By the late 20th century, the dam and reservoir had destroyed the formerly lush and diverse environment surrounding the hotel, making the water so toxic that "no animal can survive for long in the anoxic waters of the Río Bogotá as it approaches and flows through the capital city," per The City Paper. The hotel itself was in a state of decay due to its proximity to the water and the lack of upkeep. By the 1990s, the hotel closed and the rumors of hauntings grew more intense, according to History 101. When the curious, as well as squatters, explored the hotel, several reported seeing "the shadows of people who weren't there" and hearing "quiet, distant conversations in a strange language." There are also those who believe that the angry spirits of Muiscan people cursed the property due to their banishment from the land as well as the pollution that has destroyed much of the area's ecosystem.
In 2011, per the Tenquama Falls Museum of Biodiversity and Culture website, the Ecological Farm Foundation of Porvenir arranged to buy the Hotel del Salto and transform it into a museum as part of their mission to recover the region and make it "free, clean, and surrounded by a healthy ecosystem." The museum opened to the public in 2016 and Tequendama Falls has been declared a Colombian Site of Cultural Interest, while the museum is a Cultural Asset of Natural History.
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