The group opening the Spruce & Shore Motel in downtown Fish Creek is the same group that last year transformed another Fish Creek property into a Fresh Coast Motel.
Fish Creek – People who last year ingested classic, aging downtown motels and converted them into upgraded luxury boutique motels, have felt they were very successful and doing something worthwhile in the process.
And it has a unique history, as it was originally somewhere else.
Katie Wanzer, Mitch Ehly, Luke and Katie Nelsen, operating under the name of the Refresh Collection Hospitality Group, are set to open Spruce & Shore Motel in mid-May on the site of the former Fish Creek Motel & Cottage.
Last May they opened the Fresh Coast Motel, the 70-year-old By-the-Bay Motel on Main Street, until the group bought the property, was mass-renovated, upgraded and updated. It is now a luxurious 15-room boutique motel with modern amenities and a former onsite homemade home made home, converted into a 5-bedroom short-term rental, and ended with the idea of maintaining the atmosphere of all past lives.
Wanzer says Fresh Coast Motel’s first operating year has been even better than expected, and hopes to bring the same success and the same atmosphere to Spruce & Shore.
“The fresh coastal motel was amazing,” Wanzer said. “We had a really great summer, we had far more bookings than we expected and had great feedback from our guests.
“Now we want to do the same kind of concept at Spruce & Shore.”
This is what you need to know about upcoming revitalization motels.
Modernising while maintaining the charm of Door County
The two married couples are native Wisconsin people and own and operate other short-term rental units. Wanzer and Ehly operate six short-term rental properties in Door County (including Deckhouse and five-bedroom Fresh Coast) via their Wisco hosts, while Nelsen owns a series of rental properties near Great Smoky Mountain National Park, on the Tennessee North Carolina border.
When Wanzer learned about Fish Creek Motel & Cottages and said it was available, they felt they could get there what they had done on the fresh coast, modernizing the place and its amenities and decorations without losing the sense of a classic Door County motel.
“I think we had a great blueprint for what we should do and a huge success on the Fresh Coast that we wanted to do,” Wanzer said. “It’s great to be able to buy these historic properties and save them while updating them.”
She also noticed that the motel is generally thought to be in downtown Fish Creek, but it is a few blocks away from the summer traffic main drug with fresh coasts and across the street from Fish Creek Port.
“When this happened, we couldn’t really pass it on,” she said. “It’s downtown right away, but not in the middle of traffic. It’s just across from the Alibi Dock, next to Spruce Park. From some rooms you can look out and see Peninsula State Park (the opposite side of the harbor). Remember that Fish Creek is so charming and special.”
They purchased a motel from James Schneider. James Schneider had owned it since 1995, so he began working on remodeling the day after it closed.
“That’s not something I recommend doing that day (temperature) was below 40 (modifications under that weather),” Wanzer said with a laugh.
About its history – The motel floated from Ephraim
Wanzer said he was interested in motels as the motel was “cool” too. Its history states that it includes being relocated by the Barge from its original location in Ephraim.
The motel building was built in 1964 as part of Ephraim’s Eagle Inn, but in 1981 it was brought to its current location by water. The site’s duplex was built in 1972, and Schneider built eight suites in 2009.
Most of the work is to update and upgrade using local help
When opened, Spruce & Shore offers travelers a variety of room options.
There are 13 motel rooms, 8 one-bedroom suites, a one-bedroom standalone cottage, and a side-by-side duplex with both bedrooms and two bathrooms. The motel rooms have double queen or single king beds, suites have gas fireplaces and kitchens, and the cottages have full kitchens. Other amenities include an above-ground pool and off-street parking.
Additionally, some rooms are dog-friendly and are available for guests weighing less than 80 pounds at an additional one-time fee.
Compared to the previous By Bay Motel, which became a fresh Coast Motel, Wanzer said the Fish Creek Motel, which was updated at one point by Schneider, is in a very structural form. Working on the fresh coast involved maintaining a basic shell but blocking almost everything inside, but working on what will become a spruce and shore mainly involves updating the look and amenities.
The rooms are professionally designed with modern aesthetics, upgraded floors, new bathrooms and enhanced lighting. Rooms feature a refrigerator, microwave, tea, coffee bar and eco-friendly bath products, while beds feature luxurious new mattresses, sheets and blankets. The towels are also in a luxurious grade.
And, like with the current fresh coastal remodeling, the owners hired all local contractors to carry out the work. Most of the contractors working on Spruce & Shore also worked on Fresh Coast, she said.
“We are really excited to partner with local contractors again,” she said.
Your device is your key and front desk
When Fresh Coast opened last year, it became Door County’s first short-term rental, using mobile phones and devices as room keys, checking in and out, and Spruce & Shore will also become keyless motels.
Guests will check in and check out using a link sent to their mobile phone or device via text message. You can also enter the room by punching the four-digit door code sent to your mobile phone.
There is no front desk either, but guests who need to help with anything can contact the property manager, available 24/7.
Reservations and information
Spruce & Shore Motel is located at 9479 Spruce St., Fish Creek. Its website and social media are up and reservations are being made for the season. For bookings or other information, call 920-868-3448 or visit spruceandshoremotel.com. Information can also be found on the Spruce and Shore Motel Facebook or Spruceandshoremotel Instagram page.
Contact Christopher Clav at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com.
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