From the road, the FairBridge Inn & Suites on North First Street looks like any other no-frills hotel. Not so long ago, it was routinely getting 1-star Yelp reviews. "Oi. Is all I can say," reads one.
But location is everything.
Strategically situated in a valley bursting with cherries, apples and hops, with the snow-capped Mount Rainier looming in the distance, the property is now bustling with activity and nearing full capacity.
That's because the FairBridge Inn is now a dormitory. Gone are the king and queen beds, replaced with several bunkbeds in each of its 206 rooms. The guests are no longer road trippers or conferencegoers, but farmworkers brought to the U.S. from other countries. They stay for weeks and sometimes months.
"We've seen more and more people each year," says Brett Valicoff, general manager of First Street Investments, which owns and operates the converted hotel to serve farmers in the area, including members of his own family.
Source: iowapublicradio.org
Photo Credit: istock-pixeldigits
Categories: Iowa, Business, Weather