financial baggage from previous owners. All this can make operating successfully much harder.
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Economic Shifts in the Area: Clermont and Groveland (the city limits here might actually be Groveland, as noted by the 2022 sale listing) have grown residentially, but they’re not major tourist hubs. The hotel’s big meeting/banquet spaces, once an asset, might have been underutilized in later years. As the broker in 2022 hinted, the city’s growth was more in distribution facilities and such – meaning more warehouses than vacationers. Simply put, the hotel outlived the demand for it.
In summary, by 2020 the Days Inn & Suites was a dated property in need of big investment at the worst possible time. Shuttering it was the easier choice. It then sat abandoned because a sale/redevelopment took time to arrange. For urban explorers, this kind of scenario – a sudden closure with everything left behind – is the perfect recipe for an adventure.
Architectural Features and Eerie Ambiance
One reason this site is so fascinating to explore is that much of its structure and contents remain intact, providing a peek into a late-90s/early-2000s hotel aesthetic. Architecturally, it’s a far cry from today’s cookie-cutter motels:
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Spread-Out Layout: The hotel consists of multiple connected buildings. There’s a main two-story lodging wing, additional rooms in separate wings, and a central lobby/amenities building. Exploring it feels like wandering a little village of hotel rooms.
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Retro Design Elements: You’ll see remnants of 1970s and 1980s design. Think textured stucco walls, brown-tinted windows, and maybe even hints of orange or avocado green paint in back rooms. Some areas were updated around 2012, so you also get that early-2010s vibe (granite countertops in some bathrooms, more modern light fixtures) clashing with older parts.
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Grand (Now Decaying) Lobby: The lobby was fairly large for a hotel of this class, complete with a high ceiling and glass doors. Now it’s coated in dust, but you can imagine guests once checking in at the front desk that still sits there. Potted plants (long dead) line the entry, and a faded Wyndham poster might be peeling off the wall.
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Ballroom and Conference Center: Unusual for a roadside inn, this hotel had extensive meeting space – a legacy of its origin as a full-service Holiday Inn. There’s a ballroom/banquet hall with a small stage, and several breakout meeting rooms. Walking into these dark halls now, you might find leftover banquet chairs and folding tables stacked in corners. It even had a nightclub or lounge attached – local memory recalls it operating as “Charlie’s Grill & Pub” at one point, and later a pizzeria pub. The dance floor, mirrored bar back, and neon beer signs (still on the walls) give this area a frozen-in-time party vibe. An urban explorer video noted the hotel was “fit with a convention centre and a night club” back in its heyday.
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Guest Rooms: Perhaps the most striking thing is peering into the guest rooms. Many doors are propped open. Inside, you’ll often find beds still made with linens, Bibles in nightstands, soaps in the bathrooms – as if expecting a guest that never arrived. The décor is circa 2010: floral bedspreads, old tube TVs or early flat-screens, and simple wood furniture. In some rooms, sunlight streams through open curtains onto vacuum lines still visible in the carpet – a truly eerie sight in an abandoned place.
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Outdoor Areas: The courtyard-style pool is another highlight. It’s a big kidney-shaped pool that is now drained (or filled with stagnant rainwater and algae). Lounge chairs are scattered about, some tossed into the empty pool. Palm trees around the deck have overgrown, their fronds sometimes littering the ground. Walking around here, you hear the crunch of dead leaves and the hum of insects – a stark contrast to what used to be the cheerful sounds of splashing and vacationers relaxing. There’s also a defunct playground and a tennis court on site, now cracked and being reclaimed by weeds.
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Signage and Exterior: Out front by the highway stands the tall sign structure. The Days Inn logo has been removed, leaving just a blank or faded panel. It silently towers over the property, a beacon to nothing. The parking lot, once neatly paved and lined, is now sprouting grass through the cracks. At night, the lampposts in the lot are dark, making the hulking silhouette of the hotel even spookier against the sky.
