History of The Inn
History of The Inn
The Origins
The original Alexis Park Inn & Suites opened in 1982, with the Tower Building being the first stage completed. This was followed by the South Building in 1984.
Originally built by a partnership made up of Dave Steckling, a hotelier with thousands of hotel rooms worldwide, and Harry Hinckley, a local investor, the Alexis Park Inn was styled after the enclaves that Mr. Steckling had visited on many vacations to Europe. Three stories tall, covered with white washed siding and rough-sawn cedar ginger bread details, the hotel was made up of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom luxury suites, most with hot tubs in the rooms. Given its perfect location and unique style, the Inn was an instant success.
Boom-Times -- But With Problems Down the Road
The seeds of future problems were sown early, however. First, the owner of a ratty old trailer park, located adjacent to the property, reneged on his agreement to sell out, creating an incurable cosmetic nightmare. Worse, the owner of a massage parlor that had been displaced by hotel construction was able to broker an agreement with the city that forced the owners to allow him to re-establish his business INSIDE the commercial area of the hotel! This legal settlement, and the resulting sleazy clientele, hurt the hotel's reputation for many years to come.
Then, disaster struck. In the midst of all this, Mr. Steckling passed away -- leaving Mr. Hinckley with sole ownership of the property. As an investor -- not a hotelier -- Mr. Hinckley began a 15 year practice of hiring full and part-time managers to run the inn. Some were good, some were not-so good, and the results (with 20/20 hind-sight) were predictable. The place began a long, slow slide into resident-hotel status...
Throughout these hardships, however, good things were happening to the property itself. First, the massage parlor failed, which solved many problems, both perceived and actual. More helpful still, from an "eye-appeal" standpoint, was the eventual condemnation of the trailer park (by the FAA, who thankfully ruled that it was too close to Rwy 25 for modern safety standards), which eliminated an incredible eyesore.
Although these changes could not improve things overnight, without them the Inn would have certainly failed. Ultimately, with their departure the groundwork for the future success and resurrection of the Inn was laid.
The Lost Years
Without the guidance of an owner/manager, the property simply drifted. Advertising and marketing were viewed as expenses rather than investments, and the original theme was lost. After the booming period of the 1980s, the 1990s became a period of malaise, with a series of semi-successful managers who managed to "succeed" solely by cutting expenses. This, of course, meant that the property was maintained at a minimal level, with little money spent on upkeep or improvements.
Soon the "inn" became a "motel", since the "luxury" status could no longer be advertised in good faith.
The Inn Rises Again
Then, in 2000, after the death of the inn's full-time manager, Mr. Hinckley found the property in dire shape. Many suites needed to be completely remodeled, right down to the sheetrock, and most rooms needed new carpet and furniture. Woodwork had been ruined, windows were rotting -- in short, the place was a mess.
Then, the coup de grace: The airport decided to encourage the building of a major arterial road between the airport and the hotel. While eventually helping business, this major construction project would mean many months of dirt, mud, and disruption to an already-hurting business. Survival was truly in question at this stage.
Gritting his teeth, not sure of ever seeing light at the end of the tunnel -- but knowing it was "do or die" time -- Mr. Hinckley began the long (and expensive) process of returning the Alexis Park to its original glory. With business approaching an all-time low, he began to pour money into the property. Rooms were gutted, windows replaced, doors installed -- in short, 15 years of neglect were being dealt with all at once.
Jay & Mary Honeck Enter, Stage Right
Then, in early 2002, Mary and I were having the engine of our new airplane rebuilt at the repair shop located adjacent to Mr. Hinckley's private hangar. Mary and I had known Harry for almost five years through our mutual love of aviation, but we were only vaguely aware of his relationship to the inn. And, like most people, we had simply regarded the inn as yet another "cheap motel" -- nothing more, nothing less.
Soon, however, simply through idle conversation (it's amazing how many hours it takes to rebuild an engine!) our knowledge of the property grew, and we began to talk about how it could be transformed into an "aviation destination" hotel. The location (within 1 mile of the university and many fine restaurants, yet adjacent to the airport) was perfect, but most intriguing was Harry's description of the inn's unique physical layout.
Our first step was to check the place out -- and there was simply no better way to do so than to check in as a regular guest. What we saw just blew us away! Although bleak (bare white walls, K-Mart art screwed to the walls), the suite we stayed in was HUGE. Two bedrooms, with a hot tub, kitchen, and balcony overlooking the pool, it was easily the largest hotel suite we had EVER visited. The carpet, doors, and cupboards were all new, and -- despite the lack of special amenities -- it was easy to visualize the way it had once looked. It had obviously been an incredibly luxurious hotel!
After this, we knew we could take it to where we wanted to go -- given enough time and money -- but how? And why?
(For more of the story, click: "Why An Aviation Theme Hotel?")