The Greenbrier will reopen on July 12

Published July 7, 2016 by Paula C. Squires

The Greenbrier resort announced Thursday that it will reopen to guests on Tuesday, July 12, after being forced to close for more than two weeks because of flooding that damaged parts of the historic resort.

“We had some major damage in different parts of the hotel, and it’s taken a lot of work to get The Greenbrier back to the standard that our guests expect,” Jim Justice, the hotel’s owner and CEO, said in a statement. The  resort said that it suffered tens of millions of dollars worth of damage, although a final estimate is still being tallied. 

As a result of the June 23 torrential rains and  flooding, which left 15 people dead in Greenbrier County and 23 across the state, the resort canceled a major event, The Greenbrier Classic, an annual PGA golf tournament that had been scheduled for July 7-10 on its Old White TPC course.

With nearly 2,000 workers during the summer, The Greenbrier’s peak season, the resort is one of the the largest employers in southern West Virginia and also is a major driver for the area’s economy. “For this region and this state to get back on its feet, the people need to be working,” said Justice, the Democratic nominee for  governor in West Virginia. “A number of team members at The Greenbrier lost everything, and they can’t rebuild if they don’t have a place to work. “

Since the flooding that swept through the region, The Greenbrier has housed and fed more than 700 flood victims. It plans to continue to help the community rebuild, and Justice is asking guests to do the same.

The 710-room Greenbrier is located in the Allegheny Mountains in White Sulphur Springs. The 11,000-acre resort first opened in 1778.  Justice purchased the resort in 2009 for $20 million saving it from bankruptcy. He then invested $350 million in a restoration that included new amenities such as a casino.