Inside and out, nature is slowly encroaching. You’ll find evidence of critters – bird nests in rafters, maybe a snake skin in a utility closet. Florida’s humidity has caused mold spots on some walls and a musty smell in enclosed areas. Still, parts of the complex remain in shockingly good shape (no vandals have badly trashed it, possibly due to its somewhat off-road location and periodic security). The intactness gives the whole place a time-capsule quality that many other abandoned hotels (often vandalized or stripped) lack.
As you wander the halls, it’s hard not to imagine echoes of the past – the footsteps of a bellhop, the ding of an elevator (now lifeless), the laughter of families by the pool. This juxtaposition of lively memory and silent present is exactly what makes the site so compelling to urban explorers.
Legends, Lore, and Paranormal Possibilities
No abandoned site would be complete without a few ghost stories, right? Interestingly, the Days Inn & Suites Clermont doesn’t (yet) have the infamous reputation of being haunted, at least not in any documented way. Unlike some century-old hotels or sites of tragedy, nothing particularly ghoulish is known to have happened here. That said, the creepy atmosphere – especially at night – could certainly play tricks on one’s mind.
Explorers have reported an eerie silence in the halls, broken only by the occasional random thump (likely an animal or just the building settling). The long corridors with rooms on either side can give a “Shining” vibe after dark. A few visitors swapping stories online joked about feeling like someone (or something) was still “checking in” at the front desk or wandering the second floor. But these are more fun imagination than fact. As of now, no concrete paranormal claims surround this hotel.
In terms of pop culture, the site hasn’t been featured in movies or TV that we know of. It is, however, part of local lore in a historical sense. Many Clermont residents have memories tied to it – whether attending a wedding in the ballroom in the 1980s, or that one wild New Year’s Eve party at the hotel’s pub. So while it may not be famous globally, it holds a place in the community’s collective memory. The rumored Maharishi connection also adds a pop-cultural twist (the idea that the guru who taught the Beatles indirectly caused the hotel to sit empty for years is a story you don’t hear every day!).
For urban explorers, the feeling of the location is reward enough. Haunted or not, walking through the abandoned hotel, you get that spine-tingling mix of nostalgia and mystery. If you go, listen for the rustle of the wind through broken windows and the faint buzz of old exit signs – it’s as close as you’ll get to hearing the building whisper its stories.
Urban Exploration Tips for Visiting the Abandoned Hotel
Disclaimer: Urban exploration has inherent risks and often involves trespassing on private property. The Days Inn & Suites property is privately owned (now by developers), so technically entry is trespassing. This blog doesn’t endorse illegal activity – explore at your own risk and always respect the law. That said, if one were hypothetically to explore this site, here are some tips to do it as safely and responsibly as possible:
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Best Time to Go: Early morning or early afternoon on a weekday is generally the quietest. There’s less chance of running into other curious people or drawing attention. Night visits are not recommended – aside from legal risk, navigating in the dark is more dangerous given the condition of the buildings. Plus, you might encounter unwelcome wildlife at night. Daytime lets you see hazards and take photos with natural light filtering through the rooms.
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What to Bring:
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Flashlight: Even by day, some interior areas (windowless conference rooms, closets, etc.) are pitch black. A strong flashlight or headlamp is a must.
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Protective Mask: Mold spores likely lurk, especially in enclosed rooms that haven’t been aired out in years. Wear an N95 or similar mask to avoid breathing in mold or dust.
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Sturdy Shoes: Broken glass, nails, and debris are scattered around. Wear boots or thick-soled shoes. No flip-flops or sandals, obviously.
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Buddy: Explore with at least one friend. Not only is it safer (in case of injury or an unexpected encounter), but it can ease nerves. Plus, you’ll have someone to marvel with at the retro furniture and maybe reenact a front-desk check-in scene for fun!
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Camera: You’ll want to document the beautifully decayed scenes. A phone camera works, but a good DSLR can capture the dim interiors better. Just be mindful of where you step while focusing on that perfect shot.
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Safety Advice:
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Structural Caution: While the hotel is solidly built, time and weather can weaken structures. Avoid areas that look water-damaged or unstable. For example, check for soft spots on second-floor walkways or stairs – you don’t want to fall through a rotten section of floor. The concrete exterior walkways are mostly fine, but some wooden subfloors (if any in storage areas) might not be.
