Berlin Village Inn- This small-town motel feels like a neighborhood
By Mark Weaver
More money might buy more frills. But it won’t buy a small-town atmosphere quite like Berlin Village Inn. “It’s just a quaint little place, and a lot of people like that, instead of a big commercial place. It’s a little bit homier.” Deanna Raush, manager of Berlin Village Inn, knows what they have and what they don’t have. “We’re not the biggest, we’re not the fanciest.”
What the inn does have is thousands of guests returning, some for a night, some for a week, ever since Berlin Village Inn opened in 1985. People come back to the place that gives them a small-town atmosphere, the feeling of neighbors you know, a place where you talk to the people you sit next to. The inn doesn’t have is an opulent building and grounds, with facilities to keep you entertained for a weekend. “We are a standard motel. We don’t have Jacuzzis, fireplaces, or suites. Many of our guests are senior citizens, people on a budget, who just want a place to come in and sleep.”
And socialize. Raush said of their guests, “They’ll stand outside their door and talk to the people next to them. They’ve never met them before in their entire life, but the next day they’re going out to breakfast or lunch together.”
Returning guests get to know the staff, too, some that have been with the inn for 15-20 years or more. “We’ll be in here getting breakfast, and they’ll come in and want to talk. We’ve got a lot of contact with the guests,” said Raush. It continues after a day of experiencing Amish Country. “People will come in the evening, and we’ve got a basketful of games, they’ll come in and play cards, or just sit and talk. It’s nice to come in here and pop popcorn, and just talk.” Returning guests like to see the same staff year after year, people who know them, know their room preference, and make them feel at home.
A small place offers distinct advantages, according to Raush, such as parking at your door with easy access to your room, rather than a maze of lobbies and hallways, elevators or stairways. The inn also offers check-in at 1 p.m., hours earlier than the accepted norm. Continental breakfast is a social time, getting to know other guests, or chatting with staff. It’s not just a few minutes to grab a bite and run. “Our guests tend to linger.”
Raush, who has been managing the inn for five years, takes particular pride in the cleanliness of the Berlin Village Inn. Not just clean, but spotless. “A frequent comment of people who come in is, ‘These rooms are spotless, they’re amazingly clean.’” Another guest favorite is the spacious deck overlooking a quiet neighborhood, and miles of farm country.
The Mast family, who purchased the inn in the late ’90s, has continued to preserve the small-town feel of the motel. “We could probably build another 22 rooms, and fill those up just as easily, but we really don’t want to do that,” said Raush. “To make it bigger, we would lose what we have. We’re very content here.”
But they always keep making improvements, such as new flat-screen TVs in the guest rooms, and an expanded deck for outdoor relaxing. They keep some old traditions, however, like having smoking rooms available, and limited staffing on Sundays. “We’re just saying, this is the community, we respect that Sundays are a time of rest,” said Raush.
Their way of doing business is well rewarded. “Last year was just amazing for us,” said Raush. “We were very skeptical, going into the year, with the economy and everything. But last year was our busiest year in over a decade.”
Every year, several local events have the Berlin Village Inn booked full at least a year ahead. There’s the Classic in the Country basketball tournament, and several horse auctions, each filling the inn for a week or so.
Returning guests are rewarded, too. “We have a frequent stay program,” said Raush. “If you stay with us seven nights, your eighth night is free. The only exception, you can’t use that free night in October. That’s our discount program. Thank you for coming, again and again and again.”
It seems as long as people like friendly little towns, Berlin Village Inn will be a busy neighborhood.
