Adventures in lodging

Presidential Inn is getting a new look from the inside out

Shower in a waterfall. Sleep in a tree house. Get lost in a jungle.Behind every door at the Presidential Inn in North Conway is an adventure.Kathy Brassill, former owner of Mount Washington Valley Motor Lodge and the Parkview Inn, bought the Presidential Inn five years ago, and, in the course of upgrading the rooms, she let her imagination run wild.Of the 16 rooms, seven so far have been converted into "adventure suites," with names that include Roman Spa, Dragon's Lair, Jungle, Love Shack, The Cave, Tree House and Log Cabin.They aren't just names. They are decor themes. The Tree House has a real tree in the middle of it, and the loft is designed like a tree house. The Cave has stalactites hanging from the ceiling and tunnels that take you to different rooms. The Love Shack is a trip back to the 1970s, with strobe lights and disco music. Log Cabin has a log bed, aspen dresser, hemlock walls and pine floors.All the rooms have hot tubs or Jacuzzis.Brassill designed the rooms, adding various details and touches during the construction. Contractors have been Nolan Moody, of North Conway, and Tom Hammond, of Hiram, Maine."You could build a small house for the amount of money it took me to build The Cave," Brassill says. "I've put hundreds of thousands of dollars into this place, and I plan to do hundreds of thousands more. I want this to be a landmark for North Conway, and I think it will be."Brassill is in the process of changing the name of the inn to Adventure Suites. That name already appears on the Web site (www.adventuresuites.com), and Brassill hopes to have a new sign up by December.Brassill is also looking to redo the exterior to better match the interior concept. She is proposing a castle design, with towers on both ends.Brassill and her attorney, Robert Zimmerman, discussed the idea with the planning board during a conceptual review three weeks ago. They received a mixed response as board members debated whether a castle would meet the town's architectural standards.Holly Meserve, project administrator for the town, says there are three "measurable items" under the architectural guidelines. Exterior surfaces should be wood, stone, brick or manmade materials that "simulate" natural materials. Windows should take up at least 5 percent of the exterior wall space. And the roof lines should have a pitched appearance.But there are also elements of the architectural guidelines that are more subjective. The guidelines state that the exterior design should "complement the overall New England-style ambiance of the community." The guidelines also state that the objective is not to restrict "imagination, innovation or variety."Board members Sheila Duane and David Robinson said they did not believe the castle design met the architectural standards. Board members Bob Drinkhall and Martha Tobin wanted more time to research the matter, with Tobin also saying she would like to see a "softening" of the design. And Dick O'Brien, the selectmen's representative on the board, supported what Brassill was proposing.Additional square footage that would be created with the two proposed towers would necessitate a full site-plan review, and architectural design issues would be addressed at that time. No site-plan application has not yet been submitted, and no date has been set for the review. Abutters would be formally notified as part of the process.Brassill says a castle is her number one preference for an exterior design."If we do a castle outside, it makes it that much more exciting to be here," Brassill says. "The best way of conveying what's outside is by having the outside as a castle."If the planning board rejects her idea of a castle, Brassill says she may come up with a different variation."I feel comfortable that we can work with the town and come to a happy medium," she says.One way or the other, the outside will be getting a new look."The ultimate goal is to have it be an adventure look," Brassill says. "I don't want it to look like everybody else because we're not like everybody else."In the meantime, Brassill will continue creating new adventures inside. She's planning a Harley Davidson room, called Hog Heaven, and rooms with Native American, Las Vegas, Caribbean and Haunted Castle themes."I'd like to say it will all be done in two years," Brassill says, "but that will have more to do with availability of contractors than anything else."Memberships are being offered to guests. Members who stay in all 16 rooms will get two nights free in a room of their choice.Brassill has 800 members so far. And this year, which has been an off year for many local businesses because of the economy and other factors, has been a "banner year" at the Presidential Inn."It's the best year we've ever had," Brassill says. "The whole concept is working well for us."