Quirky lodgings: Unusual places to stay for your business guests
The Stoney Creek Inn
As a themed motel, the Stoney Creek Inn is the place for anyone looking for themed rooms with full amenities.
General Manager Mike Kelly compares the Northwoods lodge experience to the old TV show Northern Exposure. He said the most popular room is actually the Northern Exposure premiere suite. The room is set up as a log cabin, complete with moose décor and a bed made from actual logs.
Other themed suites include: the American Heritage suite, featuring Native-American décor; the golf suite with a Caddy Shack theme; and a beach room.
The entire hotel follows the lodge scheme by incorporating log columns and rafters and moose room numbers and lamps.
But the hotel doesn’t rely on décor alone. It features an indoor-outdoor heated pool, pet-friendly extended stay cottages, a 12,000-square-foot conference room and a welcome moose just outside the front door.
Kelley said visitors enjoy the various bear replicas throughout the hotel, even naming a few, but there is another attraction for guests. “Funny enough, the moose out front tries to get ridden every once in a while,” he said.
This bed and breakfast offers a fine-dining twist to conventional B&Bs. The dining room imitates an upscale restaurant and features amenities accommodating
business needs.
Debbie Strid, who has been the innkeeper since the university reopened the B&B in 2008, said the breakfast special is one reason costumers stay. “Everything is cooked from scratch,” Strid said.
Breakfasts are served from an à la carte menu. Guests also may choose what time they want to eat, which is perfect for scheduling business meetings either around or during the morning meal. The Gathering Place has meeting rooms that cater to nearly any type of business function.
But the greatest draw to The Gathering Place is its location. Situated on the University of Missouri campus near Sanborn Field, the B&B is actually operated by the MU College of Agriculture’s Food and Natural Resources Department and is considered part of its Hospitality Management student program.
The Gathering Place’s building dates back to 1905. Initially it was a private residence for Cora Davenport. One of the first four fraternities at MU, Lamda Chi Alpha, occupied the house in 1936. From the 1960s to the ’80s, it served as apartment units. In 1995 the house underwent a restoration. A fire destroyed the third and second stories and the original pine and oak flooring, but it was eventually restored to be as close as possible to the original 1905 design. The building then became The Gathering Place.
North of Columbia in Hallsville sits a Victorian mansion known as the Victorian Country Inn, an enchanting B&B that offers several era-inspired activities.
The house hosts Victorian tea parties as well as custom mystery dinner parties. Participants choose a character in a mystery scenario with period costumes. During and after dinner, clues are given and guests put them together to solve the mystery. Owner Barbara Spencer’s most recent dinner was a 1920s gangster mystery.
The B&B opened last year, and Spencer said it’s been doing well because of a high level of service and customizable experiences. Birthday parties are especially popular.
“We try to have a theme for every dream,” Spencer said. “If you want a relaxing romantic weekend with a gourmet meal you can, or you can stay in one of the theme rooms.”
In the Starlight Theater room, a treasure map to a hidden passageway is in the library. You can also visit a vintage theater with free concession stand. The Sarsaparilla Saloon room is a historical photo studio suite with antique props, period costumes and free sarsaparilla.
The Victorian Country Inn also has a reflexologist on staff and offers massage services in the spa room — perfect for road-weary business travelers. “We do VIP service, and people are treated well,” she said.