Founder Joel Greaves tells HOLR all about how Somewhere Inn came to be and what guests can expect.
If you’re looking for adventure, Somewhere Inn is the ideal year-round escape nestled 1 hour from Ottawa and 4 hours from Toronto in purposefully chosen Calabogie, Ontario. As the perfect getaway for guests and their four-legged friends, this property has been designed to inspire guests to spend time in nature. As a result, it features dreamy bedrooms surrounded by natural spaces that make it simple to relax, unwind, and unplug.
Today, HOLR is chatting with Somewhere Inn’s founder, Joel Greaves, as he paints a full picture of how Somewhere Inn came to be, what guests can expect, and how the property is purposefully integrated into the community. Keep reading to learn all about Somewhere Inn’s inspiring mission and how its purpose extends beyond the guests and their experience.
Talk to us about how Somewhere Inn started.
The idea for Somewhere Inn started with a cottage. In my 20s after getting married, my partner and I decided to take an atypical path to real estate. We hadn’t yet bought a home in Toronto but loved the idea of owning a cottage. Eventually, we found a spot on a little lake in Muskoka. We renovated the space with cool furniture, updated bathrooms, and tons of white paint, and added amenities: a sauna, more sleeping quarters, and different hang-out areas. To help pay the bills, we used 50% of the time and rented it out on AirBnB the other 50%.
Through that process, we learned two things: 1) we loved developing properties, and 2) it was incredibly rewarding to host people. Our guests were escaping the city to disconnect and spend time in nature and raved about the experience and the design. We asked ourselves, ‘How can we do this at scale?’ and finally landed on purchasing an old motel in Calabogie in late March 2021. Calabogie is a hidden gem in Ontario. Its got beautiful lakes, rivers, hiking a ski hill, and a growing community of young like-minded entrepreneurs.
In its previous life, the motel’s primary clientele were hydro workers, fishermen, and hunters. Building on our initial vision for our cottage, we sought to make this place a Scandi-cabin-inspired boutique hotel for our generation (we are millennials). We embarked on an aggressive 4-month renovation with the help of a local contractor our designer friends Westgrove. We added hardwood floors throughout, in-room tubs, fireplaces, moody green walk-in tile showers, and sourced vintage and bespoke furniture. We reopened in September 2021 and haven’t looked back.
Somewhere Inn is on a continuous mission to inspire guests to get away, spend time in nature, and foster connections with the community. As a result, how does Somewhere Inn’s surroundings make for the perfect setting to restore and reset?
Somewhere Inn is perched atop a small hill, canopied by majestic hard and softwood trees, and overlooks Calabogie Lake. Stays at Somewhere Inn are about slowing down. There is no fomo here. Guests are encouraged to move at their own pace and do as much or as little as they want.
We made conscious decisions throughout our design process to encourage guests to get outside and enjoy the grounds. Our rooms have no TVs, our fire pits are lit nightly, and we have several thoughtfully placed seating areas and hammocks scattered throughout the grounds. Beyond the property, nature is at your doorstep. We think of ourselves as your base camp for adventure. Whether it be time on the water with one of our SUPs, a long hike, or a slow day on the freshwater beach (which is just 2 minutes away).
Additionally, how does Somewhere Inn’s purpose extend beyond its guest and their experiences?
The location for Somewhere Inn was purposefully chosen—we are surrounded by nature and we believe it has the power to restore and reset. And since nature has provided us with so much, we equally believe that we have a responsibility to give back. Stays with us do good not just for our guests, but also for our people, community, and planet.
How is Somewhere Inn good for our people, good for our community, and good for our planet?
It starts with our employees. Time and time again, the best experiences that our guests have had are always a result of one of our employees going above and beyond. Our staff are truly the glue that holds the entire experience together. We believe that staff are at their best when they are properly recognized for their efforts and feel comfortable showing up as their authentic self. We proudly pay a living wage, are rainbow registered business, get outside for team days, and offer support for mental health.
From a community standpoint, we know that we are only as strong as the great community around us. Because of that, we seek to have an active voice in the future of our communities: our team members hold board positions in the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association and Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization. We also collaborate closely with local breweries, restaurants, tour operators, and small businesses to make sure guests get an authentic locals-only-know experience.
We never take for granted the water and energy we use. We strive to minimize our carbon footprint by analyzing our environmental impact at every stage of our guests’ experience. Somewhere Inn Calabogie is Green Step Certified Bronze, and we are actively working with expert consultants to achieve Gold and reach our sustainability goals faster. To help do that $5 from every night goes to building improvements that will reduce our carbon footprint.
What can guests expect when visiting Somewhere Inn?
Our staff are local experts—their role is to help you plan guests’ unplug, get outside, recommend the perfect skin-contact wine, make restaurant recommendations, or provide the chill vibe guests need to reconnect with themselves. They are actively involved in helping most guests plan their time with us.
A typical stay at Somewhere Inn starts with an arrival in the evening followed by time around the fire pit. The next day, guests will visit one of the local cafes for breakfast and then go about exploring the Ottawa Valley: hikes, breweries, time on the lake, and skiing. Typically, guests will come back early afternoon and pop into the lobby for a wine tasting and some shareable bites and then turn in early after a long day. Guests then spend their final morning relaxing in bed, watching the trees sway through their windows, and connecting with their fellow travelers.
Tell us all about what makes Somewhere Inn unique when it comes to accommodations and things to eat and do.
On-site our lobby doubles as a wine bar and is open daily. We have curated a selection of biodynamic, natural, and organic wines from all over the world. We believe that wine should be approachable so our selection is priced in a way that you can try more than one. We also offer a small selection of bites that complement the wine on offer.
Beyond our grounds, we are so lucky to have an amazing growing culinary scene in Calabogie and the surrounding Ottawa Valley. On the Rocks is the best restaurant in the area. It feels like it belongs in downtown Toronto in terms of atmosphere, design, and food – but it’s right next to Calabogie Lake. There are an abundance of cute coffee shops and breweries. One of the greatest hidden gems is Neat Cafe, which is a cafe by day and a concert venue by night. They host intimate acts you wouldn’t expect to visit in a small town like Tokyo Police Club, Matthew Good, Sheep Dogs and the Trews.
What are your future goals for Somewhere Inn?
For Calabogie, we are going to continue to build out our amenities. We finished upgrades to our wine bar last year and opened an indoor lounge. In 2024 we will be adding wildflower gardens throughout the property. Each year we plan to continue enhancing the experience.
Beyond Calabogie, we love tourism in Ontario so are also on the hunt for new properties within driving distance of Toronto and Ottawa.
Published by HOLR Magazine.