April 19, 2024

New hotel offers race-goers fine amenities

By Dave Hon

The new hotel overlooks the speedway from the bar. Thankfully, the sound of the races doesn't penetrate the walls of the hotel. (Dave Hon)

This isn’t just any regular hotel.

Christine Schultz, manager at Boulders Inn and Suites near the Iowa Speedway, is making her managerial debut in Newton. The hotel just opened up for business last week, and Schultz said she is excited to serve those who are visiting Newton.

“I think our hotel is very unique,” Schultz said. “Each of our rooms are actually suites. They’re very spacious.”

Schultz has had supervisory experience and has worked at another Boulders Inn and Suites. She said that working at the Hotel usually means extensive hours with a talented staff. She said that the job is very rewarding because she gets to see new faces.

Schultz said that all of their rooms have a king-size bed, coffee tables, chairs, and couches. The real kicker though, is the wet bar in each room.

“Each room has a wet bar, a microwave and a fridge as well,” Schultz said. “Also, just the hotel in general, we do offer a beer and wine bar. So that’s great for the guests, too. They can sit back and relax after a long day at work.”

Schultz admitted the hotels biggest target audience is those who attend the races on weekends, but she believes the hotel has room to grow outside of that audience.

“Outside of that, we‘d like to see and work with those businesses here in Newton and give them a place to call home within their week or couple of days that they’re staying here,” Schultz said.

While the races can’t be heard from within the hotel, if a door or window is opened the buzzing of tires and engines can be easily heard. Schultz said this is due to the foundation of the building.

“It’s so close you can see it out our back window,” Schultz said.

Even though the hotel doesn’t have a pool, Schultz said there are plenty of other amenities-like free wifi and breakfasts-that make the experience just as valuable. The free breakfasts usually include eggs, sausage, bacon and gravy.

The hotel’s rooms run about $100 a night, which Schultz believes is very reasonable for a hotel right off the Interstate. There are also several discounts available for those with military or government employment status.