PORT TOWNSEND — Guests who paid deposits to Fort Worden Hospitality for stays and event spaces say they received an email stating no refunds would be given following the organization’s closure.
“Throughout late 2024 and early 2025, FWH (Fort Worden Hospitality) explored every possible avenue to remain operational or collaborate with stakeholders to transition the business to another operator,” wrote Natalie Maitland, FWH’s director of operations. “Unfortunately, by the week of Jan. 12, 2025, these efforts were unsuccessful, leaving FWH with no alternative but to cease operations.”
Maitland shared the email sent to guests.
“We are not able to refund any portion of your deposit due to lender obligations,” the email reads. “If you paid via credit card you can seek assistance from your credit card company.”
Josh Potter and fiancee Anna Barash of Seattle paid almost $7,000 by debit card, for their first deposit on their wedding, Potter said. The payment went toward securing a venue, catering and a housing block for guests, he added.
“We saw a few venues out there and it was like, we didn’t even have to discuss it,” Potter said. “By the time we were done with our tour in April, we were basically sold. It really checked our boxes, because it was basically all in one. We weren’t going to have to rent tables and chairs, we weren’t going to have to go somewhere else for a caterer, it was all right there and it was on the Peninsula. We were so excited.”
Their first deposit was paid in mid- to late summer, and there were a series of progress payments as the details were decided upon, Potter said.
Potter said the first sign something wasn’t right was in October, when a contact at hospitality rescheduled a Zoom meeting. The meeting was scheduled for a second payment of $3,000 or $4,000, Potter said.
“She kept kicking the meeting,” he said. “She kept rescheduling the meeting, telling us they were closing out 2024 contracts and to give her a little more time to catch up.”
The contact said she could likely receive payment in early 2025. The payment was rescheduled for January, but the meeting was rescheduled again, Potter said.
The couple had issues accessing the web link for the housing block they booked for guests, Potter said.
“We were expecting a housing block link to put on our wedding website so our guests could begin to book housing,” Potter said. “That link never worked, and they told us that it was a third party issue, something about their web hosting and they would work to get that fixed.”
The couple sent their invitations, with all of the Fort Worden information included, days before FWH announced its closure last Thursday, he said.
“There was no indication that anything like this was going to happen,” he said.
Maitland said the organization’s awareness of the closure did not proceed the closure by long.
“Once the decision was made a week and a half ago, to close, we hadn’t been taking deposits,” Maitland said. “We hadn’t taken a deposit since early January. This wasn’t something that we’ve known for months was going to happen. This was a decision that was made on Jan. 12. ”
Potter said he is originally from Detroit and Barash is from Santa Barbara. Many of their guests already have booked their flights.
The couple has returned to the area to tour several venues and is working with Northwest Maritime.
“They are working with us to work within our budget, because we’re $7,000 lighter in our budget than we were,” he said. “I think it’s going to be OK. They’ve been incredibly helpful. They’re really just kind of responsive to our needs.”
The couple still needs to make a down payment, book a hotel block and find a caterer, Potter said.
Meanwhile, Jeanne Huber of Bainbridge said she pre-paid almost $20,000 for a total of five rentals.
“We had a family reunion at Fort Worden last summer, which was great, and wanted to do it again this summer,” Huber said.
Three generations of family from Washington and California were expected to participate — about 30 people, Huber said.
“They did a great job. I had no complaints last summer,” Huber said. “We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.”
She booked the rooms last July to take advantage of a discount for prepaying, she said. She paid in two installments because the cost exceeded her debit card maximum, she said.
“The next thing you know, I get this notice saying they’re closing in two days and they’re trying to get back to everybody,” Huber said. “The next day, I get an email saying, ‘We’re closing today at midnight and no refunds.’”
Huber said she is unsure what her recourse is. She paid with a debit card, so she cannot dispute credit card charges, as suggested by the FWH email.
“What I don’t understand is the legal structure,” Huber said. “It’s one thing when a business declares bankruptcy and there is a procedure to get in line to get whatever money there is, but none of that happened here. It’s just like, ‘We’re out of business, we have your money, good luck.’”
The refund policy on her receipt was generous, she said. It stated that a full refund would be tendered up to 45 days before the booking.
“I’m curious, did they put my $20,000 in some bank account, so they’d be able to repay it if they had to?” Huber asked. “Did everything get spent?”
Maitland said Craft3, FWHs lender, is in charge of directing next steps in the handling of the assets, including any money held by FWH.
Maitland declined to speak in detail about FWH’s finances as the company winds down.
“There is an order in which the company can be wound down,” Maitland said.
Some groups with event plans up to early February may be able to get special events permits through State Parks.
“State Parks is proactively reaching out to groups who had events in January and early February that we have the capacity and resources to accommodate with a special activity permit,” State Parks communication manager Sarah Fronk wrote via email. “Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everyone impacted by the closure of Fort Worden Hospitality.
“We recognize this is a difficult situation, particularly for reservation holders. Reservation holders need to work directly with Fort Worden Hospitality on any recourse.”
An FWH Facebook post announcing its closure had at least seven commenters claiming to have paid deposits of various sizes. The thread had 477 comments as of Tuesday afternoon.
Maitland said guests and groups interested in locating accommodations or venues in the area can find a list collected by Quimper Events Collective at https://quimpereventscollective.com.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
