We stayed in a mediocre hotel during our honeymoon. After that memorable experience we started thinking about the possibility of creating a luxury hotel “some day” ourselves.
That “some day” came a lot sooner than we thought it would (two years vs. decades down the road). Neither of us had owned a business nor had any hospitality industry experience prior to embarking on this journey. Our knowledge of hotels came from staying in hotels around the world during our single days. When the opportunity presented itself as risky as it sounded, to everyone (including ourselves), we knew that uprooting our family from Washington D.C. and moving to a village pop. 805 somehow felt right.
The work we had in store was daunting and some days we wonder what were we thinking. The satisfaction in reviving such a beautiful building and the affects on the area are are worth the sleepless nights. We haven’t looked back since our decision to buy the original McCammon Investment Company building (est. 1906) in 2013.
An intense year of major renovations resuscitated the building and breathed new life into it. With the help of numerous members of the community, many hopes and prayers our crazy dream became a reality. There is a lot to be said about putting in good ol’ elbow grease and investing in beautiful structures of days gone by. They just don’t build today like they did in the past. However, it isn’t for the faint of heart or spirit mind you.
We opened in July 2014 and have continued to renovate and improve our building. We added two ground floor rooms (The Ivory & The Slate) and opened a Salon & Spa (May 2017) that match the atmosphere of the hotel.