Lounge in bankrupt Trump hotel turned into a hub of 'organized crime' activity: court documents

According to a report in the National Post, a late-night lounge located in a now-bankrupt Trump hotel in Vancouver had turned into a hotbed for criminal activity before being shuttered, according to court documents.

Taking up over 9,000 square feet located in the 15 floor Trump International Hotel and Tower, the Ivy Rosé Lounge advertised itself as an "unparalleled entertainment experience every weekend. Come indulge on our gourmet food menu, craft cocktails and décor while we ensure the highest level of safety and social distancing."

However, according to the Post, "Vancouver police informed the hotel on Feb. 25 that it had responded to 43 calls related to the Ivy since June, including two involving weapons, four public-health breaches, two fights and two assaults," adding that police notified the hotels management that the club had become "a preferred destination for gang members and people involved in organized crime."

The hotel, which opened in 2017, subsequently closed down and filed for bankruptcy in August bringing about a quick closure to the club which led to a lawsuit and disclosure about what had been going on it to light.

According to the Post, "... there was also another, less-savoury side to the bar, court documents allege. Police showed up repeatedly to respond to fights and other disturbances, COVID rules were routinely flouted, and in the few months after the Ivy opened last year, it became a known hang-out for the city's organized-crime figures, those documents suggest. There were even hidden cameras to warn staff when police or bylaw enforcement were headed their way."

In a ruling on the eviction lawsuit, B.C. Supreme Court Judge Gordon Weatherill wrote, "It takes no more than a modicum of common sense to recognize that (Ivy's) ongoing, repeated, and flagrant disregard of public health orders, liquor restrictions, as well as its apparent indifference (to put it at its most generous) towards the clientele it allowed to frequent the licensed area would negatively affect the reputation of the property and the hotel."

It should be noted that Malaysian-based TA Hotel Management "had licensed the Trump name and the ex-president's firm to manage the property."

You can watch a promotional video for the club below: