A Myrtle Beach Ocean Blvd. motel is home to ‘lewdness’ and ‘prostitution’, state says
State officials are trying to close a Myrtle Beach motel that is home to drug activity and prostitution, according to court records.
The state filed in Horry County court on Thursday a nuisance suit against the Rosen Sea Hotel, 2010 S. Ocean Blvd., and its owner Khaled Kassar. However, Kassar told The Sun News that he bought the hotel a year ago and has tried to clean up its reputation.
“We really don’t know why we’re being targeted this way,” Kassar said.
According to the state’s filing, officials notified the motel it was being deemed a nuisance in late November and the issues have not been fixed.
“The Rosen Sea Inn has the general reputation for lewdness, assignation and prostitution,” the filing reads. There has been drug activity at the motel, the state claims.
Myrtle Beach police have reached a “disproportionate number” of calls at the facility, the filing states, though it does not specify how many times officers have responded.
The state asked a judge to close the motel until the case is decided. The state also asked for permission for Myrtle Beach police to take control of the property.
Kassar said he bought the Rosen Sea Hotel in 2018 and invested $1.2 million in the facility. There were issues under the previous owners, which Kassar said they are trying to address. They didn’t buy the motel to run a business that is home to drugs and prostitution, he added.
The motel’s staff have called the police when there are issues, and Kassar said they thought they were cooperating with the city to address the criminal activity.
