"An incredibly personal endeavor"

WALLACE – Ongoing work at the Brooks Hotel has reached another major milestone, according to owner Emily Nelson.  

Nelson, who took over the historic business in 2019, has been working her way through much of the aging building, improving the restaurant, rooms, and other facilities, but one key area remained untouched for a long time. 

The hotel’s outdated lobby.  

“We knew our 40-year-old green wrinkled carpets of the hotel lobby weren't doing us any favors, but we wanted to make sure each room was given updates prior to the lobby, to ensure the guest’s overnight experience was prioritized over the 10 minutes of checking in,” Nelson said. “But now that every room has been updated, we were ready to have our entry reflect that better quality as well.”  

Nelson became a hotelier by complete happenstance, but for the past six years, she has thrown herself into the process of restoring and updating the 120-year-old building.  

Beyond the old carpet, the lobby presented its own unique challenges for Nelson and her crew to overcome. Fortunately, she already had a bit of a blueprint from her first major project inside the hotel’s restaurant.  

After moving the hotel’s major operation center to a temporary space, she tore out the lobby’s low ceilings, hoping that by raising them by three feet, it would open the space up. According to Nelson, the additional headspace almost immediately redefined the lobby before any improvements were made. Then, leaning into her knowledge of architecture and design, she got to work. 

“The Brooks’ lobby now emphasizes some unique elements we possess, like our brass room keys, while mixing traditional lodging methods and services with modern conveniences,” Nelson said. “I want this hotel to shine to its full potential.” 

In just six years, Nelson has experienced a little bit of everything. Fires, flooding, pandemics, and even navigating the challenges of outstanding debt being attached to the hotel. Through it all, Nelson has remained optimistic while keeping her nose to the grindstone.  

“We did not come into this with investors or any financial backing, just the dream and grit of bringing the family business back to life. For the last five years, we've poured everything we had into every corner of this building,” Nelson said. “We can offer such an enriching stay with our wonderful location in Wallace, from our voted ‘Best Breakfast’ dining room, our relaxed lounge, in-house spa, to easy parking on-site. Wallace provides every fit for each type of guest, but I am hoping to really reach a bigger demographic, with a classically great stay and the luxury of a personal boutique experience.”  

The competition of the lobby is just the end of what Nelson has called the first phase of her ultimate plans for the Brooks, and because of this, she is hosting a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the milestone.  

“After five years of energy dumped into reviving this entire establishment, it's now an incredibly personal endeavor,” Nelson said. “With every goal we cross off our list, there are 50 more to follow. It's really the never-ending possibilities of improvements that continue to pull us forward. This ribbon cutting will signify the completion of our first phase of revival for the Brooks Hotel. For us, this is a multifaceted achievement that preserves the historical structure, energizes the local economy, honors our family's legacy, and exemplifies determination and grit in the face of adversity.” 

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Brooks Hotel’s new lobby will be Thursday, May 29, at 1 p.m. For more information or to book a stay at the Brooks Hotel, visit www.thebrookshotel.com.