New boutique motel opens in Bardstown, bringing 'nostalgia' to bourbon country

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- People long for the Great American road trip, and the Bardstown Motor Lodge is here for it.

Directly across from my Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown, the 70-year-old former Parkview Motel was recently purchased by Weyland Ventures and redone by Louisville-based Common Bond Hotel Collection, its 35 rooms now mid-century modern pops of color.

Carrie Osting, enjoying a staycation from Louisville this week, loved the unique spot in Bardstown.

"We like it. It's cool. I like that it's private, quaint. It's different," Osting said. We just decided 'Hey, let's find something new we haven't done.' I am not sure which one of us found this, but it was just something we stumbled upon and thought, 'Hey, we'll go to Bardstown.”

In a nod back to the days of swim clubs, the Bardstown Motor Lodge's pool is open to the public for $20 a day.

"We were definitely inspired by Palm Springs, Miami, kind of those retro motels," said Laura Crawford with Common Bond Hotel Collection. "So I think for millennial travelers and older, we see a lot of that."

Outside of the rooms sits a large courtyard with cornhole, picnic tables, fire pits and a poolside bar to greet guests who want to lay in the sun or hang in the lounge room.

"Being an hour from Louisville and Lexington, we definitely see that regional draw even as far as Cincinnati and Indianapolis," Crawford said. "We see a lot of them."

Rooms start at around $139 and go up to $350 for suites. The hotel even has its own restaurant, Toogie's Table, which is located across the parking lot.

"Nostalgia is back," Crawford said. "The Great American road trip, I think — especially with COVID — people are more interested in destinations they can drive to.

"I think there is just a lot of character. It is very charming here. You truly get a sense of Kentucky's hospitality community, and we encourage anyone to come visit us. We would love to have them."