When Hailey and I first dreamt of the Hazelnut Inn, we knew we could handle the welding, the sculpting, and the painting. My family and I have been building fantasy worlds for decades, but we also knew that that building a dream is one thing — keeping it alive is another thing entirely.

An inn only needs an innkeeper, but a dream needs a soul. For the Hazelnut Inn, that soul is my sister, Becke, and I truly don’t know what we would do without her.

Our Very Own Kaylee Frye

Growing up, Becke and I weren’t just siblings, but friends. We like to joke that the only thing we fought over was the TV remote. One show we have always agreed on, however, is a “sci-fi western” called Firefly.

If you’ve ever watched the show, you know the Serenity’s mechanic — Kaylee Frye. Kaylee was the heart of the ship — a cheerful, self-taught genius who could talk to a spaceship’s engine and make it fly with nothing but elbow grease and love. Well, if the Hazelnut Inn is our Serenity, Becke is undoubtedly our Kaylee.

There is no instruction manual for a hotel that features hidden passages, mermaids, and tree-root ceilings. Like Kaylee, Becke is self-taught in the art of “Fantasy Innkeeping” — she has mastered every one of our magical little hotel’s quirks and technical details. She doesn’t just manage the property; she keeps everything “shiny.”

The Heart Of The Hotel

But she does more than just keep the engines humming. The reason our guest reviews often highlight our service is because of the warmth Becke brings to this place.

We built these walls to be an escape from the ordinary, but it’s Becke who makes the escape feel like home. She’s the one who ensures that from the moment you check in to the moment you reluctantly head back to reality, you are looked after with the kind of care that only family can provide.

Thank You

Becke, thank you for being the genius behind the curtain and the warmth that makes this place more than just a hotel. I couldn’t ask for a better “chief engineer” or a better sister.

The Hazelnut Inn is a highly immersive, handcrafted boutique hotel where every detail evokes the feeling of stepping into a story. Its design is more than a collection of tropes — it is a deeply layered homage to the storytellers who continue to shape our imaginations. We were inspired by the romance of classic literature and the nostalgic charm of traditional children's tales. We have woven the spirit of these literary worlds into our three distinct suites:

Sea-Pirates & Ancient Magic

The North Star Suite is our love letter to the high seas. We built this space to feel like the secret lair of a seasoned explorer.

Drawing on the aesthetics of an imagined “golden age of piracy” — in keeping with Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel — the North Star is filled with artifacts our {fictitious} Captain Temperance Longbottom discovered in a pirate’s lair.

Temperance herself — an adventurer who sailed the world, returning these curiosities to their rightful homes — is a spiritual successor to the independent, seafaring spirit found in Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking.

Anthropomorphism & A Cozy Pastoral Burrow

We buried the Under Hill under a man-made hill to fulfill the universal dream of living in a secret, underground home. This suite evokes both J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth and the charming, pastoral world of Keneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.

It is owned by our own {fictional} Mr. Burrows, whose family has lived here for generations. Like Grahame’s cozy underground animal homes, the Under Hill is a luxurious sanctuary tucked away from the outside world.

Dungeons & Dragons

The Copper Crown is the ancestral home of dragon-riding aristocrats and the suite is rooted in the architecture of European folklore. Crossing the suite’s moat into its courtyard garden, you can almost feel the chivalric aura of King Arthur’s court.

And while we’ve created our own unique mythology for the Copper Crown, the tower bedroom, stone arches, and leaded-glass windows would easily lend themselves to a retelling of Rapunzel and her tower.

Tell Your Own Story

However, while our magical little hotel draws inspiration from the pages of classic literature and the whimsy of fairytales, it is also the beginning of another kind of story.

Whether you are seeking a romantic escape, a moment of reflection, or of quiet celebration, our suites provide the backdrop for a narrative that belongs entirely to you.

At the Hazelnut Inn, the most important story being told is the one you create during your stay.

The walls inside the Copper Crown’s ensuite are now finished and we have begun to tile the floor. 🌹