The primary reason why a major brand hotel has not arrived on the scene is two fold.
1. The lakes region contrary to belief is not really a four season destination and brand hotels look to areas that have traffic 12 months of the year. A brand hotel sells franchises they do not build their own properties and the franchise fee before even beginning to build is into the $100,000 range plus a set of standards that makes the local zoning ordinances look easy.
Secondly, Brands are not pioneers. They look for established areas where others have done the heavy lifting. The Weirs is anything but established to the liking of any brand of lodging.
Therefore, any turn around will require as has been stated a visionary (think Music Man) who can charm investors out of the trees with a vision and a sound plan.
Finally, could it be that overall NH style tourism (lakes and Mountains) and particularly the Weirs has passed is prime in attractiveness to a sufficient number of young tourists? Most of the suggestions made so far on this site have been trips down memory lane. I also love the old stuff but if it were still popular with a sufficient number of people to make money it would never have gone out of business.
As to Meredith being similar to the Weirs, it is not. Location, weather and water conditions, ice in and ice out and so on. The events held in the winter at Meredith could not be held at the Weirs and as to a comparison to Atlantic City. That is very true as was Hampton Beach but Atlantic City is no longer Atlantic City of your remembrance and one really does not wish to emulate Hampton Beach unless you are all into second languages.
Within a few years Bike Week will be a memory as the real bikers age out and then maybe without that carrot being dangled in front of everyone something real can take place. In the mean time there is a new owner for part of the Weirs who is in the boat business. While it is not an ice cream cone it is taxable property and heavens knows there are not enough boats on the lake.
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