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Watch for Wildlife: This is Florida – abandoned buildings can become homes for critters. Be on the lookout for snakes (especially in shaded rubble or pool areas), wasp nests under eaves, bats in dark attics, or even the occasional alligator in low-lying flooded spots (the pool could invite one, theoretically). Make noise as you enter dark areas to avoid startling any animals.
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Stay Low-Profile: Even though it’s abandoned, the property might get periodic checks by security or law enforcement, especially since redevelopment is planned. It’s set back from the road and partially fenced. If you see “No Trespassing” signs, know that you can be charged if caught. Many explorers have still gone without incident, but use discretion. Don’t park right on the property; instead, park a little away and walk, so as not to draw attention. And of course, leave no trace – don’t vandalize or litter; let’s keep the site as intact as we found it.
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Emergency Plan: Have a fully charged phone and know the address in case you need to call for help. It’s wise to let someone not with you know where you’re going and when you expect to be back, just in case.
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Respect the Property: It goes without saying, but do not force entry into any locked areas. Luckily, explorers report that many doors were left propped open or broken open over time, so access has been easy without causing new damage. If a door is locked, take it as a sign to skip that room. There’s plenty accessible to see without breaking anything. Also, do not steal souvenirs – as tempting as that branded soap or vintage room key might be. Removing items is still theft and it ruins the experience for others. Photos are the best souvenirs.
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Environmental Factors: Florida heat is real – if you go in summer, those rooms will be sweltering by midday. Hydrate and take breaks. Conversely, in heavy rain the area around the hotel can get muddy and some lower rooms might have puddles. Plan for weather accordingly (rain boots after storms, sunscreen and hat on sunny days).
Finally, be mindful of your imagination. An abandoned hotel can play tricks on you – a fluttering curtain down the hall might look like a person at first glance, or you might swear you heard footsteps on the floor above. It’s all part of the thrill! Keep calm, and verify with your buddy before assuming it’s something supernatural (or an angry security guard). Nine times out of ten, that “person” is just a curtain indeed.
Conclusion
The abandoned Days Inn & Suites in Clermont, Florida stands as a time capsule of roadside Americana – a place where you can almost see the ghosts of tourists past checking in for the night or splashing in the pool, even as real ghosts (hopefully) don’t reside. From its optimistic start in 1973 as Clermont’s premier hotel, through decades of changes and a dramatic closure, this site has a rich history beneath the dust. Urban explorers flock here because it’s more than just an empty building; it’s a storybook. Every room, every peeling wallpaper strip, and every sun-bleached brochure in the lobby tells a piece of a narrative about changing times and fortunes.
Whether you’re into urban exploring in Florida or simply love local history, the story of this abandoned Days Inn & Suites is a fascinating one. It encapsulates the rise and fall common to many roadside hotels – but with unique twists like the possible influence of a spiritual guru and the unprecedented shock of a global pandemic. As of now, the hotel’s future is uncertain. Will it be revived and given a second life as a new hotel or apartments? Or will it be demolished, living on only in the photos and memories of those who explored it? Only time will tell.
For now, it remains quietly awaiting its fate by the highway, an open invitation to the curious (and cautious!). If you do venture there, armed with this guide and a sense of adventure, tread carefully and respectfully. You’ll be rewarded with a walk through history – and maybe an adrenaline rush or two. Happy (and safe) exploring!
If you liked this blog post, you might be interested in learning about the Cherveno zname swim complex in Bulgaria, the Damen Silos in Illinois, or this abandoned construction site.
A 360-degree panoramic image captured inside the abandoned Days Inn and Suites in Central Florida.
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Equipment used to capture the 360-degree panoramic images:
- Canon DSLR camera
- Canon 8-15mm fisheye
- Manfrotto tripod
- Custom rotating tripod head
Do you have 360-degree panoramic images captured in an abandoned location? Send your images to Abandonedin360@gmail.com. If you choose to go out and do some urban exploring in your town, here are some safety tips before you head out on your Urbex adventure. If you want to start shooting 360-degree panoramic images, you might want to look onto one-click 360-degree action cameras.
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