Once a hotel that changed hands several times, now an abandonment that is being demolished to make way for a new development of condos. Because Oakville needs more condos.

As far as people can tell, it started out as a Holiday Inn, and changed hands when Holiday Inn moved. It then became a Ramada Hotel before eventually becoming the Park Plaza Hotel. And it was as the Park Plaza that it finished it's life.

While the hotel still contains all of the furniture and appliances it once had, it has become a target for vandals. Rooms have been destroyed, ceiling tiles have been ripped down, and spraypaint is abundant. Hazards-wise, the most significant problem is everything hanging down off the roof; from power lines to the metal strips that hold the tiles in place.

There is debate whether the site itself has active security. While there have been security vehicles found patrolling the site, no one is sure whether they have been actively tipped off by a silent alarm, or by businesses in the vicinity. I'd swear that I did hear a beeping sound on the property (October 2008), though, despite the fact that the building appears powerless. And others with me also say they heard it, so it can't be ruled out.

That said, the second time I visited, we scoured the building and found traces of an alarm panel in the basement that had been disconnected. I highly doubt any alarm is intact now. You're more likely to be spotted by people in the adjacent plaza as you make your entrance and exit.

Not that it matters too much. While there is a sports bar down in the basement of the building, most of the interesting aspects of the site are outside, in the quad with the pool. Inside, all of the rooms look more or less the same, just in different states of destruction. Overall, though, the site provides a pretty mundane experience.

APRIL 21, 2012 UPDATE
Drove by recently, and saw that it's been reduced to a lot of rubble. Another one bites the dust...