Maplewood Hotel

The Maplewood Hotel is located in Saugatuck, Michigan, near Lake Michigan. Those who have stayed at the hotel are known to remark how they enjoyed the walking distances to the city's heart. The establishment is currently owned by Catherine Simon, who has been running it for the past 31 years with the help of Clarissa, her innkeeper. The hotel is three stories and has 15 rooms total. All of the rooms fall into Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, and the Suites categories. Each day breakfast is served to patrons from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 8:15 AM to t10:00 AM on Saturdays. The building often has music playing from the player piano located in the back of the house. It is common for guests who stay at the property to visit popular attractions in the area, such as Oval Beach and Saugatuck Dunes State Park.

About

The Maplewood Hotel is located in Saugatuck, Michigan, on Butler Street, in the heart of the city. The hotel is currently owned by Catherine Simon, who has the help of Clarissa, the main innkeeper. Together the two of them run the 15 room edifice. The building itself is three stories, with the 15 units being spread out between the floors. There are three types of rooms; Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, and Suites. All rooms have either a king or queen-sized bed in them, but two of the rooms with a queen size also have an adorning daybed, increasing the maximum occupancy of the unit. Suite and Deluxe Rooms can add a crib if needed, but none can accommodate roll-away beds.

The hotel is adorned with formal furniture and moldings throughout the house. The dining room overlooks the yard and is accented with many windows. Breakfast is served from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM each day besides Saturday, which normally starts at 8:15 in the morning. Breakfast at the Maplewood Hotel used to be buffet style, but the owner recently changed it to people being served instead. The meal starts with a platter containing yogurt, cinnamon rolls, and strawberries with the option of adding granola. After the platter, a hot entrée is provided, being either blueberry pancakes, bacon, quiche, French toast, or casseroles. Coffee and orange juice are the available beverages. The owners will make oatmeal for those who cannot eat the typical breakfast items served.

The back of the building has a piano player that plays soft melodies during the day. Other common areas on the property include a deck and a pool. The pool has lounge chairs for use and a fence around it in hopes to provide more privacy for its occupants. The pool is in operation from July 4th to the end of labor day and is open from 9:00 AM to nine 9:00 PM. Pool towels are provided for patrons when accessing the pool. A relatively large backyard accents the premises. Next to the property is a public park that guests tend to use often and have easy access to. The Maplewood Hotel's location is within walking distances to many surrounding activities, places to go shopping, and other attractions. The hotel also includes amenities such as high-speed internet, breakfast, an afternoon treat, a DVD library, TV with DVD players, and limited parking outside the building.

Culture

Catherine Simon, the owner of Maplewood Hotel, says that she has worked hard to bring her business to where it is today. Every day she turns on the player piano in the back of the hotel to provide soft music in the background for guests to enjoy. She says that she likes to capture melodies within her building and that the hotel is "Upper-end and higher-end." The property does not permit smoking and does not allow pets besides service animals. The culture that Catherine has created is said to draw patrons back, which has increased the number of repeat guests they host. Catherine says that guests love the workers at the Maplewood Hotel and that they have become family to them. Most people who stay at the hotel say in reviews they enjoy the breakfast, friendly staff, and comfortable beds the most. Some people have specifically said, "The location was perfect. Food was outstanding, and the staff was courteous and very friendly."

Maplewood Hotel is open year-round, with the busiest season for the business being around the summer months. Currently, the company is in operation during the whole week, but Catherine, the owner, is making plans to only be open during the weekends. The hotel is not available during most holidays. The location that the property is built on, as well as the surrounding land, tends to be one of the biggest reasons that people decide to book at Maplewood Hotel. Shopping, restaurants, attractions, etc., are all within walking distance of the premises because it is located in the heart of Saugatuck. Two popular attractions in the area include Oval Beach and Saugatuck Dunes State Park, both close to the hotel. In addition to the proximity to Lake Michigan, there is also Kalamazoo Lake, with the Kalamazoo River running through the city. Additional attractions include Coghlin Park, Mount Baldhead Park, and the Saugatuck Chain Ferry.

History

Maplewood Hotel is currently owned by Catherine Simon, who has been running the hotel for 31 years. Catherine was previously in the healthcare industry and was the director of admissions. She says that the skills obtained from these jobs have given her the needed skills to run the Maplewood Hotel. She was led to enter the lodging industry after visiting her friends' properties in the area. She explains that buying the property was her opportunity to make a lifestyle change.

The building for the hotel was built in the 1860s, initially serving as a general store. It was built where the Burns and Whitney General Store was originally located. However, it served as a resort for over 150 years, which is most of the time that it has been around. The property was initially owned by Edward S. Pride, who purchased the premises in the 1870s. Edward converted the structure into a furniture store, but they decided to transform it into a lodging establishment after adding housing in the back. After Edward passed away, Frank and Carrie Wicks bought the property in 1923 and transformed it into the "Grand Hotel." The Wicks had a renowned architect in the area, George W. Maher, redesign the house but added four columns in the hotel's front, giving it a Greek revival look. In the 1950s, Lynn and Bobbie McCray owned the property and served as a police dispatch, bus station, and bakery.

Over the years, the next few owners put a considerable effort into restoring the original style and grandeur of the building. Catherine Simon now owns the business and continues to run it as a hotel. Clarissa, her innkeeper, has been a major help to Catherine through the years and together help to run the Maplewood Hotel.