The landmark Travelodge hotel on Newport's riverfront is no more.

The building was razed on Thursday.

The River City News reported in April that the building would be removed to make way for a new Hampton Inn. "We have a lot of interest in this city, a lot of visitors and the hotels, frankly, have been a weakness," City Manager Tom Fromme told RCN in April. "Travelodge was not really a big attraction so we only have one hotel really, the Comfort Suites. We were lacking in quality hotel space and now we're going to have a large number of available rooms and I think they are going to be used up quite often."

The new Hampton Inn will be under the same ownership as the Travelodge.

Newport's riverfront is also gaining another hotel east of Newport on the Levee. Capital Investment Group and Musselman Hotels are working on an $80 million development called Aqua on the Levee that will feature a Starwood Aloft Hotel, the first of its kind in the region. Musselman also owned and operated the Comfort Suites at the Newport-Bellevue line but recently sold it.

-Staff report

Photos by Robert Seifert via Fort Thomas Matters