West Baden hotel open to guests; atrium temporarily closed after storm damage

Southern Indiana Business Report

WEST BADEN SPRINGS – The West Baden Springs Hotel is open to guests but the atrium is temporarily closed after a hail storm blew through Orange County Sunday, damaging the glass panes on the dome of the historic hotel. 

West Baden Springs Hotel sustained hail damage to all 12 of the curved glass panels of its famous dome, making the atrium area below the dome off limits until repairs can be completed. According to a press release from French Lick Resort, there were no injuries to guests or staff at the hotel in the wake of Sunday afternoon’s severe weather outbreak, which peppered the area with golf ball to baseball sized hail for about 10 minutes.

There was no damage to any guest rooms, and the hotel is still open along with all its restaurants, shops and spa. Damage assessments and estimates are still ongoing at the hotel. Chuck Franz, CEO of French Lick Resort, pointed out that West Baden Springs Hotel – originally built in 1902 and reopened in 2007 after restoration – survived a period of near disrepair, so he’s confident it will bounce back once again.

“We know it’s a gem; we know that when people come here they want to relax in the atrium, so we’re going to work as hard as we can to get it open as quickly as we can,” Franz said. “We got started Sunday night, and our first priority was to temporarily protect the atrium from rain or moisture getting in. We’re working on a solution for repairing the dome, and we’ll have that solution rather quickly. And we’ll keep everybody updated when we get some kind of timeline.”

A few meeting rooms at West Baden Springs Hotel sustained broken windows, as did a couple rooms at French Lick Springs Hotel. The Pete Dye Course at French Lick was also hit hard with hailstones that damaged the playing surface, but the course was back open for business by Monday morning.

“Our golf team was here at 5:30 this morning working on the course and getting it back into shape,” Franz said. “We think we’ll have it back open in its pristine shape by Wednesday or Thursday.”

Everything else throughout French Lick Resort remains open as usual, including French Lick Springs Hotel, Valley Tower, French Lick Casino and all resort amenities. Any guest with an upcoming reservation at West Baden Springs Hotel can reach out to the resort’s Experience Design Team for any questions or concerns at (877) 496-4965.

Above all else, Franz was grateful there were no injuries from Sunday’s storms thanks to quick action from everyone at the hotel.

“That’s a credit to our staff and all the guests that were here,” Franz said. “I can’t compliment our staff enough for getting everyone evacuated to safe spaces, and our guests for all of their cooperation.”

About French Lick Resort