Attention to detail, inspired leadership, and the dedicated work of an enthusiastic housekeeping staff, have helped vault Florence’s Old Town Inn’s TripAdvisor ranking to number three out of 214 hotels on the Oregon Coast, and number one in Florence.
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, lets travelers post photos, comments, and ratings. Typical customer comments about Old Town Inn include “A gem on the Oregon Coast,” “immaculate rooms,” “best stay and value in Florence,” “fantastic rooms in great location,” and “wonderful, clean, economical, and outstanding.”
“We have the best guests in world,” says the Inn’s co-owner Loretta Hoagland. “They’re here to have a good time, and we do everything we can to work as much fun into their stay as possible.”
“Our managers can print maps, menus, and tide charts; make restaurant reservations; coordinate dune buggy, horseback, or airplane rides; and organize golf foursomes. They act like a big-time hotel concierge service,” she explains.
“Our staff know all the great hikes, other great stops for families or business travelers on the coast, and will research anything down to what each local restaurant has on special tonight,” she adds.
The staff holds competitions for cleanest rooms, quickest turn-arounds, and is rewarded for the most comment cards. Management will not release a room for use until they personally inspect it thoroughly, even to the extent of getting down on their hands and knees with a flashlight to check under beds and chairs, and behind dressers and armoires.
“We have the best housekeeping staff on the coast,” says Hoagland. “We all work as a team, taking suggestions for every aspect of improving a guest’s experience—from which way to face the open end of the pillowcase to checking a room before the guest leaves the parking lot. We’ve reunited a lot of guests with their cell phones and chargers even before they knew they were missing.”
The Inn has become a destination stop of its own for business travelers and families.
Todd, a route driver for a beverage company from Wilsonville, Oregon, always stays at the Old Town Inn; sometimes twice a week.
“I’ll drive an extra hour just to get here if I have to,” says Todd. “I never find evidence of previous guests. They pre-set the thermostat in the room before I arrive, and tell me where the dinner specials are around town. I’ve seen them help other guests with hauling luggage, bringing in groceries, even jump-starting a car. They go over and beyond any other place I stay.”
In mid-2013 Hoagland Properties completed nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in upgrades between the Old Town Inn, and its sister property the River House Inn, including new in-room furnishings, granite countertops, sound-deadening carpeting, and new beds. All rooms have microwaves and refrigerators.
To learn more about The Old Town Inn, 170 Hwy. 101, or The River House Inn, 1202 Bay St., contact Old-Town-Inn.com (541-997-7131) or RiverHouseFlorence.com (541-997-3933).