A century-old Mason City hotel, designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been open just over a year and its manager says the Historic Park Inn Hotel has already brought the city a million dollars in tourist revenue. Steve Noto spoke last night to the Mason City city council, touting the reputation the hotel has built in a short time.
Noto says the hotel is rated the number-one hotel in Iowa on the “Trip Advisor” online customer feedback site, with a guest satisfaction rating of over 96-percent. It’s the last Wright-designed hotel in the world and it fell into disrepair over the decades. A recent 18-million dollar renovation has restored the building to its 1910 appearance and into a 27-room boutique hotel.
Noto says they’ve welcomed guests from 39 countries, so far, and nearly every one of the United States. He says they’ve had guests from 49 states, every one but West Virginia, but there is a guest from that state set to arrive in early September, just ahead of the hotel’s 102nd anniversary.
Noto says the Park Inn has had a great impact on the community, creating 37 jobs, 16 of them full-time. Noto says Iowa Welcome Center statistics say people visiting the area spend between $89 and $157 per person per day when traveling, so when using a $100 a day as an average and 10-thousand people staying at the Park Inn, it comes out to about one-million dollars for travel revenue.
Noto adds, the hotel is expected to be running in the black before the end of the year.
By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City