We discovered The Inn at Ohio Northern University earlier this year when I hopped onto Ohio's tourism site to look for a place to stay during a quick two-day getaway.
I wanted to find somewhere within 200 miles of our home in metro Detroit that we hadn't previously visited. I quickly narrowed my search to the northwestern portion of Ohio as we'd already spent a lot of time in southern Michigan and along the Lake Erie shoreline in northeastern Ohio, and I happened on a link to the inn while looking for destinations with cultural, historical or sports-related attractions.
The inn, located on the campus of a small Methodist Church-affiliated university in Ada, Ohio, looked great online. It turned out to be every bit as great as it looked online when we stayed there for a couple of days this past spring.
Ada is a quiet little town whose main claim to fame after Ohio Northern University (ONU) may be the Wilson Football factory. The location was a good base from which to explore the route of the historic Lincoln Highway through western Ohio, another reason I wanted to visit the area in the first place.
The Inn at Ohio Northern University opened in 2008 on the school's 300-acre campus with just over 70 rooms and over 3,000 feet of flexible meeting space.
It seems like the perfect place for a small conference, accommodating up to 100 people, and I easily visualized it as a great place for a writing conference I regularly attend in Ohio each year.
We scored a special springtime price for our large deluxe room with two queen beds, an electric fireplace and a view of the courtyard. The inn's regular prices seemed reasonable as well, at perhaps a bit less than you might expect to pay at many chain hotels for a room that might not be nearly so nice.
High-speed Internet was included with the price of the room, and we found the connection strong enough to listen to the stream for a live hockey game broadcast.
A few of the more unusual amenities and luxe touches included a guest laundry area, a heated towel rack in the bathroom, heavy terry bathrobes, an in-room programmable safe and nightly turndown service with a chocolate.
Sweet treat at the end of the evening
I appreciate it when the room rate includes breakfast, and the inn's included breakfast allowed us to order from the restaurant's regular menu during the week and eat the full breakfast buffet on weekends.
We enjoyed eating dinner one night at the inn's restaurant, but it is small, so it may be best to make reservations for dinner. You can also catch a cocktail in the lobby pub, although it doesn't stay open particularly late.
The inn's staff was all very friendly, and many of them seemed to be ONU students (we had a nice chat with our dinner server one night, who was a nursing student at the school).
We had a problem turning on our electric fireplace, but within minutes of our call to the desk, the manager came down and resolved the problem (dead batteries in the remote).
If there was anything I would like to change or see improved, I would like to have a good reading lamp by the comfy armchairs and fireplace.
The inn's location on campus means it is within easy walking distance of ONU's attractions like the Freed Center for the Performing Arts, Presser Recital Hall, Elszy Gallery of Art and the Division III school's Dial Roberson Stadium.
Bottom line: Great place for a relaxing weekend or a small conference with all of the amenities (and then some) that you would expect to see from a quality chain.
Check out The "football capital of the world" at Ada, Ohio and Visiting Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio for more about our trip to Ada.
Want to learn more about the history of Ada? Check out Hardin County (Postcard History) by Ronald I. Marvin Jr.
© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved
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