Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast is a historic inn that can be found in Olympia, Washington. Six units are available for reservation, including four rooms, one family suite, and one cottage located down the road. Breakfast is served each morning, which is made by the owners, Nathan and Casey. The business also doubles as an e-bike rental location. Visitors can choose to rent a bike and use it to travel from the inn to downtown Olympia and other nearby locales. Guests staying in the cottage are allowed to bring their pets, however, the main house does not allow patrons to lodge with their animals. The building itself was constructed in 1887 and is registered on the city and state registries as a historic site. It was a private residence for several decades before it was purchased in 1997 and turned into a bed and breakfast.
Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast has a total of six units that can be reserved. There are four rooms, one family suite in the main house, and a standalone cottage next door. The rooms come with private bathrooms, and one has a jacuzzi tub in it. They all have a king-sized bed, hair dryer, access to Wi-Fi, and more. There is a TV in the common area, the suite, and the cottage, but not in the rooms. Off-street parking is available to everyone with a reservation. Regardless of which unit is reserved, each patron is invited to eat breakfast in the morning.
Breakfast is often served as a three-course meal and takes place in the morning between 8:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. Patrons usually eat breakfast in the dining room. In the past, the owners have served homemade scones, sorbets, and more. Many of the ingredients come from the gardens that are on the property. The owners, Nathan and Casey, are responsible for making breakfast each morning. When they go about cooking breakfast, they try to ask their visitors about dietary restrictions and diets that they may have. Nathan mentions that their French toast tends to be one of the more popular menu items with guests. The owners go back and forth between savory and sweet breakfasts in the mornings to help patrons have more variety of food during their stay.
The mansion is described by the owner as being "a modernized take on a historic property." The Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast offers a number of amenities that guests can use. Outside, people can spend time in the vegetable and flower gardens that the inn's owners maintain. E-bikes can be rented by guests staying at the inn, providing an alternative form of transportation around Olympia.
The city of Olympia has a variety of attractions and restaurants, as well as the area surrounding it. Nathan mentions that the capitol building and Downtown are about one mile away from the Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast. Other activities can be done at the various lakes and rivers found around Olympia. People can travel to Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, which is just outside the city, and participate in outdoor activities. Further away, one can find Mt. Rainier National Park, which is about a two-hour drive by car. Nathan also likes to recommend restaurants to his patrons, with one of his favorite ones being Gardner's Restaurant. Gardner's Restaurant is an American eatery that serves fish, many of which are locally caught.
The owners of the Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast, Nathan and Casey Allan, would like their guests to feel relaxed and de-stressed during their stay. One way they try to help their visitors feel comfortable is to help them enjoy the city. The innkeepers like to recommend places to go, trails to hike, restaurants to eat at, or any other locations that may spark their guests' interests. They usually interact with people during breakfast and check-in. Nathan mentions that they talk as much as the visitors would like to speak and do their best not to bother them if their patrons would rather be alone.
There are several policies that patrons are asked to follow while staying at the Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast. Nathan would like occupants to treat the home and others staying at the house with respect. Quiet time begins at 10:00 P.M. every night. Smoking is not encouraged on the property, but people can do so in the gazebo outside if needed. Children are allowed to stay with guests in the family suite or the cottage, while pets are only permitted in the cottage.
The typical demographic of guests tends to be couples, and the owners mention that, while the usual age range is between 30 and 60 years, they often receive people of various ages. According to Nathan, many of those who come to Olympia are visiting the area because "they are on holiday, vacationing, or visiting family at one of the local colleges."
There have been many positive reviews left about the inn. Some of the most commonly mentioned aspects of the property include things like the breakfast offered each morning and the entertainment that can be found in the vicinity. One person who recently stayed at the bed and breakfast wrote, "From check-in to check out, our hosts were kind and fun and made us feel so welcome. The breakfasts on both days were amazing, and we were able to watch a football game my husband did not want to miss in their lovely dining room. They had fun suggestions of things to see and do, and this amazing home is in a lovely part of Olympia."
The main house of the Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast was built in 1887. Both the city and the state registers have the property marked as a historic site. Nathan and Casey Allan, the current owners of Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast, have owned the business for about 18 years, having purchased it in 2004. The original owners of the business were Ed and Lillian Peeples, who purchased the building in 1997 to use it as a bed and breakfast. Before that, the house was a private residence. The first year was spent renovating the place, adding bathrooms, removing wallpaper, and replacing it with paint. They also added an Innkeeper's Quarters and gardens of both flowers and vegetables. After seven years of running the bed and breakfast, they put it up on the market and sold it to Nathan and Casey in 2004, who have been running the establishment since. Nathan also mentions that his favorite part about owning the business is meeting the people that come to stay at the bed and breakfast.
In 2018, Nathan and Casey added the ballroom and the two-bedroom suite. Regarding his future plans for Swantown Inn Bed and Breakfast, Nathan mentions that he would like to move one of the bathrooms and renovate the others. He explains that he and his wife "are planning on doing major stuff in the next year."
1431 11th Avenue SE
Olympia, Washington 98501
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Nathan Allan
Ed and Lillian Peeples
