ST. LOUIS – More than 100 guests who planned to stay at a Washington Avenue hotel this weekend were abruptly told they had to leave and find a new place to go.

It all happened on Thursday at The Last Hotel STL on Washington Avenue.

The closure impacted around 25 employees and dozens of guests. The hotel’s general manager said a judge ordered the management company could no longer oversee operations at the hotel, forcing them to send their employees—and guests—packing.

Some guests arrived from out of town to see a sign on the front door informing them that the hotel was closed due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Hotel employees told FOX 2 they stayed after they were already relieved of their duties to ensure that arriving guests were informed of the abrupt change.

A man who identified himself as the co-owner of the hotel told FOX 2 the sale of the property has been caught up in the courts and that a judge placed the hotel in receivership.

He said the judge recently ruled that the current management company could no longer operate the facility.

Still, he feels Thursday’s events were avoidable and added that he’s hopeful the hotel can soon reopen