Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
FRENCH LICK – Two Orange County natives with an entrepreneurial spirit are the new owners of a French Lick hotel.
Jonathan and Josh Smith, brothers who grew up in Orleans and graduated from Purdue University, bought Lane’s Motel in French Lick in 2023.
Since then, they’ve taken on a total renovation of the property, revamped the website, added online reservations and renamed the business The Valley Inn & Suites. Guests can book directly with the motel’s website or through Expedia and Booking.com.
The motel, which is within walking distance of several Springs Valley attractions, has 40 rooms. Room options include standard king/queen rooms and suites.
Jonathan said he and his brother had been looking to invest in a property in the French Lick area when the motel came up for sale. They took ownership last November. It’s the first ownership change in more than 30 years.
Owning and operating a motel has been a steep learning curve at times. The two have full-time jobs outside of motel ownership – Jonathan works in the aggregate industry and Josh works at a local farm in the Orleans area – and this is their first time to own a hospitality business.
They didn’t let that keep them from pursuing their goal. Teamwork, help from the experienced staff and doing research on improving the guest experience have been essential as they began the renovation process.
“We didn’t have any experience. We’re just two farm kids from small-town Indiana,” said Jonathan. “Our mentality was ‘How hard can it be?’ The answer is pretty hard sometimes but you can’t learn unless you jump in.”
Located on Ind. 56, the motel was built in the 1970s and additions were built over time, resulting in three buildings. The lobby area just needed a cosmetic re-fresh. The older buildings received an extensive renovation. Building 2 was gutted and renovated from the foundation on up. All rooms received new flooring, drywall, paint, furnishings, bedding, fixtures and plumbing.
Exterior work included repainting the building a blue/gray color and a new sign. In the future, guests will receive an entry code via phone, allowing them to go straight to their room without needing to check-in at the lobby.
“The transformation of The Valley Inn & Suites has been a welcome addition as it’s vital to have a wide array of accommodations available at all price points, for all types of travelers,” said Skylar Whiteman, executive director of the Orange County Economic Development Partnership. “It’s great that the new owners, who are local to Orange County, have been able to keep the quaint, friendly atmosphere that visitors were used to while also stepping into the digital side with a new website and online booking!”
The Smiths were drawn to the French Lick area because of the many attractions that bring more than 1 million visitors to the area each year.
“Our target market is people who want to come to French Lick for its many attractions like the French Lick Hotel, the casino and the dome, but don’t want to spend as much to stay there. For people who want a comfortable, clean and affordable place to stay, we’re for them,” Jonathan said.
Valley Inn is popular with fishermen visiting Patoka Lake and families taking in experiences such as the Polar Express at the Scenic French Lick Railway.
As tourism continues to grow in Orange County, guest accommodations have also increased. The area has traditional lodging options as well as rustic cabins, cottages and RV parks.
“There is more saturation in the market now than four or five years ago but we have an optimistic outlook and I think the area is going to keep growing,” Jonathan said.