Stafford Smith and equity partners, Dudley Marvin, Brian Ewbank, Butch (Christian) Paulsen, David Marvin, and Reginald Smith announce the sale of Stafford’s Hospitality to Jon and Lauren Cotton of Grosse Point, Mich. Other terms were not disclosed. Stafford’s Hospitality properties, all based in Michigan, include The Bay View Inn in Bay View, The Perry Hotel in Petoskey, The Crooked River Lodge in Alanson, The Pier Restaurant in Harbor Springs, The Weathervane in Charlevoix and The Noggin Room Pub in Petoskey.
Hotel Investment Services, Troy, Mich., has been selected to manage this portfolio.
"It is a tremendous honor, and responsibility, that we will be standing on the shoulders of one of the great hospitality legacies in Michigan," HIS CEO Ron Wilson said in a statement. "Stafford is an innkeeper's innkeeper who has dedicated his working life to the art of hospitality.”
The Cottons and HIS, along with insight from Stafford's leadership, are in the beginning stages of planning renovations that will be appropriate for each of these historic properties while maintaining the highest level of service for the guests. Jon Cotton has been doing similar renovations since he acquired the Hotel Iroquois on Mackinac Island.
The sale is expected to be completed in early January 2024.