Some men surprise their girlfriends with glittery rings or elaborate marriage proposals. Mark Kearney surprised his by buying her a motel.
Six years in, Brenda and Mark are now quite comfortable in their classic horseshoe-shaped enclave on the main drag in downtown Cody, population 9,800, where the streets have names like Red Butte and Stampede, and US Highways 14 and 20 beckon travelers to drive “the most beautiful fifty miles in America” to Yellowstone National Park.
“This is a motel from long ago where you can park right outside your door,” says Brenda. “Nothing special about our rooms. I think it’s us. We’re present, we care, and we interact with our guests. Once they walk through that door, they’re our friends. They have our number in case something happens to them.”
Today, A Western Rose Motel is, according to its owners, “the highest-rated and lowest- priced motel in downtown Cody.”
“We’re not just a place to sleep, but a part of the destination experience,” explains Brenda. “A place to ‘come home’ to.”
