New ownership has big plans for Hartwood Inn

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Big things are in store for the Hartwood Inn in Charles City.

New owners have plans for a major upgrade at the 36-room, three-building motel on Gilbert Street, and they said the process has already started to transform the motel into “flagship hospitality property.”

Gilbert Starble, who moved from the Boston area to the midwest, purchased the property on July 16 along with manager/co-owner Heidi Gruver.

“It’s starting,” said Starble, about the changes he has in store for the inn.

Starble has a financial background and 40 years of experience in business funding and advisory positions. He said he has several silent partners that have helped with some of the funding and in turn could produce some big changes in the coming months.

Starble says he likes the guest experience at the inn and describes it as a “Made in America” feel. He and Gruver are also focused on “customer care.”

Several of the new ideas for the inn are in the infancy stages, but include a possible barbecue restaurant that could open up in one of the buildings on the west end of the property near the pool. Starble hasn’t come up with a name for the restaurant just yet.

Gruver said the inn is looking into getting a liquor license and said her husband has won several awards for his barbecue sauce, where the couple used to reside in Florida. She has an idea of kind of a tiki-bar feel to the proposed bar in the restaurant as well, she said.

Starble is also working with Iowa BIG North about the possibility to enclose the pool area, which he said has not been in use for at least a year or two.

Iowa BIG North is a high school student-led initiative that can help businesses in the area solves problems. Students from Osage, New Hampton, Charles City and RRMR, along with facilitators Donna Forsyth and Mike Kuennen, attended a meeting on Thursday to discuss potential upgrades in the pool area.

Starble and IBN are working together to come up with some other solutions that could help with his revamped hospitality business. Design and marketing ideas have also been discussed. Gruver said blueprints for the new enclosed pool have also been printed.

“They have student-led problem solving. We have a problem and we stated our problem to them,” said Starble. “They’re now working the process. They have an educational team that guides their process to identify the problem.”

A hot breakfast served beginning at 5 a.m. is just one of the changes that Gruver has implemented since taking over the business.

One of Gruver’s main goals is the appearance of the inn and making sure it meets her standards.

“The main thing is we want to get everything to look right,” she said.

Gruver, who has been in the motel business for 20 years, said there have been substantial remodels on the rooms at the inn and that the balcony area has been completely redone. Work has been done on the foundations of the building and other upgrades included flooring, carpeting, painting and fixing some of the walls in many of the rooms.

“We’re still in the process of fixing issues that had just gone so long without being fixed,” said Gruver.

Starble is also working closely with Lee Hoeft, who owns Lee’s Mowing and Landscaping in Charles City. Hoeft has a plan to construct some LED lights that could shine and illuminate the United States flag that sits in the courtyard area of the inn.

Hoeft, like Starble, is also thinking about another project that could really add some beauty to the property.  

“Hopefully we’ll be able to install a nice, gorgeous LED pond or fountain right in front of the office,” Hoeft said.

Starble said he is also working on setting up an emergency fund for his employees.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time and effort and money on employee enhancement,” Starble said.

“If we fill the place up regularly — which is what we’ve been doing — then people will pay just to be here,” said Starble.