Former Holiday Inn Reopens As Ironwood Lodge Near Woodbury

What was once a Holiday Inn across Interstate 94 from Woodbury in Lake Elmo will soon become Ironwood Lodge, a boutique hotel opening July 15.

Owner Kim Whalen said she and her husband, Mike, built a log home in northern Wisconsin 25 years ago, an experience that inspired the hotel’s transformation.

“There’s nothing cozier than a log home,” Whalen said. “And so this is a modern interpretation of that.”

Alex Eder, chief operating executive of the hotel, added, “With Minnesota being up north, we’re really trying to pay homage to that and showcase the lodge feeling throughout the whole property.”

The official name is Ironwood Lodge – Series by Marriott. The hotel features 99 guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool, fitness center and business center.

The property also includes The Pavilion for events and ParT Barn, a restaurant with golf simulators and other games. The Barn, which replaced The Machine Shed last year, is a full-service restaurant and bar featuring made-from-scratch food. The Whalens operate all three businesses as part of the Heart of America Group.

When guests walk into the lodge, they are greeted by wood and brick accents, antlers and a canoe hanging in the lobby. A piece of ironwood, a tree found locally and primarily throughout the Upper Midwest, sits in a display case.

Whalen said “it was time” to close The Machine Shed, in part because ParT Barn is a better fit for the renovated hotel, which is geared as much toward business travelers as families.

Ironwood Lodge is among the first hotels in the country to join Marriott’s new Series brand.

“We’re in the first rollout in the entire country,” Eder said. “Marriott is allowing us through the Series brand to be able to tell our local story.”

Because the lodge is independently owned and operated, it avoids a cookie-cutter style while benefiting from Marriott’s reservation system and rewards program.

“People like their points,” Whalen said.

The three businesses are designed to complement one another.

For example, corporate groups and bachelor parties can use the private golf bays, restaurant and bar at ParT Barn before spending the night at the lodge, all without stepping outside. Meanwhile, The Pavilion can host weddings and other events for up to 220 guests with on-site catering.

“They will work very well together,” Whalen said.

That connection extends to the names of the lodge and restaurant, with iron and wood referencing materials used in golf clubs.

“Ironwood Lodge is definitely tongue in cheek in that regard,” Eder said.

He said the piece of ironwood displayed in the lobby, with its ridges and unique characteristics, serves as a fitting metaphor for a property that blends a boutique hotel, entertainment venue and event space into one destination.

Source: Woodburynewsnet.org