image description — The Holiday Inn & Suites in Pittsfield is still working to meet code compliance.

Holiday Inn Remains Closed from Broken Elevator

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:35AM / Friday, October 16, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It has been almost three weeks since broken elevators temporarily closed the Holiday Inn & Suites, and the hotel is still working to meet code compliance.

The hotel at 1 West Street has been closed since Sept. 25, after its last working elevator of three broke down. The 101 Restaurant & Bar, located within the Holiday Inn, also has temporarily shut its doors while repairs are ongoing.

The day of the shutdown had emergency personnel carrying people who use mobility devices down stairs.

“We were called there a couple of Fridays ago. There was no working elevator. There were EMTs and the fire department there, and they were getting over half a dozen people down the stairs that were in wheelchairs and walkers,” Building Commissioner Rian Dowd told iBerkshires on Wednesday.

“So with the no working elevators, we shut the building down.”

The central downtown, 12-story hotel has nearly 180 guest rooms. Massachusetts requires public multi-level buildings and facilities to have elevator access.

Dowd said the Holiday Inn is still working with the elevator company and state inspectors to be certified and reopen. They were told to provide the City of Pittsfield with a timeline, work orders, and contracts from repairs so that everyone can be on the same page and the hotel can open as quickly as possible, she said.

“We have not heard anything from them yet this week,” she reported.

iBerkshires’ attempts to reach a representative from the Holiday Inn were unsuccessful.

There were no passengers in the elevator when it stopped working; how it broke was not disclosed.

The 101 Restaurant & Bar, owned by John and Tucker McNinch, will need to remain closed until access is restored.

"We talked a lot with the fire department and the mayor, and we had a big meeting on Friday, and until the elevator's fixed, and there's some other things going on in the hotel that need to be addressed, until those items have been addressed, the whole hotel is going to be shut down,” Dowd reported.

The 1972 building, formerly known as the Crowne Plaza, also needed a water pump changed for the sprinkler system and lighting on a couple of egresses.

The Holiday Inn recently demolished its crumbling parking garage and is replacing it with a smaller one.

Tags: elevator, hotels, motels, hotels, Pittsfield,

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Pittsfield Council Approves Rename of DEI Office

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:17AM / Friday, October 16, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After hours of testimony across multiple meetings, the City Council has approved a renaming of the DEI office.

Mayor Peter Marchetti's request to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion the "Office of Equity, Access and Opportunity" was approved on Tuesday.

This also merges the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an "Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission."

"Everything that I've done so far for being mayor, what it comes back to is, ‘Well, if you can solve poverty, you can solve all the rest of the problems.' Well, here's our opportunity to begin that process," Marchetti said.

"I'm really now regretting not asking the former city solicitors to get the job done, because I don't know that we'd be even having this conversation if this ordinance was put forward two years ago."

The meeting adjourned just before 10 p.m., when councilors would have needed to take a vote to extend it for an hour, a limit that was put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Basic facts about the Office of Equity, Access and Opportunity:

Upon adoption of the article, the chief diversity officer became the chief equity officer, and the budget and personnel of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion were assigned and transferred to the Office of Equity, Access and Opportunity.
The Office of Equity, Access and Opportunity will develop and implement policies, programs, and initiatives related to equity, access and opportunity.
The chief equity officer will:
- Outline equity and engagement objectives for the next year, opine and provide input on city ordinances, rules, and policies upon the request of the mayor, city council, or department head.
- Be responsible for posting information regarding equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination laws.
- Act as a liaison with employment sources and organizations serving protected groups.
- Share resources, reporting, and best practices with the Pittsfield Public Schools.
The chief equity officer will annually file a written progress report with the commission, mayor, and the City Council, indicating the progress toward achieving equity and engagement objectives.
Discrimination complaints can be filed with the chief equity officer or the director of human resources; the chief equity officer or mayor's designee will investigate the allegation.
This also established the "Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission."
One training per year is mandatory for all city employees.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August; in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection, wanting more data and proof of impact.

The rename passed on Tuesday with Ward 7 Councilor Katherine Moody, Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, Ward 3 Councilor Matthew Wrinn, and Cunningham in opposition. Fourteen community members took the open microphone stand to speak in support of DEI.

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