What is your favorite memory of the Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport?

Perhaps you attended a wedding there, or stayed in the Wing 100 -- which is said to be “haunted.”

You may have cuddled in the Mt. St. Helens Suite where a prominent, framed seismographic record -- with the eruption time and date from the Pacific Science Center -- adorns the wall.

Perhaps you knew the hotel -- a long-time landmark at the corner of Pacific Highway South and Southwest 170th Street in SeaTac -- as the Hyatt.

But, as a hotel employee newsletter recently exclaimed, “Here Come the Trains!”

Indeed, Sound Transit’s Light Rail coming, and the grand hotel will not stand in the way of progress. After 45 years of service, the Radisson will close its doors on Jan. 31. A newer Raidisson on the east side of International Bourlevard will remain open.

Employees were given at least eight months’ advance notice of the closing, which will mark the beginning of preparations for light rail’s extension to the airport.

After the hotel is removed by mid-2006, the property -- which was acquired by the Port of Seattle in 2000 -- will be developed for light rail train service to Sea-Tac International Airport by December 2009.

The airport light-rail station will be located three blocks south of the Radisson property, with the tracks running along the airport freeway before veering off and traveling directly through what is currently the Radisson Hotel.

How do 125 employees say good-bye? The Radisson is folding with a celebration like none other.

January will be “Relive the Past Month.” Each week the staff will celebrate one of the four decades of the hotel’s existence: Jan. 1-7 will remember “The Revolutionary Sixties,” followed by the “Mad Seventies,” the “Crazy Eighties” and the “Blooming Nineties.”

Closing ceremonies will take place Jan. 30-31.

General Manager Richard Boustead says there “will be a ceremonial checkout” for the last person to leave on Jan. 31.

Radisson employees are gearing up for not only the closure but for opportunities down the road. They have much support from their employer.

An outplacement consulting company, Business Coaching and Consulting, is conducting employment workshops that provide necessary tools to help employees succeed in the next job.

The mood these days at The Radisson is upbeat for the most part. However, there are a few employees who are finding it difficult to get into a positive mode.

Take Chuck Cruise, for instance. Currently chief concierge, with 33 years experience in the same Radisson lobby, Cruise describes himself as a “lifetime concierge.” Chuck took over from his dad as chief bell captain in 1973. Cecil Cruise had worked at the Radisson since 1961.

Chuck Cruise has some concerns. As a shop steward since 1980, his major worry involves the loss of medical insurance for employees.

He is also saddened that Sound Transit has not offered employment opportunities to the Radisson’s workers.

The Radisson has been a second home to many other dedicated professionals.

Eric Johnson became a part of the family in 1966 and is still employed as the longest tenured associate.

Alice Van Houten became a telephone operator in 1970. Jack Shelton was hired as a bellman in 1977, along with Laurel Chapdelaine, who began her lengthy career as a telephone operator.

Denny Anthony was brought on board as a maintenance engineer in 1978, Pedro Casto as a sous chef in 1985, and Kimberlee Houston, director of human resources, has been employed for 15 years at the hotel.

A common theme among employees is “We are family,” and through the efforts of this family the hotel has raised money for charities, and has given turkeys and other foods to the Food Pantry of Tukwila.

This outpouring of giving will continue through the final day its doors are open..

The Radisson was the first luxury hotel established at Sea-Tac Airport, and many in the early 60s questioned why anyone would choose to stay in such a location when they could stay in downtown Seattle. Little did they realize that staying near the airport would start a new trend, which would revolutionize the hotel industry.

Since then, the hotel has welcomed many famous faces -- Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, and Johnny Cash, who became a regular, stayed there while on tour.

Sports figures and professional teams that curled up there for a good night’s sleep included the Harlem Globetrotters, soccer great Pele, and many Olympic athletes.

Bill Cosby and Vincent Price signed autographs for guests during their stays.

And movie buffs will remember the hotel as the background for the 1964 Sydney Poitier and Anne Bancroft movie, The Slender Thread.

If you were to ask AGHOST (Amateur Ghost Hunters of Seattle Tacoma) if the hotel is really haunted, the members would answer with a resounding yes!

The group stated in an Oct. 26 story in the Highline Times/Des Moines News that part of the hotel was built over Washington Memorial Cemetery. It is believed, although headstones were moved for the new construction, that bodies remain buried underneath the hotel.

AGHOST notes there have been ghost seances around the 100 wing.

Kathy Frazier who has served the Radisson’s property manager for the past 10 years, reluctantly confesses that she has seen “the older lady dressed in green” at the end of the hall, both downstairs and up.

During an overnight stay in the 100 wing, she insists she heard “someone walking” and other noises. It felt “eerie,” she said with a laugh, so she positioned furniture against the door to feel safe.

Boustead is quick to admit it is all in fun and “has never been a problem. We don’t want to scare anyone off.”

As the countdown begins with a flurry of fun-filled activities, there is bound to be a tear or two. Employees are already discussing establishing a Website so “their family” can keep in touch.

In the meantime, the Radisson is compiling a collection of “happenings” that reflect how the hotel has impacted those who have worked, played or stayed there over the years.

If you wish to share a cherished memory with General Manager Richard Boustead, and the hotel staff, Boustead can be reached at Richard.Boustead@Radisson.com.