Adventure Suites celebrates the whimsical in lodging

Themed inn dedicates new lobby

Owner Kathy Brassill was joined at the dedication of Adventure Suites' new Victorian lobby Tuesday, June 17, by her mom, Joan Brassill, state Rep. Ed Butler (D-Hart's Location) and Janice Crawford of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce.The new Victorian lobby serves as the centerpiece of the imaginative, creatively-decorated Route 16 hotel, which features 16 different themed suites. It features many inventive accoutrements, including a bathroom door that comes from a vintage bright red-and-white Coca-Cola machine. The kitchen off the lobby is built in the motif of a 1950s diner, allowing guests to get into the spirit of the 1950s as they get their morning toast and cereal.The names of the expansive guest suites tell the whimsical, fanciful story of the inn that Kathy Brassill has created since purchasing the former Presidential Waterbed Inn in 1998: Roman Spa. Log Cabin. The Cave. Victorian Spa. Tree House. The Jungle. New York Penthouse. Love Shack (a funky room that brings you back to the '70s, it features a queen-size canopy waterbed with a mirrored ceiling, a two-person heart-shaped Jacuzzi with bubblers and underwater light, a strobe light, black light, CD stereo, 32-inch Plasma Screen TV and more).Others include Show Time (for movie buffs, especially fans of late sexy screen star Marilyn Monroe). Champagne. Motorcycle Madness. Dragon's Lair. Sugar Shack. Love Nest (Elvis is still alive, and he stays in this room, Brassill maintains). Bed and Breakfast. Deserted Island. And that's just for starters pending town approval, Brassill next hopes to create a free-standing suite that would be built around an airplane, complete with a cockpit that would have a flight simulator (along with a Jacuzzi, of course all the suites have a Jacuzzi that seats at least two, and some such as the Motorcycle Madness that seat seven!).Brassill comes up with the ideas for the themes of the rooms. The ideas are the easy part making them into reality is the hard part! she said in an interview following last week's ribbon-cutting ceremony.Franconia's Wicked Smart Horn Band performed at that bash, which was held as the Chamber After Hours for the month of June by the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. That monthly happening coincided with the chamber's presentation of the Rally in the Valley Motorcycle Adventure Week, so it was quite a mix of people chamber members, motorcyclists and the curious, who had always wanted to see exactly what's inside the creatively facaded, one-of-a-kind lodging establishment.Although it was raining, no one seemed to mind, as staff had erected tents for the revelers and room viewers.Many guests in town for the Laconia Bike Week and Rally in the Valley Week graciously agreed to show off their suites to chamber members during the party.Come on in, said New Brunswick-based motorcyclist (and part-time state trooper) Randall Goodwin, who along with a friend had rented the Motorcycle Madness suite for motorcycle week. The tour did not disappoint: in addition to the aforementioned seven-person hot tub with 50 jets and remote-controlled skylight, the suite features an attached motorcycle garage that fits up to two bikes. The room has a Harley-Davidson wet bar and poker table straight from the factory. The attention to detail will amaze any motorcycle enthusiast, including recessed anniversary addition Harley-Davidson Motorcycle art, Harley-Davidson handlbars for curtain rods, Harley-Davidson oil tank for a toilet paper holder, Harley-Davidson fender for a towel holder, Harley-Davidson seat springs for draw pulls and lots more. It comes equipped with a 44-inch Plasma TV with surround-sound and VHS, DVD, and CD stereo. It has a custom-designed and king-sized handcrafted suede Harley Bed, with an undercarriage queen trundel. My buddies and I have been coming to Laconia Bike Week for 19 years. We learned about this last year. We booked it for the week, said Goodwin, who trailered he and his friend's bikes in Canada and made the trip south for the Rally in the Valley/Laconia Motorcycle Week. Asked if he was spending any money in the valley, or just in Laconia, he answered, Both. We have been out on the town here in the valley after spending the day down there in Laconia. I think the chamber's idea is a good one to go after the not so rowdy bikers, but like anything, it will take time to catch on.The room tour over, it was next out to the lobby, where the band rocked.Giving tours is nothing new for Brassill, boyfriend Alan Doucet and staff. We give tours to up to 100 people a day if a room is vacant, we have a policy to let people come and see what we have, said Brassill this week.She said the business investment has proved to be a sound one.We are becoming a destination unto ourselves, at all times of the year, including the slower seasons. We consider ourselves weatherproof now. And, because we offer so much with our rooms, we are able to charge more, and people come for the experience, she said.People hear about the Adventure Suites via word of mouth and the Internet, along with some additional advertising.We had people come for Bike Week last week from California. They rented their motorcycles here and went to Laconia and back, Brassill said.Room rates range from a low of $109 midweek to a high of $429 weekends, depending on the accommodations.As her business has grown, Brassill says she has been able to upgrade the rooms even more substantially.We have spent $200,000 on the newer rooms, because as we have become more successful, we have been able to spend more, she said.The idea was to create a hotel with pizzazz, drawing on Brassill's imagination that was cultivated by her many travels abroad.From the beginning, she said, my idea was to take the rooms to a certain level and to create architectural themes instead of just putting posters on a wall. People responded positively, so we grew one room at a time.At first, she ran into some resistance from the Conway Planning Board for her idea to have different facades on the exterior front of each of the themed rooms, as the board said her original ideas did not conform with the town's architectural guidelines, which call for New England architecture.Originally, said Brassill, I wanted it to look like a castle, because as a long and low building, it was pretty much the best you can do with it. But they disagreed, saying it had to be New England architecture. I'd ask them what that mean, and they said they didn't know ... Eventually, I decided to create the fronts in keeping with a New England village of 1800s vintage.Sceneworks of Arkansas oversaw the redesign work. They were great, said Brassill, noting that her boyfriend, Alan Doucet, also has years of construction design experience as a former Navy Seabee.Hence, the Victorian, centrally-located lobby of the building that was dedicated last Tuesday, June 17. That lobby features 42,000 pieces of tile that were imported from England.Brassill gets much of her themed pieces from antique dealers and always keeps an eye out for intriguing works when she travels.Looking ahead, she hopes to continue to remodel rooms, choosing such themes as Haunted Mansion, Mexican Room, Underwater World, and a new and improved Love Shack not to mention the previously-noted possible outdoor Airplane Suite. It's all pending all town approvals, said Brassill. She praised her staff for their continued dedication and hard work: front desk manager Michael Whalen, Slovakian student Michal Kovach, Milan Adama, master carpenter Ralph Clanney and head housekeeper Amanda Tainter.For further information, go to www.adventuresuites.com or call 356-9744 or 888-nconway.