Hotel getting back to its roots with bar & restaurant renovation in TD
The swimming pool at The Dalles Inn is due to be eliminated and the space will be enclosed providing an entrance to the hotel on Second Street.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., March 21, 2024 — The Dalles Inn is repeating history as it is undergoing a major remodel that includes restoration of the kitchen, restaurant and bar on the second floor.
The hotel, located in the heart of downtown, sits across the street from the post office and was purchased a year ago for $4.8 million by LC Hotel LLC, which is part of VIP Hospitality Group in Portland.
And the restaurant and bar are taking priority as VIP aims to elevate the experience of staying in downtown The Dalles.
The company owns 10 different hotels in Oregon and Washington.
Currently, the 36 rooms to the left above are being renovated and are due to be finished in late spring.
New paint, new beds, upgraded tech are just part of the renovations going on at the hotel.
The Dalles Inn at 112 W. Second St. currently has a total of 64 rooms - 36 of them in the wing facing Second St., are under renovation.
In addition, the building is being retrofitted with a fire sprinkler system and state-of-the-art fire alarms. New water heaters, improved Information Technology and heating and cooling and new beds and furniture are also on tap for the facility.
That wing of the hotel will be complete by later this spring and additional upgrades, such as new televisions and hallway improvements will follow in the fall.
Plans also call for eliminating the swimming pool and closing off that area to create a grand entrance into the hotel.
This portion of the hotel could be leveled in years to come and a new wing would be built that would be very similar to that of the 36-room wing fronting second street.
Long-term plans - within a year or two depending on the hotel's popularity - also include the removal of the Third Street hotel wing and the construction of another 36-room, three-story structure similar to the one on Second Street.
Brent Sells of Dufur is the Maintenance Manager at The Dalles Inn and is providing boots on the ground for the renovations occurring at the hotel. Sells is seen here in the bar and restaurant overlooking the swimming pool. Sells said local trade businesses Pray Electric, Brown Roofing, Sergio Construction have all been working on the upgrade.
The investment into the building would be in the millions of dollars if the full build-out occurs.
The 93-room Holiday Inn Express in West The Dalles opened in 2020 at a cost of $12 million.
A Little History
Prior to being The Dalles Inn, the hotel flew the Tapadera moniker and had the restaurant and bar in full operation.
This post card gives a view of the Tapadera that was in play in the 70s.
And even prior to that, the site was home to the Hotel Dalles.
Hotel Dalles was in the same location as The Dalles Inn before it was torn down in 1969. Photo courtesy John Foley
Owner of Dalles Hotel, Pat Foley, stands at the front desk in 1920s. Photo courtesy John Foley. Pat had two pet bears and would walk them in local parades, according to local legend.
Matchbook cover from Dalles Hotel
Mallard duck, trout and bass were featured fare at Dalles Hotel back in the day.
Click to enlarge. Dalles Hotel needed a bus. It was built around 1910 and is a fixture at The Fort Dalles Museum to this day.
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