HORSEHEADS, NY (WENY) -- A new hotel with a controversial past is now open in Chemung County.

The Best Western Plus at 2671 Corning Road in Horseheads is now open for business, after years of off-and-on construction. The hotel's owner has faced legal battles dating back to at least 2017, over alleged unpaid contractor bills totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 2019, a Chinese national living in Delaware filed a lawsuit against Finger Lake, LLC owner Tom Shen, claiming he paid Shen $520,000 to invest in the hotel, as part of a federal program known as EB-5. The American visa program allows foreigners to apply for a green card, for investing at least $500,000 in American businesses. The plaintiff claims they never got their green card, and Shen kept the money. That case is still pending.

At more than one point, construction halted on the building, leaving it exposed to the elements. Now finished and open for business, the hotel has 102 guest rooms, as well as an indoor pool, fitness center, and on-site restaurant, according to its website. 

WENY Photo: Hotel under construction in 2019