Blue state hotel near major airport hub closes its doors after 56 years amid crime crisis

The Hilton hotel next to the Oakland, California, airport has closed its doors after 56 years, after many other neighboring businesses have already closed and residents have moved away due to ongoing crime in the area. 

On Aug. 28, the hotel's final customer was checked out, and it was officially shut down.  

"We thought we were all going to retire there, but we were heartbroken," Egigu Lemma, known as "Gigi" by his colleagues, told Fox News Digital about the closure of the hotel, where he dedicated over 35 years as a bellman and guest service agent. 

Over 150 workers lost their jobs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.  

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"When I started working at the Hilton, I was 19 years old, originally from Ethiopia. I came to this country as a refugee," Lemma said, adding that he spent more time at the hotel than at his own house. "I loved the job, I really loved the job."

Hilton officials did not say why they closed the Oakland airport hotel, but former workers believe it was the result of ongoing crime in the area.

"Hotel ownership reached a decision to permanently close Hilton Oakland Airport," a Hilton spokesperson told Fox News Digital, in part, adding, "Hilton continues to welcome guests across the Bay Area where Hilton and our franchise partners operate nearly 50 hotels."

"Businesses slowed down after COVID, but we were OK, at least the hotel was up in business, but after COVID, the crime was high, vehicles were broken into, catalytic converters were taken, they stole the ATM from the hotel," Lemma explained about the ongoing difficulties in the area. 

The Hilton hotel at 1 Hegenberger Road in Oakland stood for over half a century in business, spread across 20 acres, with 360 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of event space. 

Lemma shared fond memories of the hotel and its character with Fox News Digital.

"We had a hotel cat. Her name was Parris Hilton, and she was there for the last 16 years, greeting the hotel guests," he said. 

Earlier this year, the only In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Oakland closed, and the popular West Coast fast-food chain company previously told Fox Business that regular car break-ins, property damage, theft and armed robberies of customers and employees led to the decision to shut down in March. 

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A neighboring Denny's also shut down in January after 54 years, citing safety concerns. Two Starbucks locations and a local diner in the area have closed too. 

"Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision or one taken lightly. However, the safety and well-being of Denny’s team members and valued guests is our top priority," Denny's said in a statement on the closure. 

Violent crime in Oakland was up 21% in 2023 from the previous year, with 120 homicides, 3,531 aggravated assaults and 3,690 robberies, according to the Oakland Police Department's annual citywide end of year crime report. 

The crime surge in Oakland prompted Blue Shield and Clorox to provide security guards for their workers.  

Blue Shield previously told Fox News Digital that it "recognizes the public safety challenges in the City of Oakland, and we are committed to fully supporting our employees’ safety."

Some residents of Oakland have even left their homes in the city due to fear of crime, while 60-year-old retiree Dave Schneider was shot to death last summer while trimming his front tree during the day.

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Fortunately for Lemma, he managed to find another position after the Hilton hotel's closure.  

"I'm one of the luckiest ones…but most of them didn't get a job," he said about the other hotel employees. "I found a job, but my mind is still at the Hilton." 

He confessed that sometimes on his way to work in the mornings, he makes the wrong turn, thinking he's still going back to the Hilton Oakland Airport hotel. 

"When you think about all those memories, it's very sad. After 56 years, it's very sad," Lemma said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Oakland Police Department and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao did not immediately respond to requests for comment.