Hotel Closes, Strippers Stay

Gotta love Atlanta.

The Clermont hotel is sort of an icon in Atlanta and has been around almost as long as the city has existed, but come the end of the year it will be shutting its doors because it failed recent health department inspections.

The Clermont, however, is much more then just a hotel and there is an associated lounge which will be allowed to remain open.

The Clermont was built in 1924 as an apartment building. It was converted to a hotel in 1940. Decades ago it earned its reputation as a hip spot for a younger crowd to watch overweight, older dancers. Last year, writers from the famous comedy outfit Second City visited the lounge for a skit about Atlanta. One of them mused that it seemed to hire dancers based on their "internal" beauty.

Overweight, older dancers is not something you're going to find just anywhere, but one of the security guards who works at the hotel offers this bit.

"My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.

Well, it at least had that going for